Workshop on Water in Asteroids and Meteorites

Observatoire de Paris, September 29 & 30, 2011

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Abstracts


Title
Lessons from (21) Lutetia

Author
M.A. Barucci (1).

(1) Lesia, Observatoire de Paris.

Abstract
After the Rosetta fly by on July 10th, 2010, Lutetia's composition remains a puzzle.
A controversy surrounding the classification of Lutetia (is it type C or type M?) has arisen due to problems reconciling each proposed class with Lutetia's intermediate albedo value and spectral properties. In the last several years lively discussions have taken place on this topic among asteroid experts. Detailed examination of all the available data reveals that this asteroid is different from the majority of the asteroid population.
We will present a complete overview of the data obtained by Rosetta, Herschel, Spitzer and from ground-based observations utilizing many different techniques, that provide constraints on the surface composition of Lutetia.
The asteroid (21) Lutetia is clearly an old object (about 3.5 Ga; Sierks et al., 2011), with a highly complex surface and a particular surface composition probably due to a mixture of "incompatible" types of materials, like carbonaceous and enstatite chondrites, which may have aggregated due to impacts.



Title
Hydrated Minerals in Meteorites

Authors
G.K.Benedix (1,2), K.T. Howard (1), K.A. Dyl (1,2) and P.A. Bland(1,2).

(1) Impacts and Astromaterials Research Centre (IARC), Department of Mineralogy, The Natural History Museum, Cromwell Road, London SW7 5BD, (gbenedix@nhm.ac.uk / Fax: +44-207-9425537); (2) IARC, Dept. of Earth Science and Engineering, Imperial College London, South Kensington Campus, London, SW7 2AZ.

Abstract
Hydrated minerals are found in all meteorite classes. In this paper, we review the different minerals that are present and discuss what information we can learn about the conditions under which they form.



Title
Stardust Sulfide Mineral Assemblages:  Evidence for Aqueous Activity on a Cometary Body

Authors
E. L. Berger, T. J. Zega, L. P. Keller, & D. S. Lauretta.

Abstract
The discovery of nickel-, copper-, and zinc-bearing iron sulfides from comet 81P/Wild 2 represents the strongest evidence, in the Stardust collection, of grains that formed in an aqueous environment. Investigations of sulfide minerals from the Stardust and CI-chondrite collections reveal striking compositional and structural similarities. The Stardust samples include a cubanite grain, a pyrrhotite/pentlandite assemblage, and a pyrrhotite/sphalerite assemblage. Similarly, the CI-chondrite sulfides include individual cubanite and pyrrhotite grains, cubanite/pyrrhotite assemblages, pyrrhotite/pentlandite assemblages, as well as possible sphalerite inclusions within pyrrhotite grains. The cubanite in both collections is the low temperature orthorhombic form, which constrains temperature to below 210°C. The Stardust and Orgueil pyrrhotites are the 4C monoclinic polytype, which is not stable above ~250°C. The combinations of cubanite and pyrrhotite, as well as pyrrhotite and pentlandite signify even lower temperatures, 25°C and 100-135°C, respectively. The crystal structures, compositions, and petrographic relationships of these sulfides constrain formation and alteration conditions. Taken together, these constraints attest to low-temperature hydrothermal processing.

Our analyses of these minerals provide constraints on heat sources in the comet-forming region, aqueous activity on cometary bodies, and the extent and mechanisms of radial mixing of material in the early nebula. The sulfides in the Wild 2 collection are most likely the products of low-temperature aqueous alteration. They provide evidence of radial mixing of material from the inner solar system to the comet-forming region and possible secondary aqueous processing on the cometary body.



Title
Taxonomy/Composition and the Search for Extinct Comet Candidates

Authors
R. P. Binzel (1).

(1) MIT.

Abstract
Physical observations to interpret taxonomy and composition can be used to identify potential dormant or extinct comets among "asteroids" catalogued as NEOs and thereby determine the fraction of water-rich "comet candidates" within the total NEO population. Both discovery statistics and dynamical models indicate that candidate cometary objects in near-Earth space are predominantly found among those having a Jovian Tisserand parameter Tj < 3. Therefore, we seek to identify comet candidates among asteroid-like NEOs using three criteria: Tj < 3, spectral parameters (C, D, T, or P taxonomic types), and/or low (<0.075) albedos. For finding comet candidates among NEOs having Tj < 3, we use visible spectra, near-infrared spectra, and/or albedo measurements obtained using the NASA Infrared Telescope Facility, the Kitt Peak National Observatory 4-meter, and the Magellan Observatory 6.5-meter. Four of our "asteroid" targets were subsequently confirmed as low activity comets. Thus our sample includes spectra of the nuclei of comets 2002 EX12 = 169P (NEAT), 2001 WF2 = 182P (LONEOS), 2003 WY25 = D/1891 W1 (Blanplain), and Halley family comet 2006 HR30 = P/2006 HR30 (Siding Spring). Using our data as well as the available literature, we tabulate physical properties for 55 NEOs having Tj < 3. After accounting for possible bias effects, we estimate that 54 +/- 10 % of NEOs in Tj < 3 orbits have "comet-like" spectra or albedos. Bias corrected discovery statistics (Stuart and Binzel 2004) estimate 30 +/- 5 % of the entire NEO population resides in orbits having Tj < 3. Combining these two factors suggests that 16 +/- 5% of the total discovered "asteroid-like" NEO population has "comet-like" dynamical and physical properties, making them top candidates for water in "asteroids."



Title
First measurement of the HDO/H2O ratio in a Jupiter family comet

Authors
N. Biver (1) & D. Bockelee-Morvan (1).

(1) LESIA, Observatoire de Paris, 5 pl. J. Janssen, 92190 Meudon, France.

Abstract
The source of water reservoirs can be accurately traced by measurements of the deuterium-to-hydrogen isotopic ratio (D/H). Previous measurements of this ratio in several Oort cloud comets resulted in a value twice as high as that in the Earth oceans, leading to the generally accepted conclusion that comets are unlikely to be the primary source of ocean water. Using the Herschel Space Observatory, we have obtained the first measurement of the D/H ratio in a Jupiter-Family comet, namely 103P/Hartley 2, in november 2010. We discuss the implications of these observations for the origin of ocean water.



Title
Meteorite Porosity and Hydration

Authors
D.T. Britt (1), R. J. Macke (1), and G.J. Consolmagno (2)
(1) University of Central Florida, 4000 Central Florida Blvd., Orlando FL 32816, USA (britt@physics.ucf.edu) (2) Specola Vaticana, V-00120 Vatican City State

Abstract
The measurement of meteorite density, porosity provides insight on the conditions, processes, and structure of small bodies. We have finished the latest round of measurements, which spanned seven major museum and university meteorite collections. Bulk and grain densities, porosities and magnetic susceptibilities were measured for 1228 stones from 664 separate meteorites, including several rare meteorite types that are underrepresented in previous studies. The compilation provides new data on meteorite parent bodies and nebular processes. These include a positive trend in porosities with respect to both degree of oxidation and percentage of matrix that probably relates to the original hydration state of the parent body. These traits constrain models of conditions in the solar nebula and the formation of chondrite parent-body precursors.



Title
Water in Laboratory

Author
J. R. Brucato (1).

(1) INAF - Astrophysical Observatory of Arcetri, Florence, Italy

Abstract
Solid water ice has been observed on the surfaces of many different astronomical objects. In the Solar System it is found on planets and minor bodies such as comets, trans-Neptunian objects, Centaurs and asteroids. Even though water is the main constituent in icy mantles, its chemical origin is not well understood. The accepted reaction scheme envisages water ice formed on the surfaces of grains via three different routes: hydrogenation of O, O2, and O3. When accreted on bare solid surface, water provides a medium for a rich chemistry that leads to the formation of molecules of biogenic relevance, such as formaldehyde, methanol, and glycoaldehyde. Moreover, there is much interest in understanding how water was delivered to Earth and the source of water on asteroids. However, the observed H2O ice abundance cannot be explained by direct accretion from the gas phase only and the exact mechanism by which water ice is formed is not understood.

We present new solid state astrochemical laboratory results in which one of these routes is tested.



Title
Water and Organics in Planetary Bodies—A New Look

Authors
D. P. Cruikshank, Y. J. Pendleton, & J. B. Dalton.

Abstract
In connection with asteroids, outer planet satellites, and trans-neptunian objects, we consider the roles of H2O, CO2, and other ices, plus soluble and insoluble organic materials. Significant recent discoveries include the following:

1. Native (parent) CO2 ice in comets C/2007 N3 (Lulin) (Ootsubo et al. 2010), 103P/Hartley (A'Hearn et al., in prep.), and others

2. Organic materials, interstellar dust particles, and refractory minerals comingled in Stardust samples from comet P/Wild 2 (e.g., Sandford 2008)

3. Aromatic and aliphatic hydrocarbons on Saturn icy satellites Iapetus, Phoebe, and Hyperion (Cruikshank et al. 2008, Dalton et al. 2011)

4. CO2 complexed with other materials (e.g., H2O ice) on several of Saturn's satellites (Cruikshank et al. 2010)

5. H2O ice and complex organic refractory material on main-belt asteroids 24 Themis (Campins et al. 2010, Rivkin & Emery 2010) and 65 Cybele (Licandro et al. 2011)

6. Red colors of TNOs suggestive of complex organic material mixed with, or masking surface ices (e.g., Dalle Ore et al. 2011)

It seems clear that several Solar System objects that can now be studied in detail preserve compositional traces of various early stages in the processing and agglomeration of solar nebula materials to form planetesimals. Some asteroids inside Jupiter's orbit appear to have retained a fraction of their original organics and H2O inventories, although their bulk composition is silicate-rich. Objects having very low (≤1 g/cm3) densities, including some comets and TNOs, and Saturn's satellite Hyperion, either accreted as porous planetesimals or have lost the more volatile ices from their interiors since accretion.

Hyperion may be a special case of a large, unmelted planetesimal that is primarily made of H2O, and probably CO2 ice, laced with hydrocarbon-bearing dust and small amounts of other, unidentified volatile molecules (Dalton et al. 2011). With a bulk density of 0.6 g/cm3 and an effective diameter of ~180 km, Hyperion's surface morphology, and perhaps its shape, indicates that is has been modified by a combination of impacts and sublimation (Thomas et al. 2007, Cruikshank et al. 2007, Howard et al. 2011, Dalton et al. 2011). Sublimation depressions often have accumulations of dark material on their floors, while lumps of the same or similar dark material lay at random places in the surrounding icy landscape. Hartmann (1980) and subsequent authors have described this process of vertical segregation of dust and ice by sublimation on icy bodies in the outer Solar System. A study of Cassini data for Hyperion, including images with spatial resolution ~40-80 meters and VIMS compositional maps with resolution ~1-4 km, establishes local and regional trends in the distribution of H2O, CO2, aliphatic and aromatic hydrocarbons, and adsorbed H2. Complexed (wavelength-shifted) CO2 and adsorbed H2 are concentrated in the dark floor deposits, while the hydrocarbons appear to be broadly distributed within the moderate-albedo (~0.6) icy terrain. H2 is viewed as a photoproduct of H2O ice, while CO2 may be formed locally from H2O ice and carbon from carbonaceous grains, or may represent trapped molecules leaching out from the interior. The long-term loss of CO2 (which is unstable as a surface ice at Hyperion's heliocentric distance) from the interior may contribute to Hyperion's low bulk density.

The material from which Hyperion formed is expected to be some combination of native interstellar ices and solid organic matter, plus an unknown fraction of the same material processed in the solar nebula. The dominant form of carbon in interstellar ice depends primarily on competition between CO hydrogenation (CO + H → CHO), and CO oxidation (CO + O → CO2) on grain surfaces (Tielens & Whittet 1997). The HCO radical produced in the first reaction readily undergoes further reactions to the organic molecules H2CO, CH3OH, and others. The second reaction produces CO2, in which the carbon is sequestered in a tightly bound molecule that tends to inhibit further chemical changes. The apparent high abundance of CO2 in the composition of Hyperion, and the absence of H2CO and CH3OH, thus discriminates between two paths of chemical evolution of the materials from which it accreted.

In addition to ices, interstellar dust carries hydrogenated amorphous carbon (Pendleton & Allamandola 2002) and relatively refractory polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs); together these are the dominant carriers of carbon. In the solar nebula, PAHs were destroyed inward of ~2 AU (Kress et al. 2010); aliphatic hydrocarbons are less stable than PAHs, and are more readily destroyed. The presence of both aromatic and aliphatic hydrocarbons in the ice of Hyperion supports the view that it accreted from outer solar nebula materials. The low-albedo dust interspersed in the ices consists of these relatively small hydrocarbons plus other macromolecular carbonaceous material consisting of the more refractory kerogen-like organic solids. These astronomical kerogens are thought to be produced in interstellar space by the irradiation of ices on (silicate) grains, a process simulated in the laboratory, and then incorporated into the solar nebula during accretion. Outside the terrestrial planet formation zone, the kerogens are preserved (Chick and Cassen 1997) and together with silicates are the refractory part of the feedstock of comets, carbonaceous meteorites, and icy bodies. Some of these bodies are now recognized as planetary satellites. The astronomical kerogen bears a structural and optical similarity to some tholins (also characterized as carbon nitrides) synthesized in the laboratory, and have pronounced colors ranging from brown to red (e.g., Imanaka et al., Quirico et al. 2008). They impart the generally reddish colors to many outer Solar System bodies (e.g., Cruikshank et al. 2005), but when exposed to the space environment these materials become blacker and more neutral in color as they become dehydrogenated and undergo increasing graphitization.

The organic molecules and low-albedo dust found in Hyperion's ices may represent original interstellar material that was largely unaltered in the solar nebula. As the ices slowly evaporate and leave concentrations of the carbonaceous dust exposed to the space environment, that dust is dehydrogenated and driven to neutral-colored and spectroscopically featureless graphite.

References:

A'Hearn, M., et al. In preparation.
Campins, H., et al. 2010. Nature 464, 1320.
Chick, K. M., & Cassen, P., 1997. Ap.J. 477, 398.
Cruikshank, D. P et al. 2005. Adv. Space Res. 36, 178.
Cruikshank, D. P., et al. 2007. Nature 448, 54.
Cruikshank, D. P., et al. 2008. Icarus 193, 334.
Cruikshank, D. P., et al. 2010. Icarus 206, 561.
Dalle Ore, C. M., et al. 2011. Icarus, submitted.
Dalton, J. B., et al. 2011. Submitted.
Hartmann, W. K. 1980. Icarus 44, 441
Howard, A. D., et al. 2011. LPSC 42, 1256.pdf
Imanaka, H., et al. 2004. Icarus 168, 344.
Kress, M. E., Tielens, A. G. G. M., & Franklach, M. 2010. Adv. Space Res. 46, 44.
Licandro, J., et al. 2011. Astron. Astrophys 525, 34L.
Ootsubo, T., et al. 2010. Ap.J. 717, L66.
Pendleton, Y.J., & Allamandola, L. J. 2002. Ap.J. Supp. 138, 75.
Quirico, E., et al. 2008. Icarus 198, 218.
Rivkin, A., & Emery, J. P. Nature 464, 52.
Sandford, S. A. 2008. Annu. Rev. Anal. Chem. 1, 549.
Thomas, P. C. et al. 2007. Nature 448, 50.
Tielens, A.G.G.M., and Whittet, D.C.B. 1997, in "Molecular Astrophysics: Probes and Processes", IAU Symposium 178, Kluwer, p. 45.



Title
Transport of Organics to Earth

Authors
M. Delbo

Abstract
It is known that primitive meteorites, such as Cis and CMs, contains organic matter that can be thermal degraded at moderate temperature (e.g. 200-300 K) on rapid time scales. These time scales are in general short compared to the dynamical lifetime (some My) of meteoroids on orbits that can bring them to hit the Earth at relatively low speed, such as the orbits of some near-Earth objects.

By means of thermal models, I estimated the temperature of meteoroids. These temperatures strongly depend on the orbit of the bodies before they enter the Earth's atmosphere.

I will present a work in progress aimed at studying which are the orbits that allow the meteoroids to stay cold for a time long enough to bring the organic matter to Earth. These temperatures-orbit constraints might help in the identification of the source regions of organic rich meteorites.



TITLE

Hydrated minerals on asteroids in the Main Belt

 

AUTHORS

J. de León (1), R. Duffard (1), Z. Lin (1), J. L. Ortiz (1), & L. M. Lara(1)

(1) Instituto de Astrofísica de Andalucía – CSIC. Glorieta de la Astronomía, s/n, 18008 Granada, Spain

 

ABSTRACT

Knowledge of the hydrated mineral inventory on the asteroids is important for deducing the origin of Earth's water, interpreting the meteorite record and unravelling the processes occurring during the earliest times of our Solar System history. Observations show that hydrated minerals are common in the mid/outer main asteroid belt. The mechanisms responsible for such hydration are not clear, and the rotational variations observed in several diagnostic absorption features suggest that hydration was uneven. The presence of hydrated minerals on a body can be explained if that body had water ice and a source of heat to melt that ice. Heating sources could be both the 26Al (if the heat is present in the early formation times) and the heat generated by a collision. In the meteorite collection, hydrated minerals are found mostly among the carbonaceous chondrites, in particular the CI, CM, and CR groups.

These meteorites have mineralogies> indicative of low levels of metamorphism (1200 °C) and evidence for aqueous alteration [1][2]. The CM and CI carbonaceous chondrites typically contain 5 – 15% H2O/OH by weight, some of them containing even more than 20%. The CI chondrites are composed almost entirely (>=90 vol %) of fine-grained phyllosilicates, though other hydrous and hydroxylated minerals are also present. The phyllosilicates, or sheet silicates, are an important group of hydrated minerals that includes the micas, chlorite, serpentine, talc, and the clay minerals. Clay minerals are one of the primary products of chemical weathering and one of the more abundant constituents of sedimentary rocks. 

Figure 1. Three different spectra showing the absorption band at 0.7 μm. The asteroid (19) Fortuna, a phyllosilicate antigorite (from [4]), and a CM2 carbonaceous chondrite. All the spectra are normalized to unity at 0.55 μm.  

 

Two spectral regions have been the focus for hydrated mineral studies on asteroids: the 3 μm region spanning 2.4 - 3.6 μm, and the visible region between 0.4 - 0.9 μm. Spectra of some main belt asteroids show an absorption feature centred near 0.7 μm with a width of roughly

0.25 μm, attributed to a Fe2+ --> Fe3+ charge transfer transition in oxidized Fe found in phyllosilicates [3]. Figure 1 shows examples of this feature in the spectra of a main beltasteroid, a carbonaceous chondrite and a phyllosilicate. In order to determine how significant and homogeneous is the presence of hydrated minerals in the surface of asteroids we have started a long-term program to obtain visible reflectance spectra of main belt asteroids with the 0.7 μm absorption band previously detected. Our observations are done using CAFOS at the 2.2m telescope in the Calar Alto Astronomical Observatory. To search for any variation in the position, with, and depth of this absorption band, and correlations with other physical/dynamical parameters of the object, we obtain a spectrum every quarter of its full rotational period. Here we present the results for a preliminary set of 60 asteroids.

 

References

1. Sears D. W. G. and Dodd R. T. (1988) Overview and classification of meteorites. In

Meteorites and the Early Solar System (J. F. Kerridge and M. S. Matthews, eds.), pp. 1-31.

Univ. of Arizona, Tucson.

2. Rubin A. E. (1996) Mineralogy of meteorite groups. Meteoritics & Planet. Sci., 32, 231-247.

3. Vilas, F.; Gaffey, M. J. (1989) Phyllosilicate absorption features in main-belt and outer-belt

asteroid reflectance spectra. Science, 246, 790-792.

4. King, T. V. V. & Clark, R. N. (1989), JGR, 94, 13997-14008.



Title
Water in Asteroids

Author
J. Emery

Abstract
Water is one of the most interesting and important materials in the Universe. The unique physical and chemical properties of this simple molecule ensure that, when present, it generally has a dramatic effect on its environment. In the solar nebula, since H and O were two of the most abundant elements, H2O in turn was a dominant molecule. At heliocentric distances (temperatures and pressures) where H2O condensed to ice, it rivaled all other solids in mass, thereby affecting accretion. Given the well-known resonant delivery mechanisms of asteroids into near-Earth space, water-rich asteroids must also be considered as potential sources of terrestrial volatiles. In bodies large enough for significant internal heating, the presence of water influenced energy balance as well as the ensuing geochemistry. Asteroids retain a record of the initial distribution of H2O and subsequent heating events in their surface compositions. Our task is to decipher that record. Water has been detected on asteroids in two forms: structural OH/H2O in hydrated minerals and ice. Additionally, the dwarf planet Ceres may harbor a subsurface liquid water ocean. The distributions of these forms of water in terms of orbital and physical parameters largely fit within a framework of widespread incorporation of ice in early asteroids followed by 26Al-driven internal processing. Some details, however, remain puzzling. In this talk, I will review the observational constraints concerning water on asteroids as a lead in to further discussions of the implications for asteroid evolution.



Title
Asteroid-Comet Continuum

Author
M. Gounelle

Abstract
Recent results from the Stardust comet sample-return mission have confirmed the idea that there is a continuum between primitive small bodies in the outer main asteroid belt and comets. Indeed, the mineralogy as well as the chemical and oxygen isotope compositions of the dust from comet Wild 2 are very similar to those of carbonaceous chondrites, a class of meteorites allegedly derived from primitive, dark asteroids. Comets no longer represent extremely primitive samples of the early Solar System that are radically different from dark asteroids. We enter a new era in which comets and their siblings, the dark asteroids, are seen as a collection of individual objects whose geology can be studied. The most primitive of these objects, i.e. the ones that escaped thermal metamorphism or hydrothermal alteration, can help us decipher physicochemical processes in the interstellar medium and in the protoplanetary disk from which our Solar System formed. In the talk, we will present the arguments in favour of a continuum between dark asteroids and comets.



Title
Perspective from the Outer Solar System

Author
W. Grundy

Abstract
In the outer solar system, water ice is not the elusive material that we think of it as being in the asteroid belt. Further from the Sun, ice is ubiquitous, making it probably the most abundant mineral in the entire solar system. Over the past few decades, a range of remote sensing techniques have been developed to investigate icy surfaces at heliocentric distances well beyond the asteroid belt. This talk will consider how that experience could inform observational studies of ice on asteroids. In particular, I will review radiative transfer in ice and its implications for remote sensing of ice via its vibrational absorption features imprinted on reflected sunlight. I will also consider the nature of ice observable at the surfaces of outer solar system bodies and driving activity on comets, and possible observable relations between asteroidal ice and outer solar system ice.



Title
Hydrated Minerals on Asteroids: The relationship between the 0.7- and 3-micron absorption bands

 

Authors
E.S. Howell (1), A.S. Rivkin (2), & F. Vilas (3).

(1) Arecibo Observatory/NAIC; (2) Applied Physics Lab/JHU; (3) Planetary Science Institute.

ABSTRACT
The presence of water and/or hydrated minerals on asteroids constrains solar system formation models, and is an important clue to the relationship of asteroids to meteorites. Observations of the strong absorption band at 3 μm is more diagnostic of hydrated minerals, but is a more difficult spectral region to observe through the Earth's atmosphere. The associated iron charge transfer band at 0.7 μm is much easier to observe, and has been used as a proxy indicator of hydration. We have collected observations of objects at both of these wavelengths to clarify the relationship between them, and determine if the 0.7 μm band is a reliable proxy for hydrated minerals on asteroids. We find that if the 0.7 μm band is seen, the 3 μm band is almost always present as well. However, even when the 0.7 μm band is not seen, in our sample of 154 objects, there is a nearly 50% probability that the 3 μm band is present, showing evidence of hydrated minerals. The presence of the 0.7 μm band places a lower limit on the number of asteroids with hydrated minerals. The correlation of these two bands differs between the C-complex and X-complex taxonomic groups. On more distant asteroids the 3 μm absorption band may sometimes be due to ice rather than hydrated silicates (Rivkin and Emery, 2010; Campins et al., 2010; Licandro et al., 2011).



Title
Using asteroid collisions to search for buried ice

Author
M. S. Kelley (1).

(1) UMD.

Abstract
The presence of water ice on two outer-main belt asteroids and its inferred presence in the interior of the main belt comets suggests that buried ice is present in some objects. In early 2009, a catastrophic collision occurred in the inner-main belt, producing a debris trail that was discovered in January 2010 and named P/2010 A2 (LINEAR). Then on 11 December 2010, a cloud of dust was discovered around asteroid (596) Scheila, and image archives suggested an outburst that occurred between 11 November and 3 December. Subsequent analysis of the outburst indicates that it was also triggered by an impact. To date, no observations have suggested the presence of water ice. Studying the observations and circumstances of the P/2010 A2 and Scheila impacts will prepare us for future asteroid impacts, one of which may involve an icy body and would help us understand the endogenic origins of water ice in the outer-belt.



Title
Regolith formation on asteroids: an experimental study

Author
G. Libourel (1).

(1) CRPG-CNRS, Nancy.

Abstract
Preliminary results on thermal fatigue experiments on chondritic materials will be presented together with their implications on asteroidal regolith formation and evolution.



Title
Activated Asteroids

Author
J. Licandro

Abstract
Comets and asteroids used to be considered as two distinct classes of small bodies of the Solar System. Comets are residual planetesimals formed in a region that extends from the giant planets to the limits of the solar nebula and are known to be scattered ob jects from the trans-neptunian belt (TNB) and the Oort Cloud. The present population of asteroids is the product of the collisional and dynamical evolution of remnant planetesimals formed in the region between Mars and Jupiter. Up to now, a minor body has been considered a comet or an asteroid depending on the detection of a coma and/or tail produced by the outgassing of volatiles.
From a dynamical point of view, the orbits of most comets and most asteroids are remarkably different. The criterion commonly used to differentiate between a cometary or an asteroidal orbit is related to the Tisserand parameter respect to Jupiter (TJ). Most comets have unstable orbits with TJ < 3, while the great majority of asteroids have orbits with TJ > 3.
The discovery of objects in asteroidal orbits that have temporal bursts of activity either in the near- Earth population (e.g. 4015 Wilson-Harrington) and in the main belt (the so-called Main Belt Comets, MBCs, e.g. 7968 Elst- Pizarro), and the discovery of asteroidal objects that have associated meteor showers that suggest some past cometary-like activity, e.g., (3200) Phaethon, show that the old fenomenological distinction between comets and asteroids needs to be revised as a significant number of asteroids belongs, from time to time, as comets. These are the "Activated Asteroids".
Understanding the origin of these bodies is crucial. If they are formed "in situ" and, in particular, if they are members of an asteroid collisional family and if their activity is due to water ice sublimation, there should be water ice in many asteroids. If they are captured TNB or Oort cloud comets, the mechanisms that drove them to their present orbits needs to be understood. The existence of ice in main-belt objects is surprising given their proximity to the Sun, and presents intriguing opportunities for constraining the temperature, composition and structure of primitive asteroids and our protoplanetary disk.
In this review I will present the known physical properties of the Activated Asteroids, in particular their surface composition, and I will discuss their pos- sible activation mechanisms and origin.



Title
The formation of a water-rich Earth

Author
A. Morbidelli.

Abstract
 In 2000, we used the first N-body simulations of Earth's accretion to show that Earth's water was acquired from the outer asteroid belt, during the dynamical excitation and depletion of the latter. This result could explain the striking similarity in D/H ratio between the water in the Earth and in carbonaceous chondrites.
Subsequent, more accurate numerical simulations of terrestrial planet accretion confirmed this result (Raymond et al., 2004, 2007; O'brien et al., 2006). However, all these simulations of terrestrial planet accretion had a major flaw: the planet produced at the location of Mars was systematically too massive. Then, how could one trust them for what concerns water delivery to our planet?
We have developed a new model of terrestrial planet formation that solves the problem of the small mass of Mars. This model, named "Grand Tack Scenario" (Walsh et al., Nature, in press), argues that Jupiter and Saturn, while embedded in the disk of gas, suffered large scale radial migrations which sculpted the structure of the planetesimal disk inside of 5 AU. We re-evaluated the delivery of water to our planet in the framework of this new model. We find that a few percent of an Earth mass are likely to have been accreted from the analog of C-type asteroids. Assuming that these asteroids, like carbonaceous chondrites, contain about 5% water by mass, this represents a sufficient source of water for our planet. Water is accreted mostly towards the end of the Earth's growth.


Title
Diversity of the 3 micron band in -OH and H2O bearing minerals and meteorites: goethite on asteroids?

Authors
P. Beck (1), E. Quirico (1), A. Pommerol (2), D. Sevestre (1), B. Schmitt (1), G. Montes-Hernandez (3).

(1) UJF-Grenoble 1 / CNRS-INSU, Institut de Planétologie et d'Astrophysique de Grenoble (IPAG) UMR 5274, Grenoble, F-38041, France, beckp@obs.ujf-grenoble.fr; (2) Space Research and Planetary Science division, Physikalisches Institut-Universitaet Bern, Switzerland; (3) UJF-Grenoble 1 / CNRS-INSU Institut des Sciences de la Terre, France.

Abstract
The most direct identifications of H2O ice and hydrated minerals at the surface of asteroids are based on observations of a near-infrared absorption band centered around 3-μm. This broad band (typically stretching over almost one μm) is due to the fundamental -OH stretching vibrational modes and combinations with bending modes, which are active for both cation-bonded hydroxyl groups within minerals (X-OH where X is usually a transition metal) and the H2O molecule. In the latter case, it is active when H2O is present as ice, as adsorbed water (i.e., weakly bonded water stuck onto a mineral surface), or as structural water (H2O molecule present within the mineral structure).
Here, we will present reflectance and transmission spectra of hydrated meteorites. We will discuss the nature of the 3-microns band by combining NIR spectroscopy with thermogravimetric analysis. We will discuss the amount of equivalent water for 3 chondrites that are Orgueil (CI), Murchison (CM) and Tagish-Lake. In addition, we will present reflectance spectra of natural and synthetic analogs and reveal the variability of position and shape of the 3 micron with regard to the environment of the -OH group. We will show that the 3-microns region might be insufficient to distinguish between water-ice and some -OH bearing mineral (i.e. goethite).


TITLE

Organics as a Fingerprint of Nature and Extent of Hydration in Asteroids

 

AUTHORS

E. Quirico (1), P. Beck (1), & F-R Orthous-Daunay (1).

(1) IPAG CNRS/University Joseph Fourier 38041 Grenoble Cedex 9 France

(eric.quirico@obs.ujf-grenoble.fr).

 

ABSTRACT

Chondrites are rocks originating from undifferentiated asteroids. They have experienced post-accretional processes on their parent body, as aqueous alteration, thermal or shock metarmopshim, that more or less extensively modified the initial mineralogical assemblage and organics. The impact of these processes is generally rated by the so-called petrologic classification, assigning a number between 3 and 6 for an increasing thermal metamorphism, and from 3 to 1 for an increasing aqueous alteration [1]. The properties of hydration is generally linked to the extent and nature of the post-accretional events, in the sense that the thermally processed chondrites are generally water-free. However, for a certain number of objects, thermal processes and aqueous alteration both play a role in a complex manner that is difficult to unravel. Thermal and hydration processes are not independent. Organics are sensitive to thermal procesess, either induced by schocks or ragiogenic processes [2]. In type 3 chondrites, and heavily schock-processed MCMs, they lost their alkyl component. In types ½ chondrites, their CH2/CH3 ratio provides clues on the chemical class (e.g. CR against CM), and then indirectly testifies on different hydration states (e.g. molecular water against hydroxyles). More interestingly, organics could testifies of the past action of thermal processes, that were contemporaneous or followed by aqueous alteration. This is for instance the case of some type 3 carbonaceous chondrites (e.g. CV [3]), short-duration metamorphosed CM [4-5] or CR [6]. Therefore, the asteroidal setting of hydration can be discussed more thoroughly, by considering the presence of surface and bulk thermal processes.

 

In this presentation, I will review the spectral properties of organic matter in the different class of chondrites along with their hydration state, including the uncommon shocked CM and CR recently investigated, and that may be more representative of asteroidal surfaces. I will show that organics are a valuable tracer of post-accretional processes in conditions of combined actions of aqueous alteration and thermal processes.

 

References: [1] Beck et al GCA 74, 4881 [2] Orthous-Daunay 2011. PhD Thesis [3] Bonal et al. 2006. GCA 70, 1849-1863 [4] Quirico et al. 2009 MPS 72:5208 [5] Quirico et al. 2011 LPSC Meeting Abstract [6] Briani et al. 2010 MPS



TITLE

The Fraction of Ch Asteroids in the C Complex from Sloan Digital Sky Survey Data

 

AUTHOR

A. S. Rivkin (1).

(1) JHU/APL, Laurel MD (andy.rivkin@jhuapl.edu).

 

ABSTRACT

Motivation: Asteroids represent leftover building blocks from the formation of the inner planets. While some are fragments of melted and differentiated objects (or are intact melted and differentiated objects, like Vesta), the majority experienced minimal heat and pressure.  Understanding the distribution of asteroid types provides insight into the earliest times in solar system history, and the strength and extent of the processes occurring then. Spectroscopy and spectrophotometry have been mainstays of asteroid studies for decades.  A long- standing aim of asteroid spectroscopy has been to establish and identify linkages or analogs between asteroids and meteorites, allowing the vast body of meteoritical literature to be leveraged by asteroid researchers and also providing context for meteoriticists and an understanding of the formation locations for their samples.

Classification of asteroid spectra has likewise been done for decades, often spurred by the availability of a new dataset. It was established relatively early on that the most-common objects in the asteroid belt had spectra reminiscent of carbonaceous chondrites [1]. Because carbonaceous chondrites can have water- or hydroxyl-bearing minerals (hereafter ``hydrated minerals'' for simplicity) and organic compounds, their parent bodies (usually identified as C-class or similar) are of potential interest not only for insights into the formation of the solar system but also for a possible role in aiding the start of life on Earth.

Hydrated minerals have deep absorptions in the 3-μm spectral region [2-4] with absorptions due to organic matter at slightly longer wavelengths. Because these wavelengths can be difficult to observe from

Earth, there have been attempts to identify "proxy bands" that are easier to observe and can be used to obtain the information contained in the 3-μm region. 

The most commonly-used proxies are the U-B magnitude [2,5], which correlates with 3-μm band depth, and the existence of a band centered near 0.7 μm [6,7] whose presence correlates with the presence of the 3-μm band (though its absence is not diagnostic, as detailed below). 

The 0.7-μm band has been incorporated into the Bus taxonomy [8], with C-complex asteroids showing the band classified in the Ch or Cgh taxa, and those without classified as  C, Cb, Cg, or  B. The SDSS data have a spectral resolution too low to distinguish between most of these classes, other than broadly between objects with and without the 0.7-μm band.

Therefore, in this work I will use "Ch" as a catch-all name for the Ch and Cgh classes, with "C" a catch-all for the other members of the C complex.  "Ctot" will represent the whole set of C complex asteroids, both C and Ch.

 

Dataset: For this work, the third release of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey Moving Object Catalog (SDSSMOC) was used [9]. This release included over 200,000 moving objects observed through June 2004. Those 200,000 objects were cut down to a smaller sample size by, in turn, only considering those objects with a* < 0  (a* is defined in [9] as a function of asteroidal colors, and a* < 0 for "C-like" objects, a sample of nearly 45,000 objects), removing observations which were not associated with known objects (leaving over 16,000 objects), and finally using the estimated relative colors of X and D vs. C asteroids to further exclude interlopers.  The final, restricted sample size is 3593 observations of 3104 objects.  For comparison the SMASS survey included 405 C-complex objects, and the S3OS2 survey included 193 C-complex objects (with roughly 85 objects in common between those two surveys). Thus, the SDSS sample studied here represents a roughly six to eight-fold increase in the sample size available from previous studies.  While there has been an additional update to the Moving Object Catalog since the Third Release, its inclusion of objects observed on non-photometric nights was deemed a large enough disincentive to offset the larger sample size it offered.  Tests showed that the inclusion, averaging, or exclusion of multiple observations of the same object had no appreciable effect on the results below, which are quoted below using the full 3593-observation sample.

 

Approach: The C asteroids, that is those without a 0.7-μm band, could be expected to have band depths (BD) of zero (basically by definition).  When taking observational uncertainties into account, however, we might expect some of them to show non-zero band depths.  Taking the entire C class population, we might expect the distribution of band depths to be normally distributed around zero.  Figure 1 shows the histogram of band depths for all 3593 C-complex observations, that is Ctot.  This distribution is not centered at zero, and has a somewhat non-Gaussian appearance.  How- ever, this distribution includes both C and Ch asteroids.  

It can be argued that while objects with positive band depths may be either Ch or C, the vast majority of objects with negative band depths will be C rather than Ch. By making the assumption that all objects with negative band depths are C rather than Ch, one can estimate the number of C asteroids with positive band depths and their distribution, and estimate the number of Ch asteroids as the "leftover" objects.  

 

Results: There are 1015 objects with BD < -0.01 and 529 with band depths between -0.01 and 0.  The implied distribution of C asteroids is also shown in Figure 1.  This is well-fit by a Gaussian centered at zero band depth with σ of 0.021.   This distribution, scaled by a factor of 26 to match the actual asteroid distribution, is within ~7% of the observed BD<0 distribution except for BD< -0.05, where 8 objects are expected but none are seen. 

The symmetry of this distribution includes an additional ~1015 C asteroids in the dataset with band depths greater than zero.  Thus, with 2049 objects with band depths greater than zero, a Ch fraction of 29 ± 0.7% is suggested.  These objects have a distribution that itself can be fit with a Gaussian with σ = 0.02 and a mean band depth of ~0.034.  Unlike the C population, however, it is not obvious that the Ch band depth should have a Gaussian distribution, which could be interpreted as a preferred band depth for Ch material.  Having said that, it is interesting to note that most CM meteorites measured by [10] and Hiroi (unpublished, in RELAB database) have 0.7-μm bands of roughly 3-4%, while non-CM meteorites (including other hydrated carbonaceous chondrites like the CI group) do not have the band. The distribution of band depths in the C-complex, then, is consistent with a group with no band (and associated scatter) and a group with a ~3-4% band (perhaps CM-like, and again with associated scatter).

 

References: 

[1] Johnson, T. V. and F. P. Fanale (1973), JGR 78 8507. [2] Feierberg, M. A. et al. (1985), Icarus 63 63. [3] Jones, T. D. et al. (1990), Icarus 88 172. [4] Rivkin, A. S. (2003), Met. Plan. Sci. 38, 1383. [5] Vilas, F. (1995), Icarus 115 217. [6] Vilas, F. and M. J. Gaffey (1989), Science 246 790. [7] Vilas, F. Icarus 111 456.  [8] Bus, S. J. and R. P. Binzel (2002), Icarus 158 146. [9] Ivezić, Ž et al. (2001), Astron J. 122 2749. [10] Hiroi, T. et al. (1996), Met. Plan. Sci. 31 321. 

 

This work was supported by the NASA Planetary Geology and Geophysics Program.  Thanks to Dave Trilling, Ellen Howell, and Cristina Thomas for useful discussions.

 

 

Figure 1: The inner curves show the set of C- complex-like objects in the SDSS sample that have band depths < 0 and a reflection of that set about the y axis, and a fit to that population.  The histogram of the total population is marked with triangles, and the difference between that curve and the inner curve(s) are interpreted as Ch-like objects (that is, the excess of objects with band depths > 0 above what might be expected from scatter alone).  Also shown is a fit to that outer curve assuming 29% Ch-like objects with band depth ~3-4% and 71% non-Ch objects with band depth

0%, and scatter about both means.

 



TITLE
Evidence of icy grains in the coma of comet 103P/Hartley 2 from ground based observations

 

AUTHOR
G. P. Tozzi on behalf of the CoI's

ABSTRACT
The comet was observed with the ESO's NTT for about a week, during the period of the fly-by of the EPOXI mission. The comet was observed in imaging and and in spectroscopy mode. The images were obtained with cometary narrow band filters centered on the continuum (Bc and Rc) and the gas (C2, C3 and CN) emissions. During the observations period the comet showed a strong and periodic variability, due to the nucleus rotation. By analyzing the continuum emission and its temporal variation it has been possible to characterize the cloud of grains emitted during the rotations. The color of this cloud is different from that of the normal coma and, more interesting, it disappears. Likely this is due to the sublimation of the grains because they cannot go out of the field of view as their projected velocity is very low, of the order of few m/s. So we conclude that probably they are the icy particles observed by the spacecraft!



TITLE

An estimate of the flux of primitive bodies in all range of masses during the LHB and the source of terrestrial water

 

AUTHOR

J. M. Trigo-Rodríguez (1).

(1) Institute of Space Sciences (CSIC-IEEC).

 

ABSTRACT

O isotope data of terrestrial materials compared with the values for primitive chondrites suggests that Earth was formed from high-temperature, highly reduced materials [1]. It is consistent with the hypothesis of the terrestrial planets being grown from planetesimals formed in the inner solar system [2].  The grand tack scenario recently proposed for the final setting of the solar system dynamic configuration introduces new pathways for the early delivery of volatiles to Earth [3]. It was a short period, coincident with the called Late Heavy Bombardment (LHB), in which the dynamic behavior of Jupiter and Saturn allowed a gravitational pathway for Kuiper Belt Objects (KBOs) arrived from the outer belt to the inner region. That flux of water-rich bodies enriched the volatile content of terrestrial planets and the already formed satellites of giant planets [4]. At that time, gravitational perturbations also allowed the capture of Trojans and Main Belt Comets (MBCs) that have been subjected since then to collisional and thermal processing. Since then, the disruption captured objects in the main belt could have produced different families with water-rich members, like the recently described 24 Themis [5]. I envision a scenario in which the fragile ice-rich bodies visiting the inner solar system were subjected to thermal processing that, together with close approaches with planets, caused an important rate of catastrophic disruptions. Direct collisions of KBOs and their fragments with terrestrial planets enriched the volatile content of rocky planets. The particular noble gas pattern currently observed in Earth's atmosphere [6] could be explained as consequence of solar wind noble gas implantation in the meteoroid streams produced at that time. I will introduce new calculations in which the mass of water arrived to Earth from KBO fragments could have been, at least, one order of magnitude higher (i.e. about 1024 g) than the estimated by direct collisions with comets. Consequently, a more efficient and complete scenario for the setting of volatiles on rocky planets needs to take into account the delivery in all range of sizes as previously noted [7].

 

References: [1] Wasson J.T. 2000. Rev. Geoph. 38-4, 491-512. [2] Hansen B.M.S., 2009. ApJ 703, 1131-1140. [3] Walsh et al. 2011. Nature, in press. [4] Trigo-Rodríguez J.M. y F.J. Martín-Torres. 2011. Plan. Space. Sci. 59, doi:10.1016/j.pss.2011.02.011. [5] Campins H. et al. 2010. Nature 464, 1320-1321. [6] Marty B., and Meibom A. 2007. eEarth 2, 43-49. [7] Anders E. 1989. Nature 342, 255-258.



TITLE

Depletion and excitation of the asteroid belt by migrating planets

 

AUTHORS

K. J. Walsh (1,2), Morbidelli, A. (2), Raymond, S. N. (3), O'Brien, D. P. (4), Mandell, A. M. (5)

(1) SwRI, Boulder, CO (2) Obs. de la Côte d'Azur, Nice, France (3) Lab. d'Astrophysique de Bordeaux, Floirac, France (4)

PSI, Tucson, AZ (5) NASA Goddard, Greenbelt, MD (kwalsh@boulder.swri.edu)

 

ABSTRACT

The excitation and depletion of the asteroid belt has historically been modelled with stranded planetary embryos or resonance sweeping caused by the dissipation of the solar nebular gas. Both of these methods rely on the asteroids, with their substantial diversity, being "born" largely where they are found today. We present a model of early inner solar system evolution whereby the gas migration of Jupiter and Saturn bring them to 1.5 AU, truncating the disk of planetesimals, before they migrate outward to their current locations.

This model, dubbed "The Grand Tack", solves some outstanding problems, including the size of Mars, and has substantial implications for the excitation, depletion and origin of the asteroid belt.



TITLE

Hydrogen and Oxygen Isotopic Compositions of Asteroidal Water: Evidence of Fluid Inclusions from Ordinary Chondrites

 

AUTHORS

H. Yurimoto (1, 2), S. Itoh (1), M. E. Zolensky (3), M. Kusakabe (4), & A. Karen (5).

(1) Natural History Sciences, Hokkaido University; (2) CRIS, Hokkaido University. E-mail: yuri@ep.sci.hokudai.ac.jp; (3) Astromaterials Research and Exploration Science, NASA Johnson Space Center; (4) Department of Environmental Biology and Chemistry, University of Toyama; (5) Toray Research Center, Inc.

 

ABSTRACT

Introduction: Over the past three decades we have become increasingly aware of the fundamental importance of water, and aqueous alteration, on primitive solar-system bodies. Some carbonaceous and ordinary chondrites have been altered by interactions with liquid water within the first 10 million years after formation of their parent asteroids. In fact, millimeter to centimeter-sized aggregates of purple halite containing aqueous fluid inclusions were reported in the matrix of two freshly-fallen brecciated H chondrite falls, Monahans (1998, hereafter simply "Monahans") (H5) and Zag (H3-6) [1, 2]. If the isotopic compositions of the aqueous fluid are determined, we can discuss differences of aqueous fluid between Earth and asteroids and origin of aqueous fluid of planetary bodies. However, no isotope data had been presented because of small sizes of the fluid inclusions. Recently, preliminary data have been presented using secondary ion mass spectrometry [3]. Here we report progress of measurements of hydrogen and oxygen isotopic compositions of the aqueous inclusion fluids of the ordinary chondrites.

Methods: The samples used in this study were fluid inclusion-bearing halite crystals of 0.1 to 1 mm in size picked from fresh fracture surfaces of the chondrites. We synthesized fluid inclusions of known isotopic composition in halite crystals in order to calculate d-values from measurement data. A Cameca ims-1270 equipped with a cryo-sample-stage of Hokkaido University was prepared for the measurements. The cryo-sample-stage (Techno. I. S. Corp.) was cooled down to c.a. -190°C using liquid nitrogen at which the aqueous fluid in inclusions was frozen into ice. We excavated the salt crystal surfaces to expose the frozen fluids by a 15 keV Cs+ beam and measured negative secondary ions. A normal incident electron gun was applied to compensate electrostatic charging for the sputtered regions. The secondary ions from deep craters of ~10 μm in depth emitted stably but the intensities changed gradually during measurement cycles because states of charge compensation were shifted.

Results and Discussion: Reproducibility of multiple measurements of standard fluid inclusions resulted in ±90‰ (2s) for dD, and ±29‰ (2s) for d18O. The relatively poor reproducibility is due to variable states of charge compensation on deep sputtered surface among inclusions. On the other hand, the reproducibility of D17O is ±8‰ (2s) because the observed variations of isotope ratios follow a mass dependent fractionation law.

Variations of dD of asteroidal fluid range over -330 (90; 2s) to +1200 (90)‰ for Monahans and -300 (96)‰ to +90 (98)‰ for Zag. D17O of asteroidal fluids range over -16 (22)‰ to +18 (10)‰ for Monahans and +3 (10)‰ to +27 (11)‰ for Zag. The variations are larger than the reproducibility of standard analyses and suggest that isotope equilibria were under way in the asteroidal fluid before trapping into halite. The mean values of dD and D17O are +290‰ and +9‰, respectively. The mean values and the variations of the asteroidal fluids are different from the representative values of ordinary chondrites, suggesting that the origin of fluid was not indigenous to the H chondrite parent-asteroid but rather was an exogenous fluid delivered onto the asteroid from icy objects such as C, P or D asteroids, comets, or icy satellites of outer planets. The exogenous nature of aqueous fluid suggests that aqueous fluid on inner planetary bodies results of two components mixing between nebular water vapor and cometary water ice.

 

References: [1] Zolensky M. E. et al., 1999. Science, 285: 1377-1379. [2] Zolensky M. E. et al., 1999. MAPS, 34: A124. [3] Yurimoto H. et al., 2010. MAPS, 45: A222.


Title
Aqueous Alteration in Meteorites

Author
M. Zolensky (1).

(1) NASA Johnson Space Center, Houston, TX 77058 USA.

Abstract
Evidence for aqueous alteration is widespread across meteorite types, as largely first explored by DuFresne and Anders (1962). Although its effects are well known in the carbonaceous chondrites, there is considerable evidence for the effects of liquid water in LL and even the enstatite chondrites. Foreign clasts of aqueously altered material are also present across all meteorite types, including the achondritic HEDs, aubrites and ureilites. The mineralogical products of aqueous alteration most commonly encountered within meteorites include phyllosilicates, hydroxides, tochilinites, sulfates, oxides, halides and carbonates. Most of these alteration products are matrix phases, although alteration of larger components (e.g. chondrules, aggregates and inclusions) also figures prominently. Aqueous alteration within meteorite parent bodies is required by the common occurrence of alteration minerals with special textures and paragenetic relationships, which are useful criteria to develop further. These criteria are described below, and are: (1) mineral grains bridging chondrules, aggregates, and phenocrysts with matrix, (2) veins bridging chondrules, aggregates, and phenocrysts with matrix, (3) secondary phases being distributed throughout most, or all, constituents of a meteorite, often with near identical composition everywhere, (4) relict chemical zoning or compositional correlations between matrix and altered chondrules and aggregates, and (4) alteration minerals lining fractures and filling cracks. For many of these textures asteroidal origin is also preferred because the conditions for growth would generally have been kinetically inhibited in the canonical Solar Nebula. For example, the fCO2 necessary to stabilize carbonates was unlikely to be attained in the solar nebula (Armstrong et al., 1982), as was the fH2O for phyllosilicates and hydrous sulfates (Prinn and Fegley, 1987). The occurrence of aqueous alteration is largely due to three important factors, to wit (1) presence of water, (2) sufficient porosity of the rock to host the water, and (3) sufficient bulk lithologic permeability to permit water to enter and react with the rock. All three of these factors must be present to permit aqueous alteration to occur at a reasonable rate throughout the rock. Thermal metamorphism has largely erased evidence for aqueous alteration in many meteorites, and it is possible that liquid water was even more active in the early solar system than has been suspected.

References:
Armstrong et al (1982) GCA 46, 575-596.
DuFresne and Anders (1962) GCA 26, 1085-1114.
Prinn and Fegley (1987) Ann. Rev. Earth Planet. Sci. 15, 171-212.
Akai (1988) GCA 52, 1593-1599.



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