Potassium isotope heterogeneity in the early Solar System controlled by extensive evaporation and partial recondensation
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Volatiles are vital ingredients for a habitable planet. Angrite meteorites sample the most volatile-depleted planetesimal in the Solar System, particularly for the alkali elements. They are prime targets for investigating the formation of volatile-poor rocky planets, yet their exceptionally low volatile content presents a major analytical challenge. Here, we leverage improved sensitivity and precision of K isotopic analysis to constrain the mechanism of extreme K depletion (>99.8%) in angrites. In contrast with the isotopically heavy Moon and Vesta, we find that angrites are strikingly depleted in the heavier K isotopes, which is best explained by partial recondensation of vaporized K following extensive evaporation on the angrite parent body (APB) during magma-ocean stage. Therefore, the APB may provide a rare example of isotope fractionation controlled by condensation, rather than evaporation, at a planetary scale. Furthermore, nebula-wide K isotopic variations primarily reflect volatility-driven fractionations instead of presolar nucleosynthetic heterogeneity proposed previously.
Original language | English |
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Article number | 7669 |
Journal | Nature Communications |
Volume | 13 |
Number of pages | 10 |
ISSN | 2041-1723 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 2022 |
Bibliographical note
Publisher Copyright:
© 2022, The Author(s).
ID: 335421179