Spinels to characterize Solar System source regions and constrain variations in the flux of extraterrestrial materials delivered to Earth (AIIFUND74)

This project aims to characterize crystallization conditions during atmospheric entry and/or processes taking place in the meteorite parent body. Antarctic deposits have been crucial for the characterization of recent spinel group minerals in micrometeorites and ablation material. Important concentrations of micrometeorites were found accumulated within cracks in eroded surfaces near mountain summits, first in the Transantarctic Mountains [15] and later in the Sør Rondane Mountains by a Belgian team from the Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB) [16-17]. The cold temperatures and absence of anthropogenic contamination represent conditions favorable for their preservation and extraction. In a single recovery expedition, these sites yielded more material than several years of traditional collection techniques, and included dozens of micrometeorites that contain spinel group minerals..

Keywords:Solar system, extraterrestrial materials, spinels, source regions

Disciplines:Atmospheric chemistry