Comprehensive examination of large mineral and rock fragments in Stardust tracks: Mineralogy, analogous extraterrestrial materials, and source regions

Abstract

Transmission electron microscopy examination of 87 large fragments from 16 carrot-shaped and bulbous Stardust (SD) tracks was performed to study the range and diversity of materials present in comet Wild 2. Olivines and low-Ca pyroxenes represent the largest proportions of fragments observed; however, a wide range of minerals and rocks were found including probable ferromagnesian, Al-rich and Si-rich chondrule fragments, a refractory inclusion, possible matrix mineral/lithic clasts, and probable condensate minerals. These materials, combined with fine-grained components in the tracks, are analogous to components in unequilibrated chondrite meteorites and cluster interplanetary dust particles (IDPs). Two unusual lithologies in the bulbous tracks are only observed in chondritic porous IDPs and may have direct links to IDPs. The absence of phyllosilicates indicates that comet Wild 2 may be a "dry" comet that did not accrete or form significant amounts of hydrated phases. Some large mineral fragments in the SD tracks are analogous to large mineral IDPs. The large variations of the coarse-grained components within and between all 16 tracks show that comet Wild 2 is mineralogically diverse and unequilibrated on nearly all scales and must have accreted materials from diverse source regions that were widely dispersed throughout the solar nebula. © 2012 The Meteoritical Society.