DOE OSTI · 1985998
Formation and evolution of carbonaceous asteroid Ryugu: Direct evidence from returned samples
Abstract
Samples of the carbonaceous asteroid Ryugu were brought to Earth by the Hayabusa2 spacecraft. We analyzed 17 Ryugu samples measuring 1 to 8 millimeters. Carbon dioxide–bearing water inclusions are present within a pyrrhotite crystal, indicating that Ryugu’s parent asteroid formed in the outer Solar System. The samples contain low abundances of materials that formed at high temperatures, such as chondrules and calcium- and aluminum-rich inclusions. The samples are rich in phyllosilicates and carbonates, which formed through aqueous alteration reactions at low temperature, high pH, and water/rock ratios of <1 (by mass). Less altered fragments contain olivine, pyroxene, amorphous silicates, calcite, and phosphide. Numerical simulations, based on the mineralogical and physical properties of the samples, indicate that Ryugu’s parent body formed ~2 million years after the beginning of Solar System formation.
Explore related subjects
Keep this discovery
Explore connections, maps & timelines
Nakamura, T., Matsumoto, M., Amano, K., Enokido, Y., Zolensky, M. E., Mikouchi, T., Genda, H., Tanaka, S., Zolotov, M. Y., Kurosawa, K., Wakita, S., Hyodo, R., Nagano, H., Nakashima, D., Takahashi, Y., Fujioka, Y., Kikuiri, M., Kagawa, E., Matsuoka, M., Brearley, A. J., Tsuchiyama, A., Uesugi, M., Matsuno, J., Kimura, Y., Sato, M., Milliken, R. E., Tatsumi, E., Sugita, S., Hiroi, T., Kitazato, K., Brownlee, D., Joswiak, D. J., Takahashi, M., Ninomiya, K., Takahashi, T., Osawa, T., Terada, K., Brenker, F. E., Tkalcec, B. J., Vincze, L., Brunetto, R., Aléon-Toppani, A., Chan, Q. S., Roskosz, M., Viennet, J. -C., Beck, P., Alp, E. E., Michikami, T., Nagaashi, Y., Tsuji, T., Ino, Y., Martinez, J., Han, J., Dolocan, A., Bodnar, R. J., Tanaka, M., Yoshida, H., Sugiyama, K., King, A. J., Fukushi, K., Suga, H., Yamashita, S., Kawai, T., Inoue, K., Nakato, A., Noguchi, T., Vilas, F., Hendrix, A. R., Jaramillo-Correa, C., Domingue, D. L., Dominguez, G., Gainsforth, Z., Engrand, C., Duprat, J., Russell, S. S., Bonato, E., Ma, C., Kawamoto, T., Wada, T., Watanabe, S., Endo, R., Enju, S., Riu, L., Rubino, S., Tack, P., Takeshita, S., Takeichi, Y., Takeuchi, A., Takigawa, A., Takir, D., Tanigaki, T., Taniguchi, A., Tsukamoto, K., Yagi, T., Yamada, S., Yamamoto, K., Yamashita, Y., Yasutake, M., Uesugi, K., Umegaki, I.. 2023-02-24. Formation and evolution of carbonaceous asteroid Ryugu: Direct evidence from returned samples. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.abn8671
Cite the original work for its findings. Save a collection to share your selection of sources.