Crust, Core and Collision – Unraveling the evolution of differentiated asteroids

The main aim of the proposed project is to improve our understanding of the formation, collisional evolution and cooling history of large differentiated asteroids, which in turn will give new insights into the evolution of the early Solar System. This will be done through studies of mesosiderites, a group of enigmatic stony-iron meteorites.

The project is centered around three topics with outstanding questions:Origin – Where do mesosiderites come from?Formation – How and when did the parent body(ies) and subsequently, the meteorites form?Evolution – What role did impacts/collisions play in the history of mesosiderites?To fulfill the aim of the project, a combination of three methods/techniques will be utilized: (1) Petrographic and shock feature investigations; (2) Determination of nucleosynthetic isotope signatures and Hf-W model ages; and (3) Measurements of cosmic-ray exposure ages and cosmogenic radionuclides.The project will run for four years, and will be a unique collaboration between leading experts in the fields of meteoritics, cosmochemistry and shock metamorphism.

We will use advanced analytical methods, including neutron and synchrotron radiation-based techniques.

This novel multi-disciplinary approach, i.e., applying the different techniques on the same mesosiderite samples, will allow us to provide unique insights into the processes associated with mesosiderite formation, and more generally, into the accretion and early evolution of differentiated asteroids.