The parent bodies of fine-grained micrometeorites: A petrologic & spectroscopic perspective

Martin David Suttle, Matthew Genge, Science And Technology Facilities Council (Great Britain)
2019
Micrometeorites are millimetre-scale cosmic dust grains, derived from asteroids and comets. They represent the largest flux of extraterrestrial material currently falling to Earth, with an estimated contribution of 20,000-60,000 tons per year. In this thesis, the geological history, parent body properties and atmospheric entry of fine-grained micrometeorites are investigated through micro-analysis and spectroscopic techniques. The degree of aqueous alteration within fine-grained micrometeorites
more » ... was investigated using criteria initially developed for CM chondrites (Chapt.3). This revealed that most particles are intensely altered, with petrologic subtypes
doi:10.25560/68577 fatcat:c6r65xhldfhczbcwystcokok4a