Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • Letter
  • Published:

A collection of diverse micrometeorites recovered from 100 tonnes of Antarctic blue ice

Nature volume 351, pages 44–47 (1991)Cite this article

Abstract

STUDIES of meteorites and interplanetary dust particles (IDPs) have provided constraints on the formation and evolution of the Solar System1, and have identified pre-solar interstellar grains2–4. Here we describe a new type of meteoritic material, intermediate in size between meteorites and IDPs. Melting and filtering of ∼100 tonnes of blue ice near Cap Prudhomme, Antarctica, yielded ≥7,500 irregular, friable particles and ∼1,500 melted spherules, ∼100 μm in size, both showing a 'chondritic' composition suggestive of an extraterrestrial origin5,6. For the present work, we analysed the composition and texture of 51 irregular particles and 25 spherules. The irregular particles appear to be unmelted, and have similarities with the fine-grained matrix of primitive carbonaceous chondrites, but are extremely diverse in composition. Isotopic analysis of trapped neon confirms an extraterrestrial origin for 16 of 47 irregular particles and 2 of 19 spherules studied, and strongly suggests that they were exposed in space as micro-meteoroids. These large Antarctic micrometeorites constitute a new family—or at least a new population—of Solar System objects, in a mass range corresponding to the bulk of extraterrestrial material accreted by the Earth today.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Buy this article

  • Purchase on Springer Link
  • Instant access to full article PDF
Buy now

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Kerridge, J. F. & Matthews, M. S. (eds) Meteorites and the Early Solar System (University of Arizona Press, Tucson, 1988).

  2. Lewis, R. S., Ming, T., Wacker, J. F., Anders, E. & Steel, E. Nature 326, 160–162 (1987).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  3. Bernatowicz, T. et al. Nature 330, 728–730 (1987).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  4. Amari, S., Anders, E., Virag, A. & Zinner, E. Nature 345, 238–240 (1990).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  5. Maurette, M., Jéhanno, C., Robin, E. & Hammer, C. Nature 328, 699–702 (1987).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  6. Olinger, C. T., Maurette, M., Walker, R. M. & Hohenberg, C. M. Earth planet. Sci. Lett. 100, 77–93 (1990).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  7. Raisbeck, G. M. & Yiou, F. F. Meteoritics 22, 485–486 (1987).

    ADS  Google Scholar 

  8. Raisbeck, G. M. & Yiou, F. Meteoritics 24, 318 (1989).

    ADS  Google Scholar 

  9. Anders, E. & Ebihara, M. Geochim. cosmochim. Acta 46, 2363–2380 (1982).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  10. McSween, H. Y. & Richardson, S. M. Geochim. cosmochim. Acta 41, 1145–1161 (1977).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  11. Maurette, M., Beccard, B., Bonny, P. & Christophe Michel-Levy, M., Proc. 24th ESLAB Symp. (ed. Battrick, B.) (Eur. Space Ag., in the press).

  12. Schramm, L. S., Brownlee, D. E. & Wheelock, M. M. Meteoritics 24, 99–112 (1989).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  13. Steele, I. M. Geochim. cosmochim. Acta 50, 1379–1395 (1986).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  14. Kurat, G., Mayr, M. Ntaflos, T. H. & Graham, A. L. Meteoritics 24, 35–42 (1989).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  15. Hoinkes, G. & Kurat, G. Meteoritics 10, 429–430 (1975).

    ADS  Google Scholar 

  16. Klöck, W., Thomas, K. L., McKay, D. S. & Palme, H. Nature 339, 126–128 (1989).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  17. Tomeoka, K. & Busek, P. R. Earth planet. Sci. Lett. 69, 243–254 (1984).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  18. Hoinkes, G. & Kurat, G. Meteoritics 14, 423 (1979).

    ADS  Google Scholar 

  19. Thomas, K. L., Zolensky, M. E., Klöck, W. & McKay, D. S. Lunar planet. Sci. 21, 1250–1251 (1990).

    ADS  Google Scholar 

  20. Hohenberg, C. M., Nichols, R. H. Jr, Olinger, C. T. & Goswami, J. N. Geochim. cosmochim. Acta 54, 2133–2140 (1990).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  21. Geiss, J., Buehler, F., Cerutti, H., Eberhardt P. & Filleux, C. Apollo 16: Preliminary Science Report NASA SP-315, 14.1–14.10 (1972).

  22. Wieler, R., Baur, H. & Signer, P. Geochim. cosmochim. Acta 50, 1997–2017 (1986).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  23. Robin, E., Christophe Michel-Levy, M., Bourot–Denise, M. & Jéhanno, C. Earth planet Sci. Lett. 97, 162–176 (1990).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  24. Brownlee, D. E. Ann. Rev. Earth planet. Sci. 13, 147–173 (1985).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  25. Amari, S. & Ozima, M. Geochim. cosmochim. Acta 52, 1087–1095 (1988).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  26. Fukumoto, H., Nagao, K. & Matsuda, J. I. Geochim. cosmochim. Acta 50, 2245–2253 (1986).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  27. Nier, A. O. & Schlutter, D. J. Meteoritics 25, 263–267 (1990).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  28. Schultz, L. & Kruse, H. Meteoritics 24, 155–172 (1989).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  29. Maurette, M., Hammer, D. & Pourchet, M. in From Mantle to Meteorites (eds Gopalan, K., Gaur, V. K., Somayajuju, B. L. & MacDougall, J. D.) (Indian Academy of Sciences, Bangalore, 1990).

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Author notes

  1. C. Olinger

    Present address: Los Alamos National Laboratory, INC-7 MS J514, Los Alamos, New Mexico, 87545, USA

Authors and Affiliations

  1. CSNSM, IN2P3-CNRS, Bâtiment 108, 91405, Campus-Orsay, France

    M. Maurette

  2. McDonnel Center for the Space Sciences and Physics Department, Washington University, St Louis, Missouri, 63130, USA

    C. Olinger

  3. Laboratoire de Minéralogie-Cristallographie, Université Paris-VI, 75252, Paris, France

    M. Christophe Michel-Levy

  4. Naturhistorisches Museum, Box 417, A-1014, Vienna, Austria

    G. Kurat & F. Brandstätter

  5. Laboratoire de Glaciologie, B.P. 96, 38402, St-Martin d'Héres, France

    M. Pourchet

  6. Laboratoire de Minéralogie, Muséum d'Histoire Naturelle, 75005, Paris, France

    M. Bourot-Denise

Authors
  1. M. Maurette
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. C. Olinger
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. M. Christophe Michel-Levy
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. G. Kurat
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. M. Pourchet
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. F. Brandstätter
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  7. M. Bourot-Denise
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Maurette, M., Olinger, C., Michel-Levy, M. et al. A collection of diverse micrometeorites recovered from 100 tonnes of Antarctic blue ice. Nature 351, 44–47 (1991). https://doi.org/10.1038/351044a0

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/351044a0

This article is cited by

Comments

By submitting a comment you agree to abide by our Terms and Community Guidelines. If you find something abusive or that does not comply with our terms or guidelines please flag it as inappropriate.

Search

Advanced search

Quick links

Nature Briefing

Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science, free to your inbox daily.

Get the most important science stories of the day, free in your inbox. Sign up for Nature Briefing