The craft studied soil samples, weather, magnetic fields and seismology.
The results of the metrological study suggest that regardless of the sampling conditions (weather, the mechanism and rate of radon transport in the soil, soil properties and conditions), uncertainty of method does not exceed 20%, while the combined standard uncertainty of radon exhalation rate measured from the soil surface does not exceed 30%.
These indices were applied to granitic rock samples weathered to various degrees, from the Kurtun Granodiorite in northeastern Turkey.
In order to monitor the ion distribution migration the coating and to see if the formation of crystals on the surface corresponds to an ion diffusion in the coating, samples weathered for 1, 2, 3, and 4 weeks were analysed by means of ToF SIMS.
They have been used to sample local weather and other environmental conditions in remote areas.
Mr. Fagan, an anthropologist who has written on climate change in "The Long Summer" and "The Little Ice Age," proceeds methodically, working his way across the globe and reading the evidence provided by tree rings, deep-sea cores, coral samples, computer weather models and satellite photos.
With the aim of testing the coating under more aggressive conditions, new samples were weathered at 10 ppm SO2 and 80% RH for longer time up to 4 weeks.
Heat treatment also seemed to improve color stability and surface quality of samples after weathering.
Petrographical and mineralogical variations show that both gneissic rocks (BGS-G and M-G samples) underwent weathering processes characterized by a progressive chemical attack on the labile minerals with generation of neoformed minerals and substitution of the original rock fabric.
Considering the forensic implications of this environmental degradation, care should be taken when comparing samples if weathering is an option (e.g. an exposed graffiti compared to the paint from a fresh spray paint can).
