119 research outputs found
Impact splash chondrule formation during planetesimal recycling
Chondrules are the dominant bulk silicate constituent of chondritic
meteorites and originate from highly energetic, local processes during the
first million years after the birth of the Sun. So far, an astrophysically
consistent chondrule formation scenario, explaining major chemical, isotopic
and textural features, remains elusive. Here, we examine the prospect of
forming chondrules from planetesimal collisions. We show that intensely melted
bodies with interior magma oceans became rapidly chemically equilibrated and
physically differentiated. Therefore, collisional interactions among such
bodies would have resulted in chondrule-like but basaltic spherules, which are
not observed in the meteoritic record. This inconsistency with the expected
dynamical interactions hints at an incomplete understanding of the planetary
growth regime during the protoplanetary disk phase. To resolve this conundrum,
we examine how the observed chemical and isotopic features of chondrules
constrain the dynamical environment of accreting chondrite parent bodies by
interpreting the meteoritic record as an impact-generated proxy of
planetesimals that underwent repeated collision and reaccretion cycles. Using a
coupled evolution-collision model we demonstrate that the vast majority of
collisional debris feeding the asteroid main belt must be derived from
planetesimals which were partially molten at maximum. Therefore, the precursors
of chondrite parent bodies either formed primarily small, from sub-canonical
aluminum-26 reservoirs, or collisional destruction mechanisms were efficient
enough to shatter planetesimals before they reached the magma ocean phase.
Finally, we outline the window in parameter space for which chondrule formation
from planetesimal collisions can be reconciled with the meteoritic record and
how our results can be used to further constrain early solar system dynamics.Comment: 20 pages, 11 figures, 2 tables; accepted for publication in Icarus;
associated blog article at goo.gl/5bDqG
Late metal-silicate separation on the IAB parent asteroid: Constraints from combined W and Pt isotopes and thermal modelling
The short-lived Hf-W decay system is a powerful chronometer
for constraining the timing of metal-silicate separation and core formation in
planetesimals and planets. Neutron capture effects on W isotopes, however,
significantly hamper the application of this tool. In order to correct for
neutron capture effects, Pt isotopes have emerged as a reliable in-situ neutron
dosimeter. This study applies this method to IAB iron meteorites, in order to
constrain the timing of metal segregation on the IAB parent body. The
W values obtained for the IAB iron meteorites range from -3.61
0.10 to -2.73 0.09. Correlating Pt with
W data yields a pre-neutron capture W of -2.90 0.06. This
corresponds to a metal-silicate separation age of 6.0 0.8 Ma after CAI
for the IAB parent body, and is interpreted to represent a body-wide melting
event. Later, between 10 and 14 Ma after CAI, an impact led to a catastrophic
break-up and subsequent reassembly of the parent body. Thermal models of the
interior evolution that are consistent with these estimates suggest that the
IAB parent body underwent metal-silicate separation as a result of internal
heating by short-lived radionuclides and accreted at around 1.4 0.1 Ma
after CAIs with a radius of greater than 60 km.Comment: 11 pages, 8 figures, 2 tables; open access article under the CC
BY-NC-ND license (see http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/
Presolar grain dynamics: Creating nucleosynthetic variations through a combination of drag and viscous evolution
Meteoritic studies of Solar system objects show evidence of nucleosynthetic heterogeneities that are inherited from small presolar grains (â <10ÎŒmâ ) formed in stellar environments external to our own. The initial distribution and subsequent evolution of these grains are currently unconstrained. Using 3D, gas-dust simulations, we find that isotopic variations on the order of those observed in the Solar system can be generated and maintained by drag and viscosity. Small grains are dragged radially outwards without size/density sorting by viscous expansion and backreaction, enriching the outer disc with presolar grains. Meanwhile large aggregates composed primarily of silicates drift radially inwards due to drag, further enriching the relative portion of presolar grains in the outer disc and diluting the inner disc. The late accumulation of enriched aggregates outside Jupiter could explain some of the isotopic variations observed in Solar system bodies, such as the enrichment of supernovae derived material in carbonaceous chondrites. We also see evidence for isotopic variations in the inner disc that may hold implications for enstatite and ordinary chondrites that formed closer to the Sun. Initial heterogeneities in the presolar grain distribution that are not continuously reinforced are dispersed by diffusion, radial surface flows, and/or planetary interactions over the entire lifetime of the disc. For younger, more massive discs we expect turbulent diffusion to be even more homogenizing, suggesting that dust evolution played a more central role in forming the isotopic anomalies in the Solar system than originally thought
The initial abundance and distribution of 92Nb in the Solar System
Niobium-92 is an extinct proton-rich nuclide, which decays to 92Zr with a
half-life of 37 Ma. This radionuclide potentially offers a unique opportunity
to determine the timescales of early Solar System processes and the site(s) of
nucleosynthesis for p-nuclei, once its initial abundance and distribution in
the Solar System are well established. Here we present internal Nb-Zr isochrons
for three basaltic achondrites with known U-Pb ages: the angrite NWA 4590, the
eucrite Agoult, and the ungrouped achondrite Ibitira. Our results show that the
relative Nb-Zr isochron ages of the three meteorites are consistent with the
time intervals obtained from the Pb-Pb chronometer for pyroxene and
plagioclase, indicating that 92Nb was homogeneously distributed among their
source regions. The Nb-Zr and Pb-Pb data for NWA 4590 yield the most reliable
and precise reference point for anchoring the Nb-Zr chronometer to the absolute
timescale: an initial 92Nb/93Nb ratio of at
Ma, which corresponds to a 92Nb/93Nb ratio of at the time of the Solar System formation. On the basis of this
new initial ratio, we demonstrate the capability of the Nb-Zr chronometer to
date early Solar System objects including troilite and rutile, such as iron and
stony-iron meteorites. Furthermore, we estimate a nucleosynthetic production
ratio of 92Nb to the p-nucleus 92Mo between 0.0015 and 0.035. This production
ratio, together with the solar abundances of other p-nuclei with similar
masses, can be best explained if these light p-nuclei were primarily
synthesized by photodisintegration reactions in Type Ia supernovae.Comment: Accepted to Earth and Planetary Science Letter
The âcentral stateâ and the almighty Dollar
New methods to determine the titanium (Ti) mass-dependent isotope fractionation of solar system materials to high precision were developed by combining internally normalised Ti isotope data with double-spike analyses utilising a 47Ti-49Ti double spike. The procedure includes a three-stage ion-exchange separation procedure to isolate Ti from the sample matrix that provides high-purity Ti fractions that are necessary for high-precision Ti isotope analyses. Analyses of sample aliquots that were spiked before and after the ion-exchange separation procedure demonstrate that Ti isotope fractionation can be induced by the separation procedure. This outcome requires the addition of the double spike before the ion exchange separation procedure in order to accurately determine the natural mass-dependent Ti isotope fractionation of samples. Multiple double spike analyses of an Alfa Aesar Ti standard performed over eight months yielded a reproducibility (2Ï standard deviation) of 0.033â° for ÎŽ49/47Ti (differences in 49Ti/47Ti relative to the OL-Ti standard). Terrestrial sample analyses display a 2Ï reproducibility of 0.018 to 0.031â° for ÎŽ49/47Ti. Titanium isotope results for three terrestrial USGS magmatic reference samples (AGV-2, BHVO-2 and BCR-2) agree well with literature data and therefore demonstrate the accuracy and precision of the presented methodologies. Achondritic meteorites display an overall range of 0.75â° for ÎŽ49/47Ti. The ungrouped achondrite NWA 7325 has a more positive composition by 0.64â° for ÎŽ49/47Ti compared to all other investigated samples likely reflecting Ti isotope fractionation induced by magmatic differentiation associated with highly reducing conditions and potentially associated with oxide and plagioclase formation. In contrast, eucrites with ÎŽ49/47Ti of -0.020 ± 0.070 and -0.003 ± 0.033 and the first mass-dependent Ti isotope data for an acapulcoite (Dhofar 125; ÎŽ49/47Ti = 0.094 ± 0.033) show only limited magmatic Ti isotope fractionation. Chondrites also display a relatively restricted range of 0.085â° for ÎŽ49/47Ti, including one calciumâaluminum rich inclusion (CAI) from Allende and the first mass-dependent Ti isotope data for two Rumuruti chondrites (NWA 753 and NWA 755). Furthermore, the mass-dependent Ti isotope composition of chondrites overlaps with that of eucrites and the acapulcoite Dhofar 125 indicating that nebular processes induce only limited Ti isotope fractionation. Additionally, the Ti isotope data indicate that thermal metamorphism also produced marginal Ti isotope fractionation at the bulk sample scale for chondrites. Small mass-dependent Ti isotope variations between different bulk meteorite samples are also evident, which might reflect sample heterogeneity. Importantly, the mass-dependent Ti isotope composition of the Earth and Moon overlap with the composition of the investigated chondrites, eucrites and acapulcoites within the 2 standard deviation uncertainties
Bifurcation of planetary building blocks during Solar System formation
Geochemical and astronomical evidence demonstrate that planet formation
occurred in two spatially and temporally separated reservoirs. The origin of
this dichotomy is unknown. We use numerical models to investigate how the
evolution of the solar protoplanetary disk influenced the timing of protoplanet
formation and their internal evolution. Migration of the water snow line can
generate two distinct bursts of planetesimal formation that sample different
source regions. These reservoirs evolve in divergent geophysical modes and
develop distinct volatile contents, consistent with constraints from accretion
chronology, thermo-chemistry, and the mass divergence of inner and outer Solar
System. Our simulations suggest that the compositional fractionation and
isotopic dichotomy of the Solar System was initiated by the interplay between
disk dynamics, heterogeneous accretion, and internal evolution of forming
protoplanets.Comment: Published 21 January 2021; authors' version; 30 pages, 18 figures;
summary available at http://bit.ly/BifurcationBlog (blog) and
https://bit.ly/BifurcationVideo (video
The formation of Jupiter by hybrid pebble-planetesimal accretion
The standard model for giant planet formation is based on the accretion of
solids by a growing planetary embryo, followed by rapid gas accretion once the
planet exceeds a so-called critical mass. The dominant size of the accreted
solids (cm-size particles named pebbles or km to hundred km-size bodies named
planetesimals) is, however, unknown. Recently, high-precision measurements of
isotopes in meteorites provided evidence for the existence of two reservoirs in
the early Solar System. These reservoirs remained separated from ~1 until ~ 3
Myr after the beginning of the Solar System's formation. This separation is
interpreted as resulting from Jupiter growing and becoming a barrier for
material transport. In this framework, Jupiter reached ~20 Earth masses within
~1 Myr and slowly grew to ~50 Earth masses in the subsequent 2 Myr before
reaching its present-day mass. The evidence that Jupiter slowed down its growth
after reaching 20 Earth masses for at least 2 Myr is puzzling because a planet
of this mass is expected to trigger fast runaway gas accretion. Here, we use
theoretical models to describe the conditions allowing for such a slow
accretion and show that Jupiter grew in three distinct phases. First, rapid
pebble accretion brought the major part of Jupiter's core mass. Second, slow
planetesimal accretion provided the energy required to hinder runaway gas
accretion during 2 Myr. Third, runaway gas accretion proceeded. Both pebbles
and planetesimals therefore have an important role in Jupiter's formation.Comment: Published in Nature Astronomy on August 27, 201
The origin of s-process isotope heterogeneity in the solar protoplanetary disk
Rocky asteroids and planets display nucleosynthetic isotope variations that are attributed to the heterogeneous distribution of stardust from different stellar sources in the solar protoplanetary disk. Here we report new high-precision palladium isotope data for six iron meteorite groups. The palladium data display smaller nucleosynthetic isotope variations than the more refractory neighbouring elements. Based on this observation, we present a model in which thermal destruction of interstellar dust in the inner Solar System results in an enrichment of s-process-dominated stardust in regions closer to the Sun. We propose that stardust is depleted in volatile elements due to incomplete condensation of these elements into dust around asymptotic giant branch stars. This led to the smaller nucleosynthetic variations for Pd reported here and the lack of such variations for more volatile elements. The smaller magnitude variations measured in heavier refractory elements suggest that material from high-metallicity asymptotic giant branch stars is the dominant source of stardust in the Solar System. These stars produce fewer heavy s-process elements (proton number Z >= 56) compared with the bulk Solar System composition
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