Meteoroid streams as sources for meteorite falls : a status report.

Journal Article · Wed Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1997 · Planet. Space Sci.

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/S0032-0633(96)00148-1· OSTI ID:937912

Lipschutz, M E; Wolf, S F; Dodd, R T

From their circumstances of fall (year, day, and, sometimes, petrographic type) five clusters of H4-6 chondrites have been identified statistically as deriving from separate meteoroid streams. Using another criterion, the meteorites' contents of volatile trace elements (Ag, Bi, Cd, Cs, In, Rb, Se, Te, Tl, Zn) determined using radiochemical neutron activation analysis, and treated by multivariate statistical analysis techniques, three of the five clusters are distinguishable from the random background of observed falls. These data indicate that distinct H chondrite sources with primary thermal histories distinguishable from those of random sources provided H4-6 chondrites that fell in May, 1855-1895, and in September-October, 1812-1992. Thus, both in the short-term, and the long-term (> 50 kyr) as evidenced by Antarctic H4-6 chondrites, time-dependent variations occur in the Earth's sampling of common meteorites. The source-variations indicated by our data apparently reflect the existence of meteoroid streams which complete the hierarchy of comet streams, asteroid streams and fireball streams of asteroidal origin established by others.

• Research Organization: Argonne National Laboratory (ANL)
• DOE Contract Number: AC02-06CH11357
• OSTI ID: 937912
• Report Number(s): ANL/CMT/JA-23688
• Journal Information: Planet. Space Sci., Journal Name: Planet. Space Sci. Journal Issue: 5 ; 1997 Vol. 45; ISSN 0032-0633; ISSN PLSSAE
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: ENGLISH

Related Subjects

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS
GENERAL PHYSICS
ASTEROIDS
CHONDRITES
COMETS
METEORITES
METEOROIDS
NEUTRON ACTIVATION ANALYSIS
ORIGIN
SAMPLING
TRACE AMOUNTS