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Mid‐infrared study of stones from the Sutter's Mill meteorite
Author(s) -
Nuevo Michel,
Sandford Scott A.,
Flynn George J.,
Wirick Susan
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
meteoritics and planetary science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.09
H-Index - 100
eISSN - 1945-5100
pISSN - 1086-9379
DOI - 10.1111/maps.12269
Subject(s) - meteorite , mineral , geology , mineralogy , carbonate , infrared spectroscopy , infrared , absorption (acoustics) , analytical chemistry (journal) , chemistry , geochemistry , astrobiology , environmental chemistry , materials science , physics , organic chemistry , optics , composite material
The Sutter's Mill meteorite fell in northern California on April 22, 2012. Several fragments of the meteorite were recovered, some of them shortly after the fall, others several days later after a heavy rainstorm. In this work, we analyzed several samples of four fragments― SM 2, SM 12, SM 20, and SM 30―from the Sutter's Mill meteorite with two infrared ( IR ) microscopes operating in the 4000–650 cm −1 (2.5–15.4 μm) range. Spectra show absorption features associated with minerals such as olivines, phyllosilicates, carbonates, and possibly pyroxenes, as well as organics. Spectra of specific minerals vary from one particle to another within a given stone, and even within a single particle, indicating a nonuniform mineral composition. Infrared features associated with aliphatic CH 2 and CH 3 groups associated with organics are also seen in several spectra. However, the presence of organics in the samples studied is not clear because these features overlap with carbonate overtone bands. Finally, other samples collected within days after the rainstorm show evidence for bacterial terrestrial contamination, which indicates how quickly meteorites can be contaminated on such small scales.