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Cometary dust in Antarctic micrometeorites

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  30 January 2013

Naoya Imae
Naoya Imae*
Affiliation:
Antarctic Meteorite Research Center, National Institute of Polar Research, 10-3, Midori-cho, Tachikawa, Tokyo 190-8518, Japan email: [email protected]
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Abstract

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Cometary nuclei consist of aggregates of interstellar dust particles less than ~1 μm in diameter and can produce rocky dust particles as a result of the sublimation of ice as comets enter the inner solar system. Samples of fine-grained particles known as chondritic porous interplanetary dust particles (CP-IDPs), possibly from comets, have been collected from the Earth's stratosphere. Owing to their fine-grained texture, these particles were previously thought to be condensates formed directly from interstellar gas. However, coarse-grained chondrule-like objects have recently been observed in samples from comet 81P/Wild 2. The chondrule-like objects are chemically distinct from chondrules in meteoritic chondrites, possessing higher MnO contents (0.5 wt%) in olivine and low-Ca pyroxene. In this study, we analyzed AMM samples by secondary electron microscopy and backscattered electron images for textural observations and compositional analysis. We identified thirteen AMMs with characteristics similar to those of the 81P/Wild 2 samples, and believe that recognition of these similarities necessitates reassessment of the existing models of chondrule formation.

Keywords

chondrulechondrule-like objectmicrometeoritecometforsteriteenstatite
Type
Contributed Papers
Information
Proceedings of the International Astronomical Union , Volume 8 , Symposium S288: Astrophysics from Antarctica , August 2012 , pp. 123 - 129
Copyright
Copyright © International Astronomical Union 2013

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