Evening star., 1949-04-25
Radioactive Metol Used
To CulcuIote eorth's Ace
South African Cenl~x,s Making Es.
rsrimeass OF VI, / 7.
By Tkewu T. HswrY

Aosfer FAFtss axe - s~sns stgss=sgrea
~ Q nsw eacct a radioactive .rr~ ns
Ire rare scgt metal raaa1garz
In APPROXIMATELY se aao ese Esae s~Af. BAT
The amount @. shss sxE4oe zns l~>sCge ge~~~Ht
IN sny Fc~k ~atl raaasw srl1 a ary-ss xxsass.ass
fesu es Ire equally rae asss snstAl sstvn.
tsasn. That - II nnA2ss4. sne~a bali 40
msaeh sircnt4an IS wnsassse rSssssg4rn gr, .
roek SAIpse scsaia - tsH Akszsanps&zA
that soc noe naa centuries had raxse~r siacw
the elements nakins ~ thag rv~k ~rss
brought tosrthsf, Tnss o. ecllF~ srals ~
many Told lanser tran The p2knrs car g~e,.
Sngy have e~~n Ia existence
Hitherto time Hsasafvmraa hs,s a~rn
hAscd larksly ca the alaanfesrAtaosr 81 -
element uranium into Trad II hlxhgv
complicated and has LED 20 eoassarsAs3e
disAEre~menI The 6ifssults hAs ecrn thai
there are sreeral forms Of uranium easa
eventually disgniessattaK into = a.sefent
form Of lsad Moreover. All the uranium
leads dires from ordinary l~ad whseh =
mueh more abundant Atso Tire ess4ngsEfa.
ticn tasss place N MANY steps scsns lAA-
Lnf millions Of years and others nsiy fyae-
tions Of x@conas The sd.antage ei uss
method has been that uranium ts .srly
abundant element in the earth surface
Rueidium. on ths other hand dlSsnteEtstrs
10 StTontium IN q Mnkls sten T1ssr Ais
lev complacaung factors 10 throw out tive
calculations. Unfortunately ruhidum ~ an
extremely rare element althuuen II is d4.-
uioaied fairly equally IN Ersntu r~eks
The melhod ~ belns developed es d. I.
II. Ahfens, South African seo@aFlsi nov 81
Massachusetts Institute Of Technology Co
operatsns Is the National Res~arrh Cat.nca
Committee on Measurement Of Orelosge
Time To date rock samples containing
ruoidiam from South Africa Maine. Con.
nseticut Canada and the Black Hiils have
been studied Considerable work also u
being carried out b, a group Of Swedish
geologists
A mobile observatory for study ot the
Northern Lights and the eaFths lonosphete-
the electrically eharsed blankets Of thin
atmosphere at great attitudes which reflect
radio wayes~~ha& Just been pa, into cp-
Grafton by the Canadian government
The new observatory Is housed IN . con-
verted railway coach on the tine between
Winnepeg and Manitoba nsw Arcue part
Port Churchill. II is expected 10 he vital
link In an international chain OF stations
supplying information essential 10 the de-
velopment of radio communication and radio
navigation In the Far North, one found
trip will be made every three months in
each Of the four SEASONS with Nesk-lo
stops going and coming,
The Northern L4ghtx zone, ~hhh covers
all Of Northern Canada. Is highly suitable
for the study OF ionosphete conditions.
CHARGED particles, emanaung from ths sun.
are DETECTED closer to the earth BY the
planets magnetic neld in this area Th~as
charged particles come from sun spots, which
last year we're more numerous Than st any
time in the last 200 years since records
have been kept,
The new station viii send radio beams as
high as 200 miles above the earth 1hese
are reflected hy the ionoSphers 10 the point
of origin and from the reflections much IN"
forms ton can be obtained about conditions
in the upper regions
Based on this information. predictions eaa
be made Of future radio Transmission eondi-
tons and long distance communication
made easier.
The recordings Of the mobile station viii
be co -ordinated with those OF o. other sta
tons In various parts OF the world and from
the mass OF information monthly predictions
of magnetic and ionospherie storms mace.