In order to establish kinetic expressions for Raman spectroscopic parameters of organic matter in chondritic meteorites with heating, a series of heating experiments (at 600–900 °C for 3–48 h) of the Murchison (CM2) meteorite was conducted. For comparison, several carbonaceous chondrites with various metamorphic degrees—Allende (CV3.2), Moss (CO3.6), Yamato (Y‐) 793321 (heated CM2), and Tagish Lake

The mineral apatite, Ca5(PO4)3(F,Cl,OH), is a ubiquitous accessory mineral, with its volatile content and isotopic compositions used to interpret the evolution of H2O on planetary bodies. During hypervelocity impact, extreme pressures shock target rocks resulting in deformation of minerals; however, relatively few microstructural studies of apatite have been undertaken. Given its widespread distribution

Anhedral metal grains of >micrometer size occur in many lunar rock types, including mare basalts, magnesian suite rocks (MGS), ferroan anorthosites (FAN), and impact melt rocks and breccias. Some metal grains are inherited from, or modified by, impactors striking the Moon into crustal materials. These grains have high Ni/Co resulting from the addition of chondritic or iron impactors. Metal grains in

Constraining the duration of magmatic activity on the Moon is essential to understand how the lunar mantle evolved chemically through time. Determining age and initial isotopic compositions of mafic lunar meteorites is a critical step in defining the periods of magmatic activity that occurred during the history of the Moon and to constrain the chemical characteristics of mantle components involved

We investigated the metal‐rich chondrite Sierra Gorda (SG) 009, a member of the new G chondrite grouplet (also including NWA 5492, GRO 95551). G chondrites contain 23% metal, very reduced silicates, and rare oxidized mineral phases (Mg‐chromite, FeO‐rich pyroxene). G chondrites are not related to CH‐CB chondrites, based on bulk O, C, and N isotopic compositions, mineralogy, and geochemistry. G chondrites

Here, we apply recently developed high‐precision K isotope analyses to individual components of the LL4 chondrite Hamlet in order to investigate key processes which occurred during chondrite formation. The K isotopic compositions of all Hamlet chondrules range from −1.36‰ to −0.24‰ δ41K while the matrix and bulk samples show ranges of −0.89‰ to −0.80‰ and −0.86‰ to −1.08‰ δ41K, respectively. This range

We investigated the back‐transformation mechanisms of ringwoodite and majorite occurring in a shock‐melt vein (SMV) of the Yamato 75267 H6 ordinary chondrite during atmospheric entry heating. Ringwoodite and majorite in the shock melt near the fusion crust have back‐transformed into olivine and enstatite, respectively. Ringwoodite (Fa~18) occurs in the SMV as a fine‐grained polycrystalline assemblage

To date, the CM2 class of carbonaceous chondrites has provided the most detailed view of organic synthesis in the early solar system. Organic‐rich chondrites actually observed falling to Earth (“Falls”), for example, the Murchison meteorite in 1969, are even more rare. The April 23, 2019 fall of the Aguas Zarcas meteorite is therefore the most significant CM2 fall since Murchison. Samples collected

Qarabawi’s Camel Charm was acquired from Abdullah Qarabawi of the Ababda tribe of eastern Egypt. The charm consists of a chain with four links and an ~6.5 cm diameter flattened disk with the Arabic inscription “Allahu Akbar,” which translates as “God is Greatest.” Belief in the evil eye is prevalent among the Ababda, even to the modern day, and as men identify camels and the cultural objects and activities

Hydrous alteration of olivine macrocrysts in a Martian olivine phyric basalt, NWA 10416, and a terrestrial basalt from southern Colorado are examined using SEM, EPMA, TEM, and µXRD techniques. The olivines in the meteorite contain linear nanotubes of hydrous material, amorphous areas, and fluid dissolution textures quite distinct from alteration identified in other Martian meteorites. Instead, they

The solar activity can be quantified by solar modulation parameter Φ that affects the heliospheric magnetic field. This activity influences the intensity of the galactic cosmic ray (GCR) particle flux within the solar system, and consequently, the differential primary particle spectra depend on the solar modulation parameter Φ (MeV). The modulation parameter Φ shows spatial and temporal variations

The Tissint Martian meteorite is an unusual depleted olivine‐phyric shergottite, reportedly sourced from a mantle‐derived melt within a deep magma chamber. Here, we report major and trace element data for Tissint olivine and pyroxene, and use these data to provide new insights into the dynamics of the Tissint magma chamber. The presence of irregularly spaced oscillatory phosphorous (P)‐rich bands in

Shocked quartz and feldspar grains commonly exhibit planar microstructures, such as planar fractures, planar deformation features, and possibly microtwins, which are considered to have formed by shock metamorphism. Their orientation and frequency are typically reported to be randomly distributed across a sample. The goal of this study is to investigate whether such microstructures are completely random

Lovina, classified as an ungrouped ataxite, is controversial and its identity as a meteorite has been questioned. In this work, we use Pb isotopes on targeted troilite nodules in Lovina as a test of its antiquity and provenance. Although precise ages cannot be obtained, LA‐ICP‐MS offers a rapid, straightforward procedure to establish the source of lead, whether ancient (meteoritic) or modern (terrestrial)

Plagioclase feldspar is one of the most common rock‐forming minerals on the surfaces of the Earth and other terrestrial planetary bodies, where it has been exposed to the ubiquitous process of hypervelocity impact. However, the response of plagioclase to shock metamorphism remains poorly understood. In particular, constraining the initiation and progression of shock‐induced amorphization in plagioclase

We built a collector to filter interplanetary dust particles (IDPs) larger than 5 μm from the clean air at the Amundsen Scott South Pole station. Our sampling strategy used long duration, continuous dry filtering of near‐surface air in place of short duration, high‐speed impact collection on flags flown in the stratosphere. We filtered ~107 m3 of clean Antarctic air through 20 cm diameter, 3 µm filters

Meteoritical Bulletin 108 contains 2141 meteorites including 12 falls (Aguas Zarcas, Benenitra, Jalangi, Komaki, Ksar El Goraane, Mhabes el Hamra, Natun Balijan, Oued Sfayat, Shidian, Taqtaq‐e Rasoul, Tocache, Viñales), with 1640 ordinary chondrites, 149 carbonaceous chondrites, 134 HED achondrites, 45 lunar meteorites, 38 ureilites, 27 iron meteorites, 23 Martian meteorites, 22 primitive achondrites

Observational and logical arguments are presented for the lithology formerly named the Garson Member of the Onaping Formation being the clast‐bearing, fine‐grained, chilled Upper Contact Unit (UCU) of the Sudbury Igneous Complex (SIC) in the Garson region of the Sudbury impact structure. It differs considerably, however, from the UCU in the North Range of the SIC with respect to the character of its

Transmission electron microscope studies of fine‐grained rims in three CM2 carbonaceous chondrites, Y‐791198, Murchison, and ALH 81002, have revealed the presence of widespread nanoparticles with a distinctive core–shell structure, invariably associated with carbonaceous material. These nanoparticles vary in size from ~20 nm up to 50 nm in diameter and consist of a core of Fe,Ni carbide surrounded

Five silica‐rich objects (SRO) from Acfer 182 were studied. They have cryptocrystalline textures characterized by micro‐emulsion and amoeboid patterns that point toward the coexistence of pyroxene‐ and silica‐normative liquids that were quenched. Both objects have variable contents of refractory lithophile elements. Their positive Yb versus La correlation around primordial values suggests a cosmochemical

In the near future, a new generation of sample return missions (Hayabusa2, OSIRIS‐REx, MMX, etc.) will collect samples from small solar system bodies. To maximize the scientific outcome of laboratory studies and minimize the loss of precious extraterrestrial samples, an analytical sequence from less destructive to more destructive techniques needs to be established. In this work, we present a combined

Some of the tridymite in the monomict Northwest Africa (NWA) 11591 eucrite are found to have sulfide‐rich replacement textures (SRTs) to varying degrees. The SRTs of tridymite in NWA 11591 are characterized by the distribution of loose porous regions with aggregates of quartz and minor troilite grains along the rims and fractures of the tridymite, and we propose a new mechanism for the origin of this

Chemical compositions of materials used for new sample holders (vertically aligned carbon nanotubes [VACNTs] and polyimide film), which were developed for the analysis of Hayabusa2‐return samples, were determined by instrumental neutron activation analysis and/or instrumental photon activation analysis, to estimate contamination effects from the sample holders. The synthetic quartz plate used for the

Based on sediment‐dispersed extraterrestrial spinel grains in the Bottaccione limestone section in Italy, we reconstructed the micrometeorite flux to Earth during the early Paleocene. From a total of 843 kg of limestone, 86 extraterrestrial spinel grains (12 grains > 63 μm, and 74 in the 32–63 μm fraction) have been recovered. Our results indicate that the micrometeorite flux was not elevated during

Caleta el Cobre (CeC) 022 is a Martian meteorite of the nakhlite group, showing an unbrecciated cumulate texture, composed mainly of clinopyroxene and olivine. Augite shows irregular core zoning, euhedral rims, and thin overgrowths enriched in Fe relative to the core. Low‐Ca pyroxene is found adjacent to olivine. Phenocrysts of Fe‐Ti oxides are titanomagnetite with exsolutions of ilmenite/ulvöspinel

Giant micrometeorites (MMs; 400–2000 µm) are exceedingly rare and scientifically valuable. Three‐dimensional nondestructive characterization by X‐ray computed tomography (X‐CT) provides information on the petrography and thus petrogenesis of MMs and serves as a guide to maximize subsequent multi‐analytical studies on such precious planetary materials. Here, we discuss the results obtained by X‐CT on

Renazzo‐type (CR) carbonaceous chondrites belong to one of the most pristine meteorite groups containing various early solar system components such as matrix and fine‐grained rims (FGRs), whose formation mechanisms are still debated. Here, we have investigated FGRs of three Antarctic CR chondrites (GRA 95229, MIL 07525, and EET 92161) by electron microscopy techniques. We specifically focused on the

Here, we calculate the mineralogy of the Martian lower crust and upper mantle as a function of pressure and temperature with depth using four bulk compositions (average crust, Gusev basalt, olivine‐phyric shergottite, and primitive average mantle). We then use this mineralogy to extract rock properties such as density and seismic velocities, describe their changes with varying conditions and geotherms

Evaluating the water‐soluble organic composition of carbonaceous chondrites is key to understanding the inventory of organic matter present at the origins of the solar system and the subsequent processes that took place inside asteroid parent bodies. Here, we present a side‐by‐side analysis and comparison of the abundance and molecular distribution of aliphatic amines, aldehydes, ketones, mono‐ and

Julius Obsequens was the pseudonym of a Roman historian presumably living in the 4th century ad , whose life is shrouded in mystery. All that is known about Obsequens’s biography is that he was the author of a book entitled Liber Prodigiorum (Book of Prodigies ), a collection of prodigies deduced from Livy’s Ab Urbe Condita Libri (Books from the Founding of the City ). The Liber Prodigiorum covered

Plagioclase feldspar is one of the most abundant minerals on the surface of the Earth, the Moon, and Mars, and is also commonly found in meteorites. Studying shock effects in feldspar thus provides us with fundamental information about impact cratering processes on planetary bodies. In this study, plagioclase from monomict and polymict breccias, impact melt rocks, and shock‐metamorphosed target rocks

We found a large (~2 mm) compound object in the primitive Yamato 793408 (H3.2‐an) chondrite. It consists mostly of microcrystalline material, similar to chondrule mesostasis, that hosts an intact barred olivine (BO) chondrule. The object contains euhedral pyroxene and large individual olivine grains. Some olivine cores are indicative of refractory forsterites with very low Fe‐ and high Ca, Al‐concentrations

CM chondrites are complex impact (mostly regolith) breccias, in which lithic clasts show various degrees of aqueous alteration. Here, we investigated the degree of alteration of individual clasts within 19 different CM chondrites and CM‐like clasts in three achondrites by chemical analysis of the tochilinite‐cronstedtite‐intergrowths (TCIs; formerly named “poorly characterized phases”). To identify

Identification and characterization of small extraterrestrial samples, such as small Antarctic meteorites <~1 cm, require the development of convenient laboratory‐based nondestructive analytical techniques using X‐ray diffraction (XRD). We explore the characterization criteria using an X‐ray diffractometer with a Gandolfi attachment using sub‐mm small fragments and powder aggregates for various kinds

We report all available measurements on strength of meteorites, primarily focusing on compressive and tensile strengths and supplementary data such as Young's modulus, Poisson's ratio, elastic sound wave velocities, density, porosity, and sample sizes. These data are solely taken from the original papers to avoid misprints and other issues. The data are provided as originally presented by the authors

The petrologic and oxygen isotopic characteristics of calcium‐aluminum‐rich inclusions (CAIs) in CO chondrites were further constrained by studying CAIs from six primitive CO3.0‐3.1 chondrites, including two Antarctic meteorites (DOM 08006 and MIL 090010), three hot desert meteorites (NWA 10493, NWA 10498, and NWA 7892), and the Colony meteorite. The CAIs can be divided into hibonite‐bearing inclusions

Our detailed mineralogical, elemental, and isotopic study of the Miller Range (MIL) 07687 meteorite showed that, although this meteorite has affinities to CO chondrites, it also exhibits sufficient differences to warrant classification as an ungrouped carbonaceous chondrite. The most notable feature of MIL 07687 is the presence of two distinct matrix lithologies that result from highly localized aqueous

Mineralogically zoned chondrules are a common chondrule type in chondrites. They consist of olivine cores, surrounded by low‐Ca pyroxene rims. By serial sectioning porphyritic chondrules from carbonaceous, ordinary, and enstatite chondrites, we demonstrate that the 2‐D textural appearances of these chondrules largely depend on where they are cut. The same chondrule may appear as a porphyritic pyroxene

We measured concentrations and isotopic ratios of noble gases in the Rumuruti (R) chondrite Mount Prestrud (PRE) 95410, a regolith breccia exhibiting dark/light structures. The meteorite contains solar and cosmogenic noble gases. Based on the solar and cosmogenic noble gas compositions, we calculated a heliocentric distance of its parent body, a cosmic‐ray exposure age on the parent body regolith (parent

All mesosiderites previously reported were subjected to thermal metamorphism and/or partial melting on the parent body. Therefore, their primordial features have been mostly lost. Here, we report detailed petrological and mineralogical features on a mesosiderite, Northwest Africa (NWA) 1878. This meteorite comprises silicate lithology and aggregates of small spheroidal Fe‐Ni metal grains. Silicate

The Ramgarh structure is a morphological landmark in southeastern Rajasthan, India. Its 200 m high and 3.5–4 km wide annular collar has provoked many hypotheses regarding its origin, including impact. Here, we document planar deformation features, planar fractures, and feather features in quartz grains of the central part of the Ramgarh structure, which confirm its impact origin. The annular collar

Our planet experiences falls of meteorites with different airburst and ground impact risk. Some of these meteors can survive after the atmospheric passage and fall into the ground. Although there are claims that people were hit and killed by meteorites in history, the historical records do not prove this fact so far. This issue might be due to the fact that either the manuscript was written in a language

Ureilites are carbon‐rich ultramafic achondrites that have been heated above the silicate solidus, do not contain plagioclase, and represent the melting residues of an unknown planetesimal (i.e., the ureilite parent body, UPB). Melting residues identical to pigeonite‐olivine ureilites (representing 80% of ureilites) have been produced in batch melting experiments of chondritic materials not depleted

In Wisdom (2017), I presented new simulations of meteorite transport from the chaotic zones associated with major resonances in the asteroid belt: the ν 6 secular resonance, the 3:1 mean motion resonance with Jupiter, and the 5:2 mean motion resonance with Jupiter. I found that the observed afternoon excess (the fact that approximately twice as many meteorites fall in the afternoon as in the morning)

Here, the petrological features of numerous primitive achondrites and highly equilibrated chondrites are evaluated to review and expand upon our knowledge of the chondrite–achondrite transition, and primitive achondrites in general. A thermodynamic model for the initial silicate melting temperature and progressive melting for nearly the entire known range of oxidation states is provided, which can

The Allan Hills 76005 polymict eucrite pairing group consists of 15 paired masses recovered during six different field seasons in the Transantarctic Mountains. Although this group has been well studied in general, most of the meteorites contain a significant portion of dark clasts that have not been well characterized. The Dawn mission to Vesta discovered dark materials that provide insight into its

Bruce Forbes Bohor, the 2011 Barringer Medalist of the Meteoritical Society (Glass, 2011), passed away at his home in Green Valley, Arizona, on November 17, 2019. Bruce is best known in our community for his discovery of shocked quartz in layers marking the Cretaceous–Tertiary (K‐T, now called the Cretaceous–Paleogene, K‐Pg) boundary in the central United States in the early 1980s, following the famous

Previous studies attributed the origin of metal veins penetrating graphite nodules in the Canyon Diablo IAB main group iron meteorite to condensation from vapor or melting of host metal. Abundances of 16 siderophile elements measured in kamacite within vein and host meteorite are most consistent with an origin by melting of the host metal followed by fractional crystallization of the liquid. The presence

We examined 16 white opaque inclusions exposed on two polished slices of a Muong Nong‐type Australasian tektite from Muong Phin, Laos. The inclusions usually consist of a core, surrounded by a froth layer, and a quartz neoblast layer. The cores are composed primarily of a mixture of silica glass, coesite, and quartz in varying proportions. A thin (up to ~4 μm) layer of SiO2‐poor glass enriched in FeO

The Ilumetsa site, in Estonia, consists of two round, rimmed structures that are 725 m apart. The structures are listed as proven impact craters in the Impact Earth database, despite lack of commonly accepted, unequivocal proof of extraterrestrial collision identified at this location. We excavated trenches though the Ilumetsa Large and Ilumetsa Small structures and found small pieces of charcoal within

The Tissint meteorite fell on July 18, 2011 in Morocco and was quickly recovered, allowing the investigation of a new unaltered sample from Mars. We report new high‐field strength and highly siderophile element (HSE) data, Sr‐Nd‐Hf‐W‐Os isotope analyses, and data for cosmogenic nuclides in order to examine the history of the Tissint meteorite, from its source composition and crystallization to its

In situ U‐Pb measurements on zircons of the Ries impact crater are presented for three samples from the quarry at Polsingen. The U‐Pb data of most zircons plot along a discordia line, leading to an upper intercept of Carboniferous age (331 ± 32 Ma [2σ]). Four zircons define a concordia age of 313.2 ± 4.4 Ma (2σ). This age most probably represents the age of a granite from the basement target rocks

NASA's Genesis mission was flown to capture samples of the solar wind and return them to the Earth for measurement. The purpose of the mission was to determine the chemical and isotopic composition of the Sun with significantly better precision than known before. Abundance data are now available for noble gases, magnesium, sodium, calcium, potassium, aluminum, chromium, iron, and other elements. Here

NASA's Genesis Mission returned solar wind (SW) to the Earth for analysis to derive the composition of the solar photosphere from solar material. SW analyses control the precision of the derived solar compositions, but their ultimate accuracy is limited by the theoretical or empirical models of fractionation due to SW formation. Mg isotopes are “ground truth” for these models since, except for CAIs

We report a comprehensive analysis of the instrumentally observed meteorite fall Žďár nad Sázavou, which occurred in the Czech Republic on December 9, 2014, at 16:16:45–54 UT. The original meteoroid with an estimated initial mass of 150 kg entered the atmosphere with a speed of 21.89 km s−1 and began a luminous trajectory at an altitude of 98.06 km. At the maximum, it reached −15.26 absolute magnitude

We report direct measurements of thermal diffusivity and conductivity at room temperature for 38 meteorite samples of 36 different meteorites including mostly chondrites, and thus almost triple the number of meteorites for which thermal conductivity is directly measured. Additionally, we measured porosity for 34 of these samples. Thermal properties were measured using an optical infrared scanning method