The Oxygen Isotope Compositions of Large Numbers of Small Cosmic Spherules: Implications for Their Sources and the Isotopic Composition of the Upper Atmosphere - Université de Lorraine Accéder directement au contenu
Article Dans Une Revue Journal of Geophysical Research. Planets Année : 2020

The Oxygen Isotope Compositions of Large Numbers of Small Cosmic Spherules: Implications for Their Sources and the Isotopic Composition of the Upper Atmosphere

Résumé

Cosmic spherules are micrometeorites that melt at high altitude as they enter Earth's atmosphere, and their oxygen isotope compositions are partially or completely inherited from the upper atmosphere, depending on the amount of heating experienced and the nature of their precursor materials. In this study, the three oxygen isotope compositions of 137 cosmic spherules are determined using 277 in situ analyses by ion probe. Our results indicate a possible correlation between increasing average δ18O compositions of silicate‐dominated (S‐type) spherules along the series scoriaceous < porphyritic < barred < cryptocrystalline < glass < CAT (calcium‐aluminum‐titanium) spherules (~12‰, 20‰, 22‰, 25‰, 26‰, and 50‰). This is consistent with the evolution of oxygen isotopes by mass fractionation owing to increased average entry heating and thus suggests mass fractionation dominates changes in isotopic composition, with atmospheric exchange being less significant. The Δ17O values of spherules, therefore, are mostly preserved and suggest that ~80% of particles are samples of C‐type asteroids. The genetic relationships between different S‐types can also be determined with scoriaceous, barred, and cryptocrystalline spherules mostly having low Δ17O values (≤0‰) mainly derived from carbonaceous chondrite (CC)‐like sources, while porphyritic spherules mostly have positive Δ17O (>0‰) and are largely derived from ordinary chondrite (OC)‐like sources related to S (IV)‐type asteroids. Glass and CAT spherules have variable Δ17O values indicating they formed by intense entry heating of both CC and OC‐like materials. I‐type cosmic spherules have a narrow range of δ17O (~20–25‰) and δ18O (~38–48‰) values, with Δ17O (~0‰) suggesting their oxygen is obtained entirely from the Earth's atmosphere, albeit with significant mass fractionation owing to evaporative heating. Finally, G‐type cosmic spherules have unexpected isotopic compositions and demonstrate little mass fractionation from a CC‐like source. The results of this study provide a vital assessment of the wider population of extraterrestrial dust arriving on Earth.
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hal-03009464 , version 1 (17-11-2020)

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N. G Rudraswami, Matthew J Genge, Yves Marrocchi, Johan Villeneuve, S. Taylor. The Oxygen Isotope Compositions of Large Numbers of Small Cosmic Spherules: Implications for Their Sources and the Isotopic Composition of the Upper Atmosphere. Journal of Geophysical Research. Planets, 2020, 125 (10), ⟨10.1029/2020JE006414⟩. ⟨hal-03009464⟩
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