The presence and absence of different isotopically anomalous phases in the primitive interplanetary dust particle Tiberius

Floss C., Stadermann F. J., and Wopenka B. (2006) Lunar Planet. Sci. XXXVII, Abstract #1290.


ABSTRACT

Interplanetary dust particles (IDPs) sample material preserved from the earliest formation of the solar system. Recent work shows the existence of a subgroup of IDPs characterized as isotopically primitive. These IDPs have anomalous bulk N isotopic compositions and contain abundant circumstellar and interstellar phases. We have been examining one such IDP, nicknamed Tiberius (u44-m1-5), that was originally studied with the Washington University ims3f ion microprobe. Those measurements showed Tiberius to be a fairly typical chondritic IDP with normal H and C isotopic compositions, and a bulk 15N enrichment of 53 +/- 6 permil. Significant portions of Tiberius were not consumed by the ims3f measurements, allowing NanoSIMS measurements to be made on this particle. Isotopic imaging of C and O led to the discovery of the first observed presolar grains of corundum and SiC in an IDP. Here we report on the results of additional C, N and O isotopic imaging measurements of this particle.


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