Meteoritic parent bodies - Nature, number, size and relation to present-day asteroidsThe relationship between meteoritic parent bodies and the present-day asteroids is discussed. Results on oxygen isotopic signatures and chemical distinctions among meteorite classes indicate that meteorites derive from a small number of parent bodies relative to the number of asteroids. The spectral properties of the ordinary chondrites and similar inclusions in meteoritic breccias differ from those of the abundant S asteroids (with no process known that can account for these differences); the closest spectral analogs of these chondrites are the rare near-earth Q-type asteroids. These facts lead to the question of why abundant meteorites have rare asteroidal analogs, while the abundant asteroids have rare meteoritic analogs. This question constitutes a prime topic for future studies.
Document ID
19900039980
Acquisition Source
Legacy CDMS
Document Type
Conference Paper
Authors
Lipschutz, Michael E. (Purdue University West Lafayette, IN, United States)
Gaffey, Michael J. (Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, NY, United States)
Pellas, Paul (Museum National d'Histoire Naturelle Paris, France)