In Search of Stardust: Amazing Micrometeorites and Their Terrestrial Imposters

155 Pages·2017·99.54 MB·English

by  Jon Larsen

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© 2017 Quarto Publishing Group USA Inc. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Text © 2017 Jon Larsen
Photography © 2017 Jon Larsen, except as noted Names: Larsen, Jon, 1959-
Title: In search of stardust : amazing micrometeorites and their
First published in 2017 by Voyageur Press, an imprint of The Quarto terrestrial imposters / Jon Larsen.
Group, 401 Second Avenue North, Suite 310, Minneapolis, MN Other titles: In search of star dust
55401 USA. Telephone: [phone] Fax: [phone] Description: Minneapolis, Minnesota : Voyageur Press, an imprint
of Quarto Publishing Group, [2017]
QuartoKnows.com Identifiers: LCCN 2016057352 | ISBN 9780760352649 (hc)
Visit our blogs at QuartoKnows.com Subjects: LCSH: Meteorites--Identification. | Rocks--Identification.
Classification: LCC QB755 .L37 2017 | DDC 523.5/1--dc23
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2016057352
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consent of the artists concerned, and no responsibility is accepted PROJECT MANAGER: Jordan Wiklund
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ISBN: 978-0-7603-5264-9
Digital edition: 978-0-76035-969-3
Softcover edition: 978-0-76035-264-9
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IN SEARCH OF STARDUST
Amazing Micrometeorites and Their Terrestrial Imposters
Jon Larsen
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Contents
Preface ...............................................................................7 Fireworks .......................................................................103
The Stardust Project .........................................................9 Black Magnetic Spherules............................................107
Verification of Micrometeorites ....................................11 Roof Tiles and Shingles ................................................110
Origin, Formation, Influx, and Classification ................12 Metallic Carbon Cinder ................................................112
Red Scoriaceous Spherules .........................................115
I MICROMETEORITES Traces of Man ................................................................118
Other Types of Spherules ............................................120
Scanning-Electron Micrographs ....................................16
The New Collection ........................................................24 IV TERRESTRIAL OBJECTS
Rounded Mineral Grains ..............................................122
II EXTRATERRESTRIAL SPHERULES
Magnetite ......................................................................124
Ablation Spherules .........................................................76 Fulgurites .......................................................................126
The Enigmatic Chondrules ............................................78 Organic Confusion .......................................................130
Microtektites and Microkrystites .................................132
Lonar Crater Spherules ................................................134
III ANTHROPOGENIC SPHERULES
Darwin Glass .................................................................136
I-Type Magnetic Spherules ............................................82 Volchovites—A Russian Mystery ..................................137
Massive Iron Spherules ..................................................86 Iberulites ........................................................................141
Nuggets, Beads, and Cores ...........................................88 Ooids And Pisoids ........................................................143
From the Welding Shop .................................................90 Pele’s Tears—Achneliths ..............................................145
Sparks ..............................................................................92 Road Dust Crystals .......................................................147
Nonmagnetic Glass Spherules ......................................94
Spherules from a Steam Locomotive ............................96 Thanks ............................................................................150
Mineral Wool ...................................................................99 Tabula Gratulatoria .......................................................151
A Case Study of Anthropogenic Spherules ................100 Index ..............................................................................152
OPPOSITE: A fine-grained turtleback micrometeorite
with a nickel/iron core in the front, revealed by the
ablation during the atmospheric flight.
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Preface
Is it possible to find micrometeorites in populated areas? areas. This research has resulted in a new collection of
The question has been raised for nearly a century, pristine cosmic spherules. The findings have been
and despite numerous attempts to find them, the analysed at several different institutions including
answer up to this day has been a very short no. This electron microprobe verification at the Natural History
was confirmed by the top researchers in the field when Museum in London. This new collection of urban
my project started up. micrometeorites is presented here for the first time.
Meanwhile our knowledge about these amazing Without knowing what micro-meteorites really
stones has gradually increased. There is a continuous look like, it would not have been possible to find them,
evolutionary line in the research on micrometeorites, and it is a pleasure also to present here for the very first
from the early pioneers John Murray and Adolf Erik time a morphological study of micrometeorites in
Nordenskiöld to Lucien Rudaux and Harvey H. high-resolution color photography. This has become
Nininger. With Donald E. Brownlee and Michel possible thanks to new micro photo techniques
Maurette in the ’60s micrometeoritics became real developed together with my brilliant colleague Jan
science. During the past two decades this research has Braly Kihle—sine qua non!
accelerated, thanks to, among others, Susan Taylor Furthermore, this research would have been
who extracted micrometeorites from the South Pole unsuccessful if not for the invaluable support from the
water well, and Matthew Genge who figured out the Laboratory for Electron Microscopy in Bergen (UiB),
splendid classificiation. Today there is a growing Egil Severin Erichsen, Irene Heggstad, and Gunnar
literature about micrometeorites, but still the answer Sælen, the SEM lab at the University in Oslo (UiO)
to the initial question has been no. Berit Løken Berg and Henning Dypvik and the Natural
Micrometeorites have mainly been found in the History Museum (NHM) in Oslo, Rune Selbekk and
Antarctic, but also to some extent in prehistoric Harald Folvik—warm thanks to these splendid fellow
sediments, remote deserts, and in glaciers—places that researchers. But above all very special thanks to
are clear of the confusing anthropogenic influence. In Matthew Genge at Imperial College, London, who not
populated areas a wall of contamination has been only verified my first micro-meteorites but also has
considered insurmountable. been my mentor pro bono, and who initiated the crucial
It is therefore with pride and joy I can report here electron microprobe analysis of the micrometeorites at
about a project of systematic examination of all sorts the NHM in London.
of anthropogenic and naturally occurring spherules in
an empirical search for micrometeorites in populated Jon Larsen
OPPOSITE: SEM images on pages 14–21 are mainly from the analysis of the new collection performed at the Natural History Museum (NHM),
London, by Matthew Genge and the author. The catalog number accompanies each stone. Some of the images on the pages 14–21 have a
catalog number with a hyphen. These are from the South Pole Water Well (SPWW), the Antarctic reference collection of micrometeorites, SEM
images by Emily Schaller, published with kind permission from Susan Taylor (US Army Cold Regions Research, CRR).
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