Scientists have been surprised and fascinated on finding what’s inside meteorites ever since they started peering at these with their microscopes. This is because most meteorites are made up of tiny beads of glass.
These beads date back to the early solar system – even before the planets were formed – and thereby hold vital clues about those times. The tiny beads of glass inside meteorites are called chondrules and scientists have been puzzled as to how these are formed for at least half a century now. An analysis published by scientists from the University of Chicago in December 2021 lay out how these beads came to be.
Proportion of isotopes
The type of elements in a rock could tell us about the early solar system. Elements come in different forms called isotopes and the proportion of an isotope in each rock varies according to the conditions that existed when the rock was born.
Researchers employed a unique angle to the isotopes to try and understand what had happened to the chondrules. They picked two elements, potassium and rubidium, which are depleted in meteorites, and took precise measurements of the concentrations and isotopes of these in meteorites.
Extreme heating and cooling Based on this information, they have pieced together what must have been happening as the chondrules formed. Given these constraints, scientists have theorised that massive shockwaves could be the type of event that is sudden and violent enough to cause the extreme heating and cooling required to form the chondrules.
For nearly 50 years, different scenarios like lightning or collision between rocks have been proposed for the formation of chondrules. The new evidence provided by these researchers tips the balance towards shockwaves as an explanation, making inroads into what has largely been a mystery.
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