Antarctic Micrometeorites Provide New Clues to Origins of Organic Molecules on Earth
07.05.2010 - Atmosphere & Space, Antarctic
In a new analysis published in the journal Science, a French team working at Concordia Station in Antarctica has announced that it has found some well-preserved meteorite samples beneath the surface of the ice sheet. These include so-called micrometeorites — fragments of meteorites about a millimetre across that may contain important clues to the origin and evolution of the solar system.
Melting about three cubic metres of snow, the researchers found 148 micrometeorites, among which two are loaded with organic material. The team is now trying to determine how the solar system came into being, as well as the nature of the material out of which the planets were formed. They will also try to determine whether the organic molecules that eventually reached the Earth originated in the solar system, or floated in space as part of the molecular cloud from which the sun and planets formed.
After primary analysis of the minerals from the micrometeorites, it seems that they do come from our solar system. However, the micrometeorites appear to contain high levels of deuterium, a feature long associated with an interstellar origin.
Whatever its ultimate provenance, the Antarctic meteorite particles contain high levels of carbon which will allow cosmochemists to analyze the organic content of the particles without having to resort to chemical solvents. The new micrometeorites are thus expected to offer a new perspective on the chemistry of the early solar system.
