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Meteorite research
Author(s) -
Wood John A.,
Motylewski Karen
Publication year - 1979
Publication title -
reviews of geophysics
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 8.087
H-Index - 156
eISSN - 1944-9208
pISSN - 8755-1209
DOI - 10.1029/rg017i004p00912
Subject(s) - meteorite , planetesimal , astrobiology , solar system , formation and evolution of the solar system , asteroid , geology , cosmochemistry , physics
Meteorites contain a record of events and processes in the three earliest stages of solar system history: (1) formation of the raw material that was to become the solar system; (2) processing of the condensable component of this material in a nebular disk that circled the protosun; and (3) processing of condensed material after it had accumulated into planetesimals of asteroidal dimension. To test our acumen, the record has been written in cryptic rather than plain language. Progress toward breaking the cipher, made in the U.S. during the period 1975–1978, is summarized below. Much of the record in meteorites is contained in patterns of isotope abundances. This particular field of research is admirably reviewed by Podosek [1978].