re: Hmm, interesting, but then..........
If there was more Argon in the sample before it left Mars; than they suspect "would have existed in the rocks initially", could that not give the conclusion a different viewpoint.
From the link that was on your post:
Argon decays at a known rate that varies with temperature. The amount of argon in a rock can be used to infer the maximum temperature the rock has experienced. Only a tiny amount of argon that would have existed in the rocks initially has leaked away.
As I understand it, there is a greater percentage of Argon in the atmosphere of Mars than there is on Earth.
Would this higher percent of Argon in the atmosphere give a greater initial content of Argon in the sample?
Johannes