Evaluating changes in the elemental composition of micrometeorites during entry into the Earth's atmosphere

Abstract

We evaluate the heating of extraterrestrial particles entering the atmosphere using the comprehensive chemical ablation model (CABMOD). This model predicts the ablation rates of individual elements in a particle with a defined size, composition, entry velocity, and entry angle with respect to the zenith (ZA). In the present study, bulk chemical analyses of 1133 Antarctica micrometeorites (collected from the south pole water well) are interpreted using CABMOD. The marked spread in Fe/Si values in unmelted, partially melted, and melted micrometeorites is explained by the loss of relatively volatile Fe during atmospheric entry. The combined theoretical modeling and elemental composition of the micrometeorites (Mg/Si ratios) suggest that ∼85% of particles have a provenance of carbonaceous chondrites, the remaining ∼15% are either ordinary or enstatite chondrites. About 65% of the micrometeorites have undergone <20% ablation, while a further 20% have lost between 20% and 60% of their original mass. This has implications for understanding the micrometeorite flux that reaches the Earth's surface, as well as estimating the pre-atmospheric size of the particles. Our work shows that the unmelted particles that contribute ∼50% to the total micrometeorite collection on Earth's surface have a small entry zone: ZA = 60°-90° if the entry velocity is ∼11 km s-1, and ZA = 80°-90° for >11-21 km s-1.