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Carbon abundance and silicate mineralogy of anhydrous interplanetary dust particles.
- Source :
-
Geochimica et cosmochimica acta [Geochim Cosmochim Acta] 1993; Vol. 57, pp. 1551-66. - Publication Year :
- 1993
-
Abstract
- We have studied nineteen anhydrous chondritic interplanetary dust particles (IDPs) using analytical electron microscopy. We have determined a method for quantitative light element EDX analysis of small particles and have applied these techniques to a group of IDPs. Our results show that some IDPs have significantly higher bulk carbon abundances than do carbonaceous chondrites. We have also identified a relationship between carbon abundance and silicate mineralogy in our set of anhydrous IDPs. In general, these particles are dominated by pyroxene, olivine, or a subequal mixture of olivine and pyroxene. The pyroxene-dominated IDPs have a higher carbon abundance than those dominated by olivines. Members of the mixed mineralogy IDPs can be grouped with either the pyroxene- or olivine-dominated particles based on their carbon abundance. The high carbon, pyroxene-dominated particles have primitive mineralogies and bulk compositions which show strong similarities to cometary dust particles. We believe that the lower carbon, olivine-dominated IDPs are probably derived from asteroids. Based on carbon abundances, the mixed-mineralogy group represents particles derived from either comets or asteroids. We believe that the high carbon, pyroxene-rich anhydrous IDPs are the best candidates for cometary dust.
Details
- Language :
- English
- ISSN :
- 0016-7037
- Volume :
- 57
- Database :
- MEDLINE
- Journal :
- Geochimica et cosmochimica acta
- Publication Type :
- Academic Journal
- Accession number :
- 11539451
- Full Text :
- https://doi.org/10.1016/0016-7037(93)90012-l