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Rock fragments of the Cb-type asteroid Ryugu returned to Earth by the JAXA Hayabusa2 mission share mineralogical, chemical, and isotopic properties with the Ivuna-type (CI) carbonaceous chondrites. Similar to CI chondrites, these fragments underwent extensive aqueous alteration and consist predominantly of hydrous minerals likely formed in the presence of liquid water on the Ryugu parent asteroid. Here we present an in situ analytical survey performed by secondary ion mass spectrometry from which we have estimated the D/H ratio of Ryugu's hydrous minerals, D/HRyugu, to be [165 ± 19] × 10⁻⁶, which corresponds to δDRyugu = +59 ± 121‰ (2σ). The hydrous mineral D/HRyugu's values for the two sampling sites on Ryugu are similar; they are also similar to the estimated D/H ratio of hydrous minerals in the CI chondrites Orgueil and Alais. This result reinforces a link between Ryugu and CI chondrites and an inference that Ryugu's samples, which avoided terrestrial contamination, are our best proxy to estimate the composition of water at the origin of hydrous minerals in CI-like material. Based on this data and recent literature studies, the contribution of CI chondrites to the hydrogen of Earth's surficial reservoirs is evaluated to be ∼3%. We conclude that the water responsible for the alteration of Ryugu's rocks was derived from water ice precursors inherited from the interstellar medium; the ice partially re-equilibrated its hydrogen with the nebular H₂ before being accreted on the Ryugu's parent asteroid., The Astrophysical Journal Letters, 946 (2), ISSN:1967-2014, ISSN:2041-8213

We investigated the stable isotope fractionation of chromium (Cr) for a panorama of chondrites, including EH and EL enstatite chondrites and their chondrules and different phases (by acid leaching). We observed that chondrites have heterogeneous δ 53Cr values (per mil deviation of the 53Cr/52Cr from the NIST SRM 979 standard), which we suggest reflect different physical conditions in the different chondrite accretion regions. Chondrules from a primitive EH3 chondrite (SAH 97096) possess isotopically heavier Cr relative to their host bulk chondrite, which may be caused by Cr evaporation in a reduced chondrule-forming region of the protoplanetary disk. Enstatite chondrites show a range of bulk δ 53Cr values that likely result from variable mixing of isotopically different sulfide-silicate-metal phases. The bulk silicate Earth (δ 53Cr = –0.12 ± 0.02‰, 2SE) has a lighter Cr stable isotope composition compared to the average δ 53Cr value of enstatite chondrites (–0.05 ± 0.02‰, 2SE, when two samples out of 19 are excluded). If the bulk Earth originally had a Cr isotopic composition that was similar to the average enstatite chondrites, this Cr isotope difference may be caused by evaporation under equilibrium conditions from magma oceans on Earth or its planetesimal building blocks, as previously suggested to explain the magnesium and silicon isotope differences between Earth and enstatite chondrites. Alternatively, chemical differences between Earth and enstatite chondrite can result from thermal processes in the solar nebula and the enstatite chondrite-Earth, which would also have changed the Cr isotopic composition of Earth and enstatite chondrite parent body precursors.

Events following the giant impact formation of the Moon are thought to have led to volatile depletion and concurrent mass-dependent fractionation of the isotopes of moderately volatile elements (MVE). The detailed processes and conditions surrounding this episode remain obscured and are not unified by a single model for all volatile elements and compounds. Using available data, including new Zn isotope data for eight lunar samples, we demonstrate that the isotopic fractionation of MVE in the Moon is best expressed by nonideal Rayleigh distillation, approaching the fractionation factor α using the reduced masses of the evaporated isotopologs. With these calculations, a best fit for the data is obtained when the lunar MVE isotope data are normalized to ordinary or enstatite chondrites ( ), rather than a bulk silicate Earth composition. This analysis further indicates that the parent body from which the Moon formed cannot have partitioned S into its core based on S isotope compositions of lunar rocks. The best fit between and modeled nonideal Rayleigh fractionation is defined by a slope that corresponds to a saturation index of 90% ± 4%. In contrast, the older Highland suite is defined by a saturation index of 75% ± 2%, suggesting that the vapor phase pressure was higher during mare basalt eruptions. This provides the first tangible evidence that the Moon was veiled by a thin atmosphere during mare basalt eruption events spanning at least from 3.8 to 3 billion years ago and implies that MVE isotope fractionation dominantly occurred after the Moon had accreted.

International audience; Chondrules are major components of chondrites and are believed to drive the accretion of planetary embryos. As such, constraining the timing and origin of chondrules is central for understanding the early evolution of the solar system and the formation of planets. Enstatite chondrites (ECs) have isotope compositions for multiple elements that match that of the Earth and, thus, are considered to be good analogs of the precursor material from which the Earth formed. Here, we report the first high-precision mass-independent Cr isotope data of nine chondrules in one of the least-altered EH chondrites, Sahara 97096. Seven primitive chondrules show typical Cr-54/Cr-52 ratios of bulk ECs, whereas two chondrules have ratios similar to carbonaceous chondrites. The presence of two chondrules with a carbonaceous chondrite signature suggests early inward transport of material to the EC accretion region. The Mn/Cr ratios of the EC-like chondrules (except one with high Fe content) correlate with their Cr-53/Cr-52 isotope ratios, which we interpret as a fossil isochron, with a slope corresponding to a Mn-53/Mn-55 initial ratio of (5.01 0.59) x 10(-6) (2 sigma). When anchored to the D'Orbigny angrite, this Mn-53/Mn-55 ratio returns an absolute age of 4565.7 0.7 Ma for EC chondrule formation (precursor age), 1.6 0.7 Ma after solar system formation. This protracted formation of EC chondrules may suggest that the mass transfer of outer solar system material started prior to the end of planetary embryo accretion, as chondrules could represent the main building blocks of terrestrial planets.

Primitive meteorites contain small 40Ca excesses, in addition to rare anomalies in 48Ca. Refractory inclusions from Vigarano and Allende have larger 40Ca and resolvable 48Ca anomalies. These results imply that Ca isotopic heterogeneities were still present in the early solar system at both the mineral and whole-rock scale. The absence of correlated Ca isotope anomalies in leachates from the CI1 chondrite Orgueil containing large 54Cr anomalies has implications on the origin of the Cr anomalies. 54Cr has to be produced either in massive stars during s-process nucleosynthesis without accompanying 48Ca or in particular zones in the rare Type Ia supernovae. In the latter case, 54Cr has been produced in a zone predominantly enriched in Cr and 54Cr and not mixed with other zones, or 54Cr has been produced together with other neutron-rich nuclides and there has been subsequent decoupling of this material in the star, in the solar system, or in the laboratory.

The relative abundances of calcium isotopes in the mass range 40-44 were measured in primitive and differentiated meteorites and igneous rocks from Earth and Mars in search of non-mass-dependent variations that could provide clues about early solar system processes. Most bulk samples of planetary materials have calcium isotopic compositions identical with Earth's within the current resolution of about 0.01% in 40Ca/44Ca. Possible exceptions include carbonaceous chondrites, some ordinary chondrites, and two samples of calcium-aluminum-rich inclusions, which have small excesses of 40Ca. The samples with 40Ca excesses are also known to have 50Ti and 135Ba excesses and 142Nd and 144Sm deficits. Collectively these data from refractory elements suggest that the planetary embryos represented by chondrites preserve isotopic heterogeneity that reflects different nucleosynthetic sources. No late admixture from a single nucleosynthetic source can explain all observations. The results are most compatible with variable proportions of material derived from Type II supernovae. The initial calcium isotope compositions of Earth and Mars are indistinguishable and similar to the 40Ca abundance found in some chondrites and all differentiated meteorites studied. It appears that isotopic heterogeneity in calcium was still present at the completion of disk formation but was homogenized during planetary accretion.

New high-precision 53Mn-53Cr data obtained for chondrules extracted from a primitive ordinary chondrite, Chainpur (LL3.4), define an initial 53Mn/55 Mn ratio of (5.1 ± 1.6) × 10-6. As a result of this downward revision from an earlier higher value of (9.4 ± 1.7) × 10-6 for the same meteorite (Nyquist et al. 2001), together with an assessment of recent literature, we show that a consistent chronology with other chronometers such as the 26Al-26Mg and 207Pb-206Pb systems emerges in the early solar system.

The 53Mn-53Cr chronometer applied to bulk carbonaceous chondrites constrains the solar nebula volatile element fractionation, chondrule formation, and stage I planetary accretion timescale to within +0.91 to –1.17 Myr at 4568 Myr ago. The difference between the initial 53Cr/52Cr ratio of ordinary chondrites, defined by Chainpur (LL3.4) chondrules, and carbonaeous chondrites suggests that the former is coming from an isotopically evolved reservoir.

International audience; The presence or absence of variations in the mass-independent abundances of Si isotopes in bulk meteorites provides important clues concerning the evolution of the early solar system. No Si isotopic anomalies have been found within the level of analytical precision of 15 ppm in 29Si/28Si across a wide range of inner solar system materials, including terrestrial basalts, chondrites, and achondrites. A possible exception is the angrites, which may exhibit small excesses of 29Si. However, the general absence of anomalies suggests that primitive meteorites and differentiated planetesimals formed in a reservoir that was isotopically homogenous with respect to Si. Furthermore, the lack of resolvable anomalies in the calcium-aluminum-rich inclusion measured here suggests that any nucleosynthetic anomalies in Si isotopes were erased through mixing in the solar nebula prior to the formation of refractory solids. The homogeneity exhibited by Si isotopes may have implications for the distribution of Mg isotopes in the solar nebula. Based on supernova nucleosynthetic yield calculations, the expected magnitude of heavy-isotope overabundance is larger for Si than for Mg, suggesting that any potential Mg heterogeneity, if present, exists below the 15 ppm level.

Isotopic anomalies in planetary materials reflect both early solar nebular heterogeneity inherited from presolar stellar sources and processes that generated non-mass-dependent isotopic fractionations. The characterization of isotopic variations in heavy elements among early solar system materials yields important insight into the stellar environment and formation of the solar system, and about initial isotopic ratios relevant to long-term chronological applications. One such heavy element, strontium, is a central element in the geosciences due to wide application of the long-lived 87 Rb– 87 Sr radioactive as a chronometer. We show that the stable isotopes of Sr were heterogeneously distributed at both the mineral scale and the planetary scale in the early solar system, and also that the Sr isotopic heterogeneities correlate with mass-independent oxygen isotope variations, with only CI chondrites plotting outside of this correlation. The correlation implies that most solar system material formed by mixing of at least two isotopically distinct components: a CV-chondrite-like component and an O-chondrite-like component, and possibly a distinct CI-chondrite-like component. The heterogeneous distribution of Sr isotopes may indicate that variations in initial 87 Sr/ 86 Sr of early solar system materials reflect isotopic heterogeneity instead of having chronological significance, as interpreted previously. For example, given the differences in 84 Sr/ 86 Sr between calcium aluminum inclusions and eucrites (e 84 Sr > 2), the difference in age between these materials would be ∼6 Ma shorter than previously interpreted, placing the Sr chronology in agreement with other long- and short-lived isotope systems, such as U–Pb and Mn–Cr.

Stepwise dissolution of primitive meteorites exhibits large 54Cr anomalies but no collateral effects on 58Fe and 48Ca, two other neutron-rich nuclides from the iron peak. These results suggest that 54Cr must have been produced in particular zones of the rare Type Ia supernovae or that 48Ca and/or 58Fe were produced together in Type II supernovae and were chemically separated into some mineral phase that favors Cr over Ca and Fe, and it is the dissolution properties of that phase that is driving the isotopic effect in leaching. The recent findings of nanometer-size oxide grains with very large 54Cr excesses favored the latter scenario for the origin of the mono-isotopic Cr isotopic effect. In addition, the absence of isotopic variations in the 58Fe/54Fe ratio at the mineral scale confirms that the short-lived nuclide 60Fe (T 1/2 = 2.62 Myr) was homogeneously distributed to a less than 15% dispersion in the early solar nebula.