Connection between micrometeorites and Wild 2 particles: From Antarctic snow to cometary ices |
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| Authors: | E Dobricǎ C Engrand J Duprat M Gounelle H Leroux E Quirico J‐N Rouzaud |
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| Institution: | 1. Centre de Spectrométrie Nucléaire et de Spectrométrie de Masse, CNRS‐Univ. Paris Sud, 91405 Orsay Campus, France;2. Laboratoire de Minéralogie et de Cosmochimie, Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, 57 rue Cuvier, CP52, 75005 Paris, France;3. Laboratoire de Structure et Propriétés de l'Etat Solide, CNRS‐Univ. des Sciences et Technologies de Lille, 59655 Villeneuve d'Ascq, France;4. Laboratoire de Planétologie de Grenoble, Univ. J. Fourier CNRS‐INSU 38041 Grenoble Cedex 09, France;5. Laboratoire de Géologie, Ecole Normale Supérieure, CNRS, 75231 Paris Cedex 5, France |
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| Abstract: | Abstract— We discuss the relationship between large cosmic dust that represents the main source of extraterrestrial matter presently accreted by the Earth and samples from comet 81P/Wild 2 returned by the Stardust mission in January 2006. Prior examinations of the Stardust samples have shown that Wild 2 cometary dust particles contain a large diversity of components, formed at various heliocentric distances. These analyses suggest large‐scale radial mixing mechanism(s) in the early solar nebula and the existence of a continuum between primitive asteroidal and cometary matter. The recent collection of CONCORDIA Antarctic micrometeorites recovered from ultra‐clean snow close to Dome C provides the most unbiased collection of large cosmic dust available for analyses in the laboratory. Many similarities can be found between Antarctic micrometeorites and Wild 2 samples, in terms of chemical, mineralogical, and isotopic compositions, and in the structure and composition of their carbonaceous matter. Cosmic dust in the form of CONCORDIA Antarctic micrometeorites and primitive IDPs are preferred samples to study the asteroid‐comet continuum. |
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