Discovery of probable Tunguska cosmic body material: anomalies of platinum group elements and rare-earth elements in peat near the Explosion Site (1908)

Ten Sphagnum fuscum peat samples collected from different depths of a core including the layer affected by the 1908 Tunguska explosion in the Tunguska area of Central Siberia, Russia, were analyzed by ICP-MS to determine the concentrations of Pd, Rh, Ru, Co, REE, Y, Sr, and Sc. The analytical results indicate that the Pd and Rh concentrations in the event- and lower layers were 14.0–19.9, and 1.23–1.56 ppb, respectively, about 3–9 times and 3 times higher than the background values in the normal layers. In addition, the patterns of CI-chondrite-normalized REE in the event layers were much flatter than in the normal layers, and differed from those in the nearby traps. Hence, it can be inferred from the characteristics of the elemental geochemistry that the explosion was probably associated with extraterrestrial material, and which, most probably, was a small comet core the dust fraction of which was chemically similar to carbonaceous chondrites (CI). In terms of the Pd and REE excess fluxes in the explosion area, it can be estimated that the celestial body that exploded over Tunguska in 1908 weighed more than 10⁶ t, corresponding to a radius of >60 m. If the celestial body was a comet, then its total mass was more than 2×10⁷ t, and it had >160 m radius, and released an energy of >10⁷ t TNT.     

Clues to the nature of the impacting bodies from platinum-group elements (rhenium and gold) in borehole samples from the Clearwater East crater (Canada) and the Boltysh impact crater (Ukraine)

Abstract— Seven large (10 g) impact melt rock samples from boreholes from the Boltysh impact crater (Ukraine) and six samples from the East Clearwater crater (Canada) were analyzed for Os, Ir, Ru, Rh, Pd, Re and Au by the nickel sulfide technique in combination with neutron activation. Earlier analyses of Clearwater East impact melt rocks have shown that they are strongly enriched in Ir, Os, Pd and Re. In this work, I confirm earlier findings and demonstrate similarly high enrichments of Rh and Ru. The average Os/Ir, Ru/Ir, Pd/Ir, Rh/Ir and Ru/Rh ratios of the melt rock samples from Clearwater East are CI-chondritic and yield an average Ir content of 25.2 ± 6.5 ng/g relative to an average upper crust concentration of 0.03 ± 0.02 ng/g Ir. The amount of meteoritic component corresponds to 4 to 7% of a nominal CI component for Clearwater East. The impact melt rock samples from a bore hole from Boltysh are low in Ir with an average of 0.2 ± 0.1 ng/g. The CI-normalized abundances increase from the refractory to the more volatile siderophile elements (Os < Ir < Ru < Rh ～ Pd ～ Au ～ Ni ～ Co). Because of the low Ir anomaly and uncertainties in making corrections (correlations are weak) for indigenous siderophile elements, no clear projectile assignment can be made.     

New Horizons Alice ultraviolet observations of a stellar occultation by Jupiter’s atmosphere

The Alice ultraviolet spectrograph onboard the New Horizons spacecraft observed two occultations of the bright star χ Ophiucus by Jupiter’s atmosphere on February 22 and 23, 2007 during the approach phase of the Jupiter flyby. The ingress occultation probed the atmosphere at 32°N latitude near the dawn terminator, while egress probed 18°N latitude near the dusk terminator. A detailed analysis of both the ingress and egress occultations, including the effects of molecular hydrogen, methane, acetylene, ethylene, and ethane absorptions in the far ultraviolet (FUV), constrains the eddy diffusion coefficient at the homopause level to be  cm² s⁻¹, consistent with Voyager measurements and other analyses (Festou, M.C., Atreya, S.K., Donahue, T.M., Sandel, B.R., Shemansky, D.E., Broadfoot, A.L. [1981]. J. Geophys. Res. 86, 5717-5725; Vervack Jr., R.J., Sandel, B.R., Gladstone, G.R., McConnell, J.C., Parkinson, C.D. [1995]. Icarus 114, 163-173; Yelle, R.V., Young, L.A., Vervack Jr., R.J., Young, R., Pfister, L., Sandel, B.R. [1996]. J. Geophys. Res. 101 (E1), 2149-2162). However, the actual derived pressure level of the methane homopause for both occultations differs from that derived by [Festou et al., 1981] and [Yelle et al., 1996] from the Voyager ultraviolet occultations, suggesting possible changes in the strength of atmospheric mixing with time. We find that at 32°N latitude, the methane concentration is  cm⁻³ at 70,397 km, the methane concentration is  cm⁻³ at 70,383 km, the acetylene concentration is  cm⁻³ at 70,364 km, and the ethane concentration is  cm⁻³ at 70,360 km. At 18°N latitude, the methane concentration is  cm⁻³ at 71,345 km, the methane concentration is  cm⁻³ at 71,332 km, the acetylene concentration is cm⁻³ at 71,318 km, and the ethane concentration is  cm⁻³ at 71,315 km. We also find that the H₂ occultation light curve is best reproduced if the atmosphere remains cold in the microbar region such that the base of the thermosphere is located at a lower pressure level than that determined by in situ instruments aboard the Galileo probe (Seiff, A., Kirk, D.B., Knight, T.C.D., Young, R.E., Mihalov, J.D., Young, L.A., Milos, F.S., Schubert, G., Blanchard, R.C., Atkinson, D. [1998]. J. Geophys. Res. 103 (E10), 22857-22889) - the Sieff et al. temperature profile leads to too much absorption from H₂ at high altitudes. However, this result is highly model dependent and non-unique. The observations and analysis help constrain photochemical models of Jupiter’s atmosphere.     

Experimental study on the impact fragmentation of core-mantle bodies: Implications for collisional disruption of rocky planetesimals with sintered core covered with porous mantle

Impact experiments of inhomogeneous targets such as layered bodies consisting of a dense core and porous mantle were conducted to clarify the effect of the layered structure on impact strength. The layered structure of small bodies could be the result of the thermal evolution of planetesimals in the solar nebula. So, the impact disruption of thermally evolved bodies with core-mantle structure is important for the origin of small bodies such as asteroids. We investigated the impact strength of rocky-layered bodies with porous mantle-sintered cores, which could be formed at an initial stage of thermal evolution. Spherical targets composed of soda-lime glass or quartz core and porous gypsum mantle were prepared as an analog of small bodies with a core-mantle structure, and the internal structure was changed. A nylon projectile was impacted at the impact velocity from 1 to 5 km/s. The impact strength of the core-mantle targets decreases with the increase of the core/target mass ratio (RCM) in the specific energy range from 1×¹⁰³ to 4×¹⁰⁴ J/kg. We observed two distinct destruction modes characterized by the damage to the core: one shows a damaged core and fractured mantle, and the other shows an intact core and broken mantle. The former mode was usually observed with increasing RCM, and the boundary condition of the core destruction () was experimentally found to be , where is the specific energy required to disrupt a glass core. From this empirical equation, it might be possible to discuss the destruction conditions of a thermally evolved body with a porous mantle-sintered core structure. We speculate that the impact strength of the body could be significantly reduced with the progress of internal evolution at the initial stage of thermal evolution.     

Experimental study of the sublimation of ice through an unconsolidated clay layer: Implications for the stability of ice on Mars and the possible diurnal variations in atmospheric water

We have studied the sublimation of ice and water vapor transport through various thicknesses of clay (<63 μm grain size). We experimentally demonstrate that both adsorption and diffusion strongly affect the transport of water, and that the processes of diffusion and adsorption can be separately quantified once the system comes to a steady state. At shallow depths of clay, water vapor transport is determined by diffusion through both the atmosphere and the clay layer, whereas at greater depth the rate of sublimation of the ice is governed only by diffusion through the clay. Using two different models, we determine the diffusion coefficient for water vapor through unconsolidated clay layer to be 1.08±0.04×¹⁰⁻⁴ and . We also determined the adsorption isotherms for the clay layer, which follow the Langmuir theory at low water vapor pressure (<100 Pa, where a monolayer of water molecules forms on the surface of the clay) and the BET theory at higher pressure (where multiple water layers form). From our analysis of both types of isotherms we determined the adsorption constants to be and c=30±10, respectively, and specific surface areas of 1.10±0.2×¹⁰⁵ and , respectively. Finally, we report a theoretical kinetic model for the simultaneous diffusion and adsorption from which we determine adsorption kinetic constants according to the Langmuir theory of and . If the martian regolith possesses diffusive properties similar to those of the unconsolidated montmorillonite soil we investigated here, it would not represent a significant barrier to the sublimation of subsurface ice. However, at the low subsurface temperatures of high latitude (180 K on average), ice could survive from the last glaciation period (about 300 to 400,000 years ago). Higher subsurface temperatures in the equatorial regions would prevent long-timescale survival of ice in the shallow subsurface. In agreement with previous work, we show that adsorption of water by a clay regolith could provide a significant reservoir of subsurface water and it might account for the purported diurnal cycle in the water content of the atmosphere.     

Parametric analysis of modeled ion escape from Mars

We develop a parametric fit to the results of a detailed magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) study of the response of ion escape rates (O⁺, and ) to strongly varied solar forcing factors, as a way to efficiently extend the MHD results to different conditions. We then use this to develop a second, evolutionary model of solar forced ion escape. We treat the escape fluxes of ion species at Mars as proportional to the product of power laws of four factors - that of the EUV flux R_euv, the solar wind particle density R_ρ, its velocity (squared) R_v², and the interplanetary magnetic field pressure R_B², where forcing factors are expressed in units of the current epoch-averaged values. Our parametric model is: , where ?(i) is the escape flux of ion i. We base our study on the results of just six provided MHD model runs employing large forcing factor variations, and thus construct a successful, first-order parametric model of the MHD program. We perform a five-dimensional least squares fit of this power law model to the MHD results to derive the flux normalizations and the indices of the solar forcing factors. For O⁺, we obtain the values, 1.73 × 10²⁴ s⁻¹, 0.782, 0.251, 0.382, and 0.214, for ?₀, α, β, γ, and δ, respectively. For , the corresponding values are 1.68 × 10²⁴ s⁻¹, −0.393, 0.798, 0.967, and 0.533. For , they are 8.66 × 10²² s⁻¹, −0.427, 1.083, 1.214, and 0.690. The fit reproduces the MHD results to an average error of about 5%, suggesting that the power laws are broadly representative of the MHD model results. Our analysis of the MHD model shows that by itself an increase in R_EUV enhances O⁺ loss, but suppresses the escape of and , whereas increases in solar wind (i.e., in , and R_B², with R_euv constant) favors the escape of heavier ions more than light ions. The ratios of escaping ions detectable at Mars today can be predicted by this parametric fit as a function of the solar forcing factors. We also use the parametric model to compute escape rates over martian history. This second parametric model expresses ion escape functions of one variable (per ion), ?(i) = ?₀(i)(t/t₀)^−ξ(i). The ξ(i) are linear combinations of the epoch-averaged ion escape sensitivities, which are seen to increase with ion mass. We integrate the and oxygen ion escape rates over time, and find that in the last 3.85 Gyr, Mars would have lost about mbars of , and of water (from O⁺ and ) from ion escape.     

Gravitational tidal waves in Titan's upper atmosphere

Tidal waves driven by Titan's orbital eccentricity through the time-dependent component of Saturn's gravitational potential attain nonlinear, saturation amplitudes (|T^′|>10 K, , and ) in the upper atmosphere (?500 km) due to the approximate exponential growth as the inverse square root of pressure. The gravitational tides, with vertical wavelengths of ∼100-150 km above 500 km altitude, carry energy fluxes sufficient in magnitude to affect the energy balance of the upper atmosphere with heating rates in the altitude range of 500-900 km.     

Highly siderophile element and osmium isotope evidence for postcore formation magmatic and impact processes on the aubrite parent body

Abstract– Aubrites exhibit a wide range of highly siderophile element (HSE—Re, Os, Ir, Ru, Rh, Pt, Pd, Au) concentrations and ¹⁸⁷Os/¹⁸⁸Os compositions. Their HSE concentrations are one to three orders of magnitude less than chondrites, with the exception of the Shallowater and Mt. Egerton samples. While most aubrites show chondritic HSE abundance ratios, significant enrichments of Pd and Re relative to Os, Ir, and Ru are observed in 12 of 16 samples. Present‐day ¹⁸⁷Os/¹⁸⁸Os ratios range from subchondritic values of 0.1174 to superchondritic values of up to 0.2263. Half of the samples have ¹⁸⁷Os/¹⁸⁸Os ratios of 0.127 to 0.130, which is in the range of enstatite chondrites. Along with the brecciated nature of aubrites, the HSE and Re‐Os isotope systematics support a history of extensive postaccretion processing, including core formation, late addition of chondritic material and/or core material and potential breakup and reassembly. Highly siderophile element signatures for some aubrites are consistent with a mixing of HSE‐rich chondritic fragments with a HSE‐free aubrite matrix. The enrichments in incompatible HSE such as Pd and Re observed in some aubrites, reminiscent of terrestrial basalts, suggest an extensive magmatic and impact history, which is supported by both the ¹⁸⁷Re‐¹⁸⁷Os isotope system and silicate‐hosted isotope systems (Rb‐Sr, K‐Ar) yielding young formation ages of 1.3–3.9 Ga for a subset of samples. Compared with other differentiated achondrites derived from small planetary bodies, aubrites show a wide range in HSE concentrations and ¹⁸⁷Os/¹⁸⁸Os, most similar to angrites. While similarities exist between the diverse groups of achondrites formed early in solar system history, the aubrite parent body(ies) clearly underwent a distinct evolution, different from angrites, brachinites, ureilites, howardites, eucrites, and diogenites.     

Near infrared imaging spectroscopy of Venus with the Anglo-Australian Telescope

We have obtained full-disk spatially resolved spectra of the Venus nightside at near-infrared wavelengths during July 2007 using the Anglo-Australian Telescope and Infrared Imager and Spectrograph 2 (IRIS2). The data have been used to map the intensity and rotational temperature of the O₂(a¹Δ_g) airglow band at . The temperatures agree with those obtained in earlier IRIS2 observations and are significantly higher than expected from the Venus International Reference Atmosphere (VIRA) profile. We also report the detection of the corresponding ν=0-1O₂ airglow band at with a similar spatial distribution to the ν=0-0 band. Observations in the thermal window have been used to image surface topography using two different methods of cloud correction. We have also obtained images that can be used to study cloud motion.     

Mass loss due to sputtering and thermal processes in meteoroid ablation

Conventional meteoroid theory assumes that the dominant mode of ablation (which we will refer to as thermal ablation) is by evaporation following intense heating during atmospheric flight. Light production results from excitation of ablated meteoroid atoms following collisions with atmospheric constituents. In this paper, we consider the question of whether sputtering may provide an alternative disintegration process of some importance. For meteoroids in the mass range from 10^-3 to and covering a meteor velocity range from 11 to , we numerically modeled both thermal ablation and sputtering ablation during atmospheric flight. We considered three meteoroid models believed to be representative of asteroidal ( mass density), cometary () and porous cometary () meteoroid structures. Atmospheric profiles which considered the molecular compositions at different heights were use in the sputtering calculations. We find that while in many cases (particularly at low velocities and for relatively large meteoroid masses) sputtering contributes only a small amount of mass loss during atmospheric flight, in some cases sputtering is very important. For example, a porous meteoroid at will lose nearly 51% of its mass by sputtering, while a asteroidal meteoroid at will lose nearly 83% of its mass by sputtering. We argue that sputtering may explain the light production observed at very great heights in some Leonid meteors. We discuss methods to observationally test the predictions of these computations. A search for early gradual tails on meteor light curves prior to the commencement of intense thermal ablation possibly represents the most promising approach. The impact of this work will be most dramatic for very small meteoroids such as those observed with large aperture radars. The heights of ablation and decelerations observed using these systems may provide evidence for the importance of sputtering.     

Gravity field and interior of Rhea from Cassini data analysis

The Cassini spacecraft encountered Rhea on November 26, 2005. Analysis of the Doppler data acquired at and around closest approach yields the mass of Rhea and the quadrupole moments of its gravity field with unprecedented accuracy. We obtained which corresponds to a density of . Our results for J₂ and C₂₂ are (7.947±0.892)×¹⁰⁻⁴ and (2.3526±0.0476)×¹⁰⁻⁴, respectively. These values are consistent with hydrostatic equilibrium. From the value of C₂₂, we infer the non-dimensional moment of inertia C/MR²=0.3721±0.0036. Our models of Rhea's interior based on the gravity data favor an almost undifferentiated satellite. A discontinuity between a core and a mantle is possible but not required by the data. Models with a constant silicate mass fraction throughout the body cannot account for the determined quadrupole coefficients. The data exclude fully differentiated models in which the core would be composed of unhydrated silicates and the mantle would be composed of pure ice. If the mantle contains 10% in mass of silicates, the core extends to 630 km in radius and has a silicate mass fraction of 40%. A continuous model in which the silicates are more concentrated toward the center of the body than in the outer layers is allowed by the gravity data but excluded by thermal evolution considerations. The one model that fits the gravity data and is self-consistent when energy transport and ice melting are qualitatively considered is an “almost undifferentiated” Rhea, in which a very large uniform core is surrounded by a relatively thin ice shell containing no rock at all.     

3782 Celle: Discovery of a binary system within the Vesta family of asteroids

Photometric observations of the minor planet (3782) Celle, which has been associated both dynamically and spectroscopically with the Vesta asteroid family, were obtained using the 1.8-m Vatican Advanced Technology Telescope during September 2001 and December 2002-January 2003. Analysis of these data reveals a normal rotational lightcurve (, amplitude =0.10-0.15 mag). During the 2002-2003 run, anomalous attenuation events were observed lasting for about 2.6-3.5 h that varied in amplitude from 0.15-0.3 mag. The attenuations were of two distinct types that can clearly be identified as primary and secondary occultation/eclipses similar to those that have been previously observed in known minor planet binary systems (Pravec et al., 2000). We therefore interpret our data as clear evidence that (3782) Celle is actually an asynchronous binary system with an orbital period of (Ryan et al., 2003). A preliminary model, based on spherical components, yields a primary-to-secondary diameter ratio of 0.43±0.01 and a combined bulk density of for the two components. Because these objects are likely to be composed of basaltic fragments, this density is indicative of a moderate to a highly fractured internal structure for at least one, if not both, of the binary components. Since the Vesta family is believed to have been created via a cratering event, this finding has important implications for understanding possible ejecta re-accumulation and satellite formation in subcatastrophic collisions.