Abstract

Planetary formation models show that terrestrial planets are formed by the accretion of tens of Moon- to Mars-sized planetary embryos through energetic giant impacts. However, relics of these large proto-planets are yet to be found. Ureilites are one of the main families of achondritic meteorites and their parent body is believed to have been catastrophically disrupted by an impact during the first 10 million years of the solar system. Here we studied a section of the Almahata Sitta ureilite using transmission electron microscopy, where large diamonds were formed at high pressure inside the parent body. We discovered chromite, phosphate, and (Fe,Ni)-sulfide inclusions embedded in diamond. The composition and morphology of the inclusions can only be explained if the formation pressure was higher than 20 GPa. Such pressures suggest that the ureilite parent body was a Mercury- to Mars-sized planetary embryo.

Details

Title
A large planetary body inferred from diamond inclusions in a ureilite meteorite
Author
Nabiei, Farhang 1 ; Badro, James 2 ; Dennenwaldt, Teresa 3 ; Oveisi, Emad 4   VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Cantoni, Marco 4 ; Hébert, Cécile 3 ; Ahmed El Goresy 5 ; Jean-Alix Barrat 6 ; Gillet, Philippe 7 

1  Earth and Planetary Science Laboratory (EPSL), Institute of Physics, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland; Interdisciplinary Center for Electron Microscopy (CIME), Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland 
2  Earth and Planetary Science Laboratory (EPSL), Institute of Physics, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland; Institut de Physique du Globe de Paris, Sorbonne Paris Cité, Paris, France 
3  Interdisciplinary Center for Electron Microscopy (CIME), Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland; Electron Spectrometry and Microscopy Laboratory (LSME), Institute of Physics, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland 
4  Interdisciplinary Center for Electron Microscopy (CIME), Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland 
5  Bayerisches Geoinstitut, Universität Bayreuth, Bayreuth, Germany 
6  Institut Universitaire Européen de la Mer, Université de Bretagne Occidentale, Plouzané, France 
7  Earth and Planetary Science Laboratory (EPSL), Institute of Physics, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland 
Pages
1-6
Publication year
2018
Publication date
Apr 2018
Publisher
Nature Publishing Group
e-ISSN
20411723
Source type
Scholarly Journal
Language of publication
English
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-018-03808-6
ProQuest document ID
2026391796
Copyright
© 2018. This work is published under http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ (the “License”). Notwithstanding the ProQuest Terms and Conditions, you may use this content in accordance with the terms of the License.