Ultracarbonaceous antarctic micrometeorites: a new window on the solar system origin

Friday 30 Mar 2012, 15:00 → 17:00 Europe/Rome

Aula B. Touschek (Laboratori Nazionali di Frascati, Via Enrico Fermi 40, Frascati)

ABSTRACT

Our knowledge of the solar system formation is based on both astronomical observations of other planetary systems and cosmochemical results about extraterrestrial matter. Pristine extraterrestrial samples play a key role in unrevealing the physico-chemical conditions of the protoplanetary disk. Ultracarbonaceous antarctic micrometeorites (UCAMMs) are rare extraterrestrial samples extremely rich in organic matter and extremely well preserved after their passage through the Earth's atmosphere. Their structural and compositional properties support the hypothesis of a cometary origin. In this seminar I will illustrate the main properties of UCAMMs, how they compare with other extraterrestrial samples and what they tell us about the early evolution of the solar system.

Slides Briani.pdf