The process of degassing the earth's mantle and the ways of development of the earth's crust
Abstract The amount of 40 Ar existing in the earth's atmosphere is compared with the amount which could have been emitted from the mantle in the process of formation of the earth's crust. It is shown that the hypothesis that the continental crust once occupied the whole surface of the earth gives an amount of 20.6 × 10 19 g of argonium in the atmosphere, as compared with the actual content of 6.5 × 10 19 g. On the contrary, the hypothesis that the continental crust has never covered an area remarkably greater than it does at present gives 7 × 10 19 g of argonium, which is in close agreement with the observed value.