Researchers May Have Solved a Puzzling Contradiction in the Ryugu Sample

Researchers May Have Solved a Puzzling Contradiction in the Ryugu Sample

Samples from the asteroid Ryugu, and from carbonaceous chondrites that have crashed on Earth, present an apparent contradiction. Their fine-grained matrices have widely varied compositions of their clay-like minerals. That suggests that there were widely different aqueous environments in the same parent bodies, which seems unlikely. But new research may have solved that contradiction.

Hidden In Plain Sight In Ryugu And Meteorites

Asteroid Ryugu and some carbonaceous meteorites, which are thought to have similar origins in the early Solar System, are known as chemically “primitive” materials because they preserve the […]

Powerful X-ray scans of Ryugu reveal a missing component in asteroids and meteorites

X-ray measurements of Ryugu and carbonaceous meteorites reveal an overlooked material that may explain chemical preservation during ancient water alteration.

Asteroid dust may reveal how water spared ancient solar system chemistry

A poorly ordered mineral-like material found in samples from asteroid Ryugu may help explain why the rocks still preserve ancient chemistry despite being extensively changed by water. Researchers found similar material in carbon-rich meteorites, suggesting it may be widespread in these kinds of rocks. The puzzle is that water can transform a rock’s minerals while […]

Overlooked mineral may explain how asteroid Ryugu preserved its ancient chemistry

A poorly crystalline magnesium silicate found in asteroid Ryugu and carbonaceous meteorites may explain how early Solar System chemistry survived extensive alteration by water.