Antarctic Meteorites

La conoscenza sulla origine ed evoluzione del sistema solare deriva dalla efficace sinergia tra l'osservazione astronomica, esplorazione diretta mediante missioni spaziali, la modellizzazione numerica e lo studio delle proprieta' chimico-fisiche di migliaia di meteoriti – frammenti di rocce che cadono sulla Terra, provenienti da una grande varieta' di corpi celesti del sis
tema solare tra cui asteroidi, comete, satelliti e pianeti.  

I ghiacci antartici sono un terreno privilegiato per la raccolta di meteoriti. A partire dal 1969 quasi cinquantamila campioni sono stati raccolti da ricercatori di vari programmi nazionali polari, tra cui l'Italia con il progetto AntMet del Programma Nazionale delle Ricerche in Antartide (PNRA). Tra questi meteori lunari, marziane e una grande varietà di meteoriti asteroidali il cui studio a livello internazionale ha determinato un significativo avanzamento nelle scienze planetarie e nella esplorazione dello spazio. 

Go to our project webpage to see what we have been up to, from the Antarctic Plateau meteorite search campaign to the laboratory. You'll also find the illlustrated account of our 2017-18 expedition, as well as the media impact of our work, from print to television.

https://meteoant.dst.unipi.it/index.php

Campanale, F., Mugnaioli, E., Gemmi, M., Folco L. (2021) The formation of impact coesite. Scientific Reports 11, 16011 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-95432-6

Brase L. Harvey R.P., Folco L., Suttle M.D., McIntosh E., James D., Corrigan C. (2021) Microtektites and glassy micrometeorites from new sites in the Transantarctic Mountains, Antarctica. Meteoritics and Planetary Science 56, 829-843. https://doi.org/10.1111/maps.13634

Polimeno P., Magazzù A., Latì M. A., Saija R., Folco L., Bronte Ciriza D., Donato M. G., Foti A., Gucciardi P. G., Saidi A., Cecchi-Pestellini C., Jimenez Escobar A., Ammannito E., Sindoni G., Bertini I., Della Corte V., Inno L., Ciaravella A., Rotundi A., Maragò O. M. (2021) Optical tweezers in a dusty universe. Eur. Phys. J. Plus 136, 339. https://doi.org/10.1140/epjp/s13360-021-01316-z

Di Vincenzo G., Folco L., Suttle M., Brase L.  Harvey R. (2021) Multi-collector ⁴⁰Ar-³⁹Ar dating of microtektites from Transantarctic Mountains (Antarctica): a definitive link with the Australasian tektite/microtektite strewn field. Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta 298, 112–130. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gca.2021.01.046

Suttle M.D., Folco L., Genge M.J., Franchi I.A., Campanale F., Mugnaioli E. Zhao X. (2021) The aqueous alteration of GEMS-like amorphous silicate in a chondritic micrometeorite by Antarctic water. Geochmica et Cosmochimica Acta 293, 399-421. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gca.2020.11.006

Masotta M., Peres S., Folco L., Mancini L., Rochette P., Glass B.P., Campanale F., Gueninchault N., Radica F., Singsoupho S., Navarro E. (2020) 3D X-ray tomographic analysis reveals how coesite is preserved in Muong Nong-type tektites. Scientific Report 10: 20608. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-020-76727-6

Suttle M.D.,  Folco L. (2020). The extraterrestrial dust flux: Size distribution and mass contribution estimates inferred from the Transantarctic Mountains (TAM) micrometeorite collection. Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets, 125, e2019JE006241. https://doi.org/10.1029/2019JE006241

Nava J., Suttle M.D., Spiess R., Folco L., Najorka J., Carli C., Massironi M. (2020) Hydrothermal activity on the CV parent body: new perspectives from the giant micrometeorite TAM5.29. Meteoritics and Planetary Science 55, 164–183.  https://doi.org/10.1111/maps.13429

Suttle M.D, Folco L., Genge M.J., Russell S.S. (2020) Flying too close to the Sun – The viability of perihelion-induced aqueous alteration on periodic comets. Icarus 351, 113956, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.icarus.2020.113956

Suttle M.D., Dionnet Z. Franchi I., Folco L., Gibson J., Greenwood R.C., Rotundi A., King A., Russell S.S. (2020) Isotopic and textural analysis of giant unmelted micrometeorites – identification of new material from intensely altered 16O-poor water-rich asteroids. Earth and Planetary Science Letters 546, 116444, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.epsl.2020.116444

Dionnet Z. , Suttle M.D. , Longobardo A., Rotundi A., Folco L., Della Corte V., King A. (2020)  X-ray computed tomography: Morphological and porosity characterization of giant Antarctic micrometeorites. Meteoritics and Planetary Science 55, 1581-1599. https://doi.org/10.1111/maps.13533

Suttle, M.D., Twegar, K., Nava, J. K., Spiess R., Spratt J., Campanale F.  & Folco L. (2019) A unique CO-like micrometeorite hosting an exotic Al-Cu-Fe-bearing assemblage – close affinities with the Khatyrka meteorite. Sci Rep 9, 12426. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-019-48937-0

Suttle M.D., Lee M., Genge M.J., Salge T., Folco L., Góral T., Russell S.S. (2019) Microchondrule-bearing micrometeorites and comparison with CM chondrites. Meteoritics & Planetary Science 54, 1303-1324. https://doi.org/10.1111/maps.13279

Murri M, Smith R. L., McColl K., Hart M., Alvaro M., Jones A. P., Nemeth P., Salzmann C. G., Cora F., Domeneghetti M. C., Nestola F., Sobolev N. V., Vishnevsky S. A., Logvinova A. M., McMillan P. F. (2019) Quantifying hexagonal stacking in diamond. Scientic Reports. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-019-46556-3

Murri M., Domeneghetti M.C., Fioretti A. M., Nestola F., Vetere F., Perugini D., Pisello A., Faccenda M., Alvaro M. (2019) Cooling history and emplacement of a pyroxenitic lava as proxy for understanding Martian lava flows. Scientic Reports 9, 10334. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-019-53142-0

Murri M., C amara F., Adam J., Domeneghetti M.C., Alvaro M. (2018). Intracrystalline \geothermometry" assessed on clino and orthopyroxene bearing synthetic rocks. Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta, 227, 133-142. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gca.2018.02.010

Suttle M.D., Genge M.J., Folco L., van Ginneken M., Lin Q., Russell S.S., Najorka, J. (2018) The atmospheric entry of fine-grained micrometeorites: the role of volatile gases in heating and fragmentation. Meteoritics & Planetary Science 54, 503-520. https://doi.org/10.1111/maps.13220

Suttle M.D., Folco L., Genge M.J., Russell S.S., Najorka, J., van Ginneken M., (2018) Intense aqueous alteration on C-type asteroids: Perspectives from giant fine-grained micrometeorites. Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta 245, 352-373. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gca.2018.11.019

Rochette P, Braucher R, Folco L, Horng C S, Aumaître G,  Bourlès D L, Keddadouche K. (2018) ¹⁰Be in Australasian microtektites compared to tektites: size and geographic controls. Geology 46, 803-806. https://doi.org/10.1130/G45038.1

Cordier C., Baecker B., Ott U., Folco L., Trieloff M. (2018) A new type of oxidized and pre-irradiated micrometeorite. Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta 233, 135-158. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gca.2018.04.010

Baecker B., Ott U., Cordier C., Folco L.,Trieloff M., van Ginneken M., Rochette P. (2018). Noble gases in micrometeorites from the Transantarctic Mountains. Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta 242, 266–297. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gca.2018.08.027

Folco L., Glass B.P., D’Orazio M., Rochette P. (2018) Impactor identification in Australasian microtektites based on Cr, Co and Ni ratios. Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta 222, 550-568. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gca.2017.11.017

Hamann C., Fazio A., Ebert M., Hecht L., Folco L., Deutsch A., Wirth R. Reimold W. U. (2018) Silicate liquid immiscibility in impact melts. Meteoritics & Planetary Science  53, 1594-1632. https://doi.org/10.1111/maps.12907

Gemelli M., Di Rocco T., Folco L., D'Orazio M. (2017) Parentage Identifcation of Differentiated Achondritic Meteorites by Hand-held Energy Dispersive X-Ray Fluorescence Spectrometry. Geostandards and Geoanalytical Research. https://doi.org/10.1111/ggr.12179

Pack A., Höweling A., Hezel D.C., Stefanak M.T., Beck A-K., Peters S.T.M., Sengupta S., Herwartz D., Folco L. (2017) Tracing the oxygen isotope composition of the Earth's upper atmosphere using cosmic spherules. Nature Communication. https://doi.org/10.1038/ncomms15702

Suttle M.D., Genge M.J., Folco L., Russell S. (2017) The Thermal Decomposition of Fine-grained Micrometeorites, Observations from Mid-IR Spectroscopy Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta 206: 112–136. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gca.2017.03.002