An investigation of the relationship between morphology and chemistry of the D-type spherules from the recovery expedition of the CNEOS 2014-01-08 bolide: Implications for origins

TL;DR

This study examines D-type cosmic spherules from a bolide recovery, analyzing their morphology and chemistry to distinguish between terrestrial and extraterrestrial origins, revealing diverse origins among these particles.

Contribution

It provides the first detailed morphological and chemical comparison of D-type spherules, identifying features indicative of their extraterrestrial or terrestrial origins.

Findings

Scoriaceous and stubby particles show features of atmospheric entry, suggesting extraterrestrial origin.

Blocky and vesicular particles lack entry features, indicating likely terrestrial origin.

D-type particles exhibit a range of morphologies and compositions, reflecting diverse origins.

Abstract

Cosmic spherules have largely been classified into S-, I-, and G-types according to their compositions, and are identified to have chondritic or achondritic materials as precursors. A recent recovery expedition attempted to sample fragments of the CNEOS 2014-01-08 bolide retrieved roughly 850 magnetic particles, some of which have unknown origins. Among those identified were a new group of highly differentiated materials consisting of close to 160 specimens categorized as "D-type" particles. We studied the D-type particles with the goal of comparing their various morphological features to their chemical compositional groupings. Four morphological classifications are considered: "scoriaceous," "stubby," "blocky," and "vesicular." The specimens from the "scoriaceous" and "stubby" groups exhibit a spinel/magnetite rim in at least one instance, characteristic of atmospheric entry, and textures indicative of quenching such as dendritic microcrystalline structures, suggesting that a subset of specimens from these groups are candidates for materials of extraterrestrial origin. The particles exhibiting "blocky" and "vesicular" textures are likely to be terrestrial in origin, with no obvious quench features or signs of ablation. The D-type particles identified and characterized in this study have a spectrum of terrestrial and probable extraterrestrial origins.