The Ni isotopic composition of Ryugu reveals a common accretion region for carbonaceous chondrites

TL;DR

This study reveals that Ryugu and CI chondrites share similar Ni isotopic compositions, suggesting they originated from the same region in the early solar system's accretion disk, despite previous differences observed in other isotopic systems.

Contribution

It demonstrates that Ryugu and CI chondrites have indistinguishable Ni isotope anomalies, indicating a common accretion region and providing insights into dust grain incorporation during formation.

Findings

Ryugu and CI chondrites share similar Ni isotopic compositions.

Differences in isotopic compositions are linked to accretion efficiencies of FeNi metal grains.

CI chondrites likely formed later in the disk's lifetime, affecting their isotopic signatures.

Abstract

The isotopic compositions of samples returned from Cb-type asteroid Ryugu and Ivuna-type (CI) chondrites are distinct from other carbonaceous chondrites, which has led to the suggestion that Ryugu and CI chondrites formed in a different region of the accretion disk, possibly around the orbits of Uranus and Neptune. We show that, like for Fe, Ryugu and CI chondrites also have indistinguishable Ni isotope anomalies, which differ from those of other carbonaceous chondrites. We propose that this unique Fe and Ni isotopic composition reflects different accretion efficiencies of small FeNi metal grains among the carbonaceous chondrite parent bodies. The CI chondrites incorporated these grains more efficiently, possibly because they formed at the end of the disk's lifetime, when planetesimal formation was also triggered by photoevaporation of the disk. Isotopic variations among carbonaceous chondrites may thus reflect fractionation of distinct dust components from a common reservoir, implying CI chondrites and Ryugu may have formed in the same region of the accretion disk as other carbonaceous chondrites.