Earth, Moon, and Planets

, Volume 69, Issue 3, pp 201–236 | Cite as

A theory of local formation of isotopic anomalies in meteorites

  • P. Holden
  • M. M. Woolfson
Article
Received:

Abstract

The consequences of a postulated collision between planets in the early solar system have been investigated. At least one of the planets has been taken with a D/H ratio similar to that of Venus (0.016) and the temperature of the collision interface (∼3 × 106 K) triggers chain reactions in near-surface material beginning with D-D reactions. The initial composition of the reacting material is consistent with a silicate + ices surface and a hydrogen-helium-inert gas atmosphere. The reaction chain contains 284 reactions, plus reverse reactions, and 40 radioactive decay processes. When the pressure in the reacting region is sufficiently high the colliding planets are blown apart and the highly-processed material at the heart of the explosion mixes with less processed and unprocessed material from cooler parts of the system. Mixtures of materials are found to explain isotopic anomalies associated with oxygen, magnesium, neon, silicon, carbon and nitrogen. The local production of isotopic anomalies avoids the problems associated with other suggested explanations - in particular the observation of neon E, almost pure22Ne, assumed as the product of the decay of22Na with a half-life of 2.6 years.

Keywords

Silicate Solar System Neon Reverse Reaction Local Production 
These keywords were added by machine and not by the authors. This process is experimental and the keywords may be updated as the learning algorithm improves.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in to check access.

Preview

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

References

  1. Alexander, C. M. O'D.: 1993,Geochim. Cosmochim. Acta 57, 2869–2888.Google Scholar
  2. Alexander, C. M. O'D., Swann, P., and Walker, R. M.: 1992,Lunar Planet. Sci. XXIII, 9–10.Google Scholar
  3. Amari, S., Hoppe, P., Zinner, E., and Lewis, R. S.: 1992,Lunar Planet. Sci. XXIII, 27–28.Google Scholar
  4. Andersen, C. A., Keil, K., and Mason, B.: 1964,Science 146, 256–257.Google Scholar
  5. Black, D. C.: 1972,Geochim. Cosmochim. Acta 36, 377–394.Google Scholar
  6. Black, D. C.: 1978, in S. F. Dermott (ed.),The Origin of the Solar System, Wiley: Chichester, p. 583.Google Scholar
  7. Cameron, A. G. W.: 1978, in S. F. Dermott (ed.),The Origin of the Solar System, Wiley: Chichester, p.49.Google Scholar
  8. Caughlan, G. R., Fowler, W. A., Harris, M. J., and Zimmerman, B. A.: 1985,Atomic Data and Nuclear Data Tables,32, 197–233.Google Scholar
  9. Clayton, R. N.: 1981,Phil. Trans. R. Soc. Lond. A303, 339–349.Google Scholar
  10. Clayton, D. D., Dwek, E., and Woosley, S. E.: 1977,Astrophys.J. 214, 300–315.Google Scholar
  11. Clayton, R. N., Hinton, R. W., and Davis, A. M.: 1988,Phil. Trans. R. Soc. Lond. A325, 483–501.Google Scholar
  12. Clayton, D. D. and Hoyle, F.: 1976,Astrophys.J. 203, 490–496.Google Scholar
  13. Dormand, J. R. and Woolfson, M. M.: 1977,Mon. Not. R. Astr. Soc. 108, 243–279.Google Scholar
  14. Dormand, J. R. and Woolfson, M. M.: 1989,The Origin of the Solar System: The Capture Theory. Ellis Horwood: Chichester.Google Scholar
  15. Fowler, W. A., Caughlan, G. R., and Zimmerman, B. A.: 1967,Ann. Rev. Astron. Ap. 5, 525–570.Google Scholar
  16. Fowler, W. A., Caughlan, G. R., and Zimmennan, B. A.: 1975,Ann. Rev. Astron. Ap. 13, 69–112.Google Scholar
  17. Gault, D. E., and Heitowit, E.: 1963,Proc. Sixth Hypervelocity Impact Symp. Cleveland, Ohio, AprilGoogle Scholar
  18. Harris, M. J., Fowler, W. A., Caughlan, G. R., and Zimmerman, B. A.: 1983,Ann. Rev. Astron. Ap. 21, 165–176.Google Scholar
  19. Heymann, D. and Dziczkaniec, M.: 1976,Science 191, 79–81.Google Scholar
  20. Hinton, R., Long, J. V. P., ba]Fallick, A. E., and Pillinger, C. T.: 1983,Lunar Planet. Sci. XIV, 313–314.Google Scholar
  21. Lee, T., Papanastassiou, D. A., and Wasserburg, G. J.: 1976,Geophys. Res. Lett. 3, 109–112.Google Scholar
  22. Larimer, J. W. and Barthololmay, M.: 1979,Geochim. Cosmochim. Acta 43, 1455–1466.Google Scholar
  23. Michael, D. M.: 1990,Evidence of a Planetary Collision in the Early Solar System and its Implications for the Origin of the Solar System. D. Phil. Thesis., University of York.Google Scholar
  24. Niederer, F. and Eberhardt, P.: 1977,Meteoritics 12, 327–331.Google Scholar
  25. Reynolds, J.: 1960,Phys. Rev. Lett. 4, 8–10.Google Scholar
  26. Steele, I. M., Smith, J. V., Hutcheon, I. D., and Clayton, R. N.: 1978,Lunar Planet. Sci. 9, 1104–1106.Google Scholar
  27. Stone, J, Hutcheon, I. D., Epstein, S., and Wasserburg, G.J.: 1990,Lunar Planet. Sci. XXI, 1212–1213.Google Scholar
  28. Virag, A., Wopenka, B., Amari, S., Zinner, E., Anders, E., and Lewis, R. S.: 1992,Geochim. Cosmochim. Acta 56, 1715–1733.Google Scholar
  29. Woolfson, M. M.: 1979,Phil. Trans. R. Soc. Lond. A291, 219–252.Google Scholar
  30. Woosley, S. E., Fowler, W. A., Holmes, J. A., and Zimmerman, B. A.: 1978,Atomic Data and Nuclear Data Tables,22, 371–441.Google Scholar
  31. Zeldovich, Ya. B. and Raizer, Yu. P.: 1966,Physics of Shock Waves and High-Temperature Hydrodynamic Phenomena. Academic Press: NewYork.Google Scholar
  32. Zinner, E., Tang, M., and Anders, E.: 1989,Geochim. Cosmochim. Acta 53, 3273–3290.Google Scholar

Copyright information

© Kluwer Academic Publishers 1995

Authors and Affiliations

  • P. Holden
    • 1
  • M. M. Woolfson
    • 1
  1. 1.Physics DepartmentUniversity of YorkYorkUK

Personalised recommendations