Extreme Si-29 and Si-30 enrichments found in rare Murchison SiC-containing graphites.

Croat K. and Stadermann F. J. (2008)
Lunar & Planet. Sci. 39, Abstract #1739.


ABSTRACT

Although rare (in <1% of graphites), silicon carbides are found as internal grains within Murchison KFC1 onion graphites, with four instances reported thus far. These composite grains (e.g. SiCs found within graphite) are of particular interest, as they are a clear case in which both presolar phases form from the same star. Here we report on the microstructure as well as the chemical and isotopic compositions of two newly-discovered graphites containing relatively large internal SiCs (100-225 nm in size). NanoSIMS isotopic analyses of both SiC-containing graphites reveal large 29Si and 30Si enrichments indicative of a massive star origin, with one nearly as extreme as the unusual SiC previously found. Until now, an anomaly of this type had been measured only once among tens of thousands of presolar SiCs.


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