Chemical identification of comet 81P/Wild 2 dust after interacting with molten silica aerogel
Citation
Rietmeijer, F. J. (2009). Chemical identification of comet 81P/Wild 2 dust after interacting with molten silica aerogel. Meteoritics & Planetary Science, 44(8), 1121-1132.Publisher
The Meteoritical SocietyJournal
Meteoritics & Planetary ScienceAdditional Links
https://meteoritical.org/Abstract
Flight aerogel in Stardust allocation C2092,2,80,47,6 contains percent level concentrations of Na, Mg, Al, S, Cl, K, Ca, Cr, Mn, Fe, and Ni that have a distinctive Fe- and CI-normalized distribution pattern, which is similar to this pattern for ppb level chemical impurities in pristine aerogel. The elements in this aerogel background were assimilated in non-vesicular and vesicular glass with the numerous nanometer Fe-Ni-S compound inclusions. After correction for the background values, the chemical data show that this piece of comet Wild 2 dust was probably an aggregate of small (<500 nm) amorphous ferromagnesiosilica grains with many tiny Fe,Ni-sulfide inclusions plus small Ca-poor pyroxene grains. This distinctive Fe- and CI-normalized element distribution pattern is found in several Stardust allocations. It appears to be a common feature in glasses of quenched aerogel melts but its exact nature is yet to be established.Type
Articletext
Language
enISSN
1945-5100ae974a485f413a2113503eed53cd6c53
10.1111/j.1945-5100.2009.tb01212.x