Chondrite

Chondrites are the most common meteorites accounting for ~84% of falls. Chondrites are comprised mostly of Fe- and Mg-bearing silicate minerals (found in both chondrules and fine grained matrix), reduced Fe/Ni metal (found in various states like large blebs, small grains and/or even chondrule rims), and various refractory inclusions (such as Ca-Al-rich Inclusions (CAIs) found in many carbonaceous chondrites and a few rare ordinary chondrites). These components have remained largely unchanged since their formation within the accretion disk ~4.5 Ga at the beginning of our Solar System. CAIs and chondrules studied today experienced a complicated series of high-temperature events as isolated grains in the disk before developing into planetesimals that went on to experience additional thermal and aqueous alteration. They therefore provide important evidence of the constraints at multiple points in time and location on the evolving dynamics, physical and chemical processes during the formation of the accretion disk and early solar system1... Expand

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