Magnetism and mineralogy of Almahata Sitta polymict ureilite (= asteroid 2008 TC3): Implications for the ureilite parent body magnetic field
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چکیده
The Almahata Sitta meteorite is the first case of recovered extraterrestrial material originating from an asteroid that was detected in near Earth space shortly before entering and exploding in the high atmosphere. The aims of our project within the 2008 TC3 consortium were investigating Almahata Sitta’s (AS) magnetic signature, phase composition and mineralogy, focussing on the opaque minerals, and gaining new insights into the magnetism of the ureilite parent body (UPB). We report on the general magnetic properties and behavior of Almahata Sitta and try to place the results in context with the existing data set on ureilites and ureilite parent body models. The magnetic signature of AS is dominated by a set of low-Ni kamacites with large grain sizes. Additional contributions come from micron-sized kamacites, suessite, (Cr) troilite, and daubreelite, mainly found in the olivine grains adjacent to carbonrich veins. Our results show that the paleomagnetic signal is of extraterrestrial origin as can be seen by comparing with laboratory produced magnetic records (IRM). Four types of kamacite (I–IV) have been recognized in the sample. The elemental composition of the ureilite vein metal Kamacite I (particularly Co) clearly differs from the other kamacites (II-IV), which are considered to be indigenous. Element ratios of kamacite I indicate that it was introduced into the UPB by an impactor, supporting the conclusions of Gabriel and Pack (2009).
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Almahata Sitta (=asteroid 2008 TC3) and the search for the ureilite parent body
This article explores what the recovery of 2008 TC3 in the form of the Almahata Sitta meteorites may tell us about the source region of ureilites in the main asteroid belt. An investigation is made into what is known about asteroids with roughly the same spectroscopic signature as 2008 TC3. A population of low-inclination near-Earth asteroids is identified with spectra similar to 2008 TC3. Five...
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