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Buseck Center for Meteorite Studies

New research on CM, CO, and ungrouped chondrite meteorites

Posted on by BCMS

Center Assistant Research Scientist Dr. Jemma Davidson and Interim Director Dr. Devin Schrader are co-authors of a new paper published in the journal Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta. The paper, "The relationship between CM and CO chondrites: Insights from combined analyses of titanium, chromium, and oxygen isotopes in CM, CO, and ungrouped chondrites" provides new insight into the formational history of chondritic parent bodies derived from Ti, Cr, and O isotopic analyses of several members of these meteorite groups.

“This is the first large-scale, coordinated study of titanium, chromium, and oxygen in these carbonaceous meteorites using samples from the same meteorite chips,” says Davidson. “We know that these meteorites are very heterogeneous on microscopic scales so it’s extremely important to perform as many analyses as possible on the same material.”

Based on their findings, the authors conclude that CO, CM, and ungrouped carbonaceous chondrites are likely samples of multiple distinct parent bodies, and infer that these bodies formed from precursor materials with similar isotopic compositions, potentially within nearby regions of the protoplanetary disk.

“A few scientists have speculated that some ungrouped carbonaceous chondrites may have originated from the same parent body as the CO or CM chondrites,” says Schrader. “But our work shows that isn’t the case and that in itself advances what we know about the diversity of asteroids in the early Solar System.”

The authors include Center alumni Dr. Zachary Torrano and Dr. Daniel Dunlap, as well as School of Earth and Space Exploration Director Prof. Meenakshi Wadhwa and Dr. Richard Greenwood of The Open University in the UK.

Read the paper for free, here!

Murchison meteorite
Photo: Flight-oriented Murchison meteorite. Murchison was one of the meteorites analyzed in this study. Image ⓒ ASU/CMS.

Torrano Z. A., Schrader D. L., Davidson J., Greenwood R. C., Dunlap D. R., and Wadhwa M. (2021) The relationship between CM and CO chondrites: Insights from combined analyses of titanium, chromium, and oxygen isotopes in CM, CO, and ungrouped chondrites. Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta 301: 70-90.

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gca.2021.03.004.