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The fusion crust of the Winchcombe meteorite: A preserved record of atmospheric entry processes

Genge, Matthew J., Alesbrook, Luke, Almeida, Natasha V., Bates, Helena C., Bland, Phil A., Boyd, Mark R., Burchell, Mark J., Collins, Gareth S., Cornwell, Luke.T., Daly, Luke, and others. (2023) The fusion crust of the Winchcombe meteorite: A preserved record of atmospheric entry processes. Meteoritics & Planetary Science, 59 (5). pp. 948-972. ISSN 1086-9379. (doi:10.1111/maps.13937) (KAR id:99473)

Abstract

Fusion crusts form during the atmospheric entry heating of meteorites and preserve a record of the conditions that occurred during deceleration in the atmosphere. The fusion crust of the Winchcombe meteorite closely resembles that of other stony meteorites, and in particular CM2 chondrites, since it is dominated by olivine phenocrysts set in a glassy mesostasis with magnetite, and is highly vesicular. Dehydration cracks are unusually abundant in Winchcombe. Failure of this weak layer is an additional ablation mechanism to produce large numbers of particles during deceleration, consistent with the observation of pulses of plasma in videos of the Winchcombe fireball. Calving events might provide an observable phenomenon related to meteorites that are particularly susceptible to dehydration. Oscillatory zoning is observed within olivine phenocrysts in the fusion crust, in contrast to other meteorites, perhaps owing to temperature fluctuations resulting from calving events. Magnetite monolayers are found in the crust, and have also not been previously reported, and form discontinuous strata. These features grade into magnetite rims formed on the external surface of the crust and suggest the trapping of surface magnetite by collapse of melt. Magnetite monolayers may be a feature of meteorites that undergo significant degassing. Silicate warts with dendritic textures were observed and are suggested to be droplets ablated from another stone in the shower. They, therefore, represent the first evidence for intershower transfer of ablation materials and are consistent with the other evidence in the Winchcombe meteorite for unusually intense gas loss and ablation, despite its low entry velocity.

Item Type: Article
DOI/Identification number: 10.1111/maps.13937
Additional information: For the purpose of open access, the author(s) has applied a Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) licence to any Author Accepted Manuscript version arising
Uncontrolled keywords: Space and Planetary Science, Geophysics
Subjects: Q Science > QC Physics
Q Science > QC Physics > QC807 Geophysics (for Applied Geophysics see TN269)
Divisions: Divisions > Division of Natural Sciences > Physics and Astronomy
Funders: Science and Technology Facilities Council (https://ror.org/057g20z61)
SWORD Depositor: JISC Publications Router
Depositing User: JISC Publications Router
Date Deposited: 25 Jan 2023 09:26 UTC
Last Modified: 31 Jul 2024 15:10 UTC
Resource URI: https://kar.kent.ac.uk/id/eprint/99473 (The current URI for this page, for reference purposes)

University of Kent Author Information

Alesbrook, Luke.

Creator's ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9892-281X
CReDIT Contributor Roles:

Burchell, Mark J..

Creator's ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2680-8943
CReDIT Contributor Roles:

Cornwell, Luke.T..

Creator's ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1428-2160
CReDIT Contributor Roles:

van Ginneken, Matthias.

Creator's ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2508-7021
CReDIT Contributor Roles:

Hallatt, Daniel.

Creator's ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4426-9891
CReDIT Contributor Roles:

Tandy, Jon D..

Creator's ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0772-9182
CReDIT Contributor Roles:

Spathis, Vassilia.

Creator's ORCID:
CReDIT Contributor Roles:

Wozniakiewicz, Penelope J..

Creator's ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1441-4883
CReDIT Contributor Roles:
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