Researchers Discover Asteroidal Ice Fossils in Primitive Meteorite

A research team including Akimasa Kataoka at CfCA/NAOJ has discovered evidence of asteroidal ice within a meteorite. Performing high-resolution CT imaging of a primitive, 4.6 billion year old meteorite, the researchers discovered micrometer-sized ultra-porous regions inside the meteorite. It is highly likely that the regions were originally filled with ice, which has since disappeared to form the ultra-porous regions.

Full story: "Researchers Discover Asteroidal Ice Fossils in Primitive Meteorite" (December 23, 2019, NAOJ Division of Science Web Release).



Figure 1:CT slice image of a box shaped meteorite sample at 8 keV. The porous region (dark color) is indicated by a white dashed line. The porous region was formed by the removal of ice previously filling the pore spaces. Grains with dark gray and white colors are silicates and Fe-rich sulfides, respectively.
© Megumi Matsumoto et al.



Figure 3:Schematic illustration of the Acfer 094 parent body formation model.
© Megumi Matsumoto et al.


[Research Paper]

Title: Discovery of fossil asteroidal ice in primitive meteorite Acfer 094
Authors: M. Matsumoto, A. Tsuchiyama, A. Nakato, J. Matsuno, A. Miyake, A. Kataoka, M. Ito, N. Tomioka, Y. Kodama, K. Uesugi, A. Takeuchi, T. Nakano and E. Vaccaro
Journal: Science Advances
DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.aax5078


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