リュウグウに残された“衝撃の痕跡”を再現!~実験で迫る原始太陽系小天体の衝突の記憶~

2025-08-06 広島大学

広島大学などの研究チームは、小惑星リュウグウに似たCIコンドライト隕石に人工的な衝撃を加える実験を行い、リュウグウ粒子で見られる“亀裂”や“泡を含むガラス質構造”を再現することに成功した。約4GPa以下の弱い衝撃では鉱物に変化はなく、4GPa超で脱水・脱ガスが進み、10GPa超では溶融・ガラス化が起きる。これにより、リュウグウが比較的弱い衝撃で破砕された破片が再集合してできた「がれきの山(ラブルパイル)」構造である可能性が高まった。

リュウグウに残された“衝撃の痕跡”を再現!~実験で迫る原始太陽系小天体の衝突の記憶~
図4:リュウグウ粒子と衝撃実験後の隕石試料に見られる衝突の痕跡(電子顕微鏡写真)

<関連情報>

CIコンドライトとリュウグウ粒子の衝撃履歴に関する実験的制約 Experimental constraints on the shock history of CI chondrites and Ryugu grains

Toru Nakahashi, Masaaki Miyahara, Akira Yamaguchi, Takamichi Kobayashi, Hitoshi Yusa, Masashi Miyakawa, Naotaka Tomioka, Yuto Takaki, Takaaki Noguchi, Toru Matsumoto, Akira Miyake, Yohei Igami, Yusuke Seto
Earth and Planetary Science Letters  Available online: 26 July 2025
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.epsl.2025.119559

Highlight

  • Impact-induced petrographic and mineralogic changes on CI chondrites are revealed.
  • Shock pressures below ∼4 GPa cause little to no structural changes.
  • Dehydration and degassing of Mg-Fe phyllosilicates become significant above ∼4 GPa.
  • Melting and formation of iron-rich amorphous material occur above ∼10 GPa.
  • Ryugu’s regolith formed primarily through reassembly of impact-fragmented material.

Abstract

C-type asteroids, which make up a significant portion of the main belt asteroids, are believed to be composed of materials similar to CI and CM carbonaceous chondrites. In this study, we conducted shock recovery experiments on the Orgueil CI and CI affinity Yamato 980115 CY (partly dehydrated CI) chondrites to examine their mineralogical and textural changes under impact conditions. Our results indicate that weak shock pressures below approximately 4 GPa do not produce significant shock metamorphic features, supporting the current interpretation that most Ryugu grains experienced shock pressures within this range. Above approximately 4 GPa, dehydration and degassing of Mg-Fe phyllosilicates and carbonaceous materials become dominant, leading to rock fragmentation along cracks. Rock melting initiates above approximately 10 GPa, leading to the formation of frothy regions composed of iron-rich amorphous material containing numerous small, rounded voids. These voids are generated by the degassing of volatiles (H₂O and CO₂) during shock-induced melting or vitrification. These findings suggest that the regolith layer of asteroid Ryugu was primarily formed by the reassembly of rock fragments exfoliated by impacts without undergoing strong shock metamorphism. However, highly shocked materials may be buried beneath the regolith layer, highlighting the need for further investigations into the interiors of C-type asteroids to better understand their thermal and impact histories.

1702地球物理及び地球化学
ad
ad
Follow
ad
タイトルとURLをコピーしました