Space weathering trends among carbonaceous asteroids

Kaluna, H. M.; Masiero, J.; Meech, К. J.

doi:10.1016/j.icarus.2015.09.007

Cited by 32 publications

(37 citation statements)

References 55 publications

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“…Weathering effects on C-class and other low-albedo class asteroids have been less well understood. At VNIR wavelengths, both spectral bluing and reddening of VNIR asteroid spectra have been attributed to weathering (e.g., Kaluna et al, 2016;Lazzarin et al, 2006;Nesvorny et al, 2005).…”

Section: Links With Space Weatheringmentioning

confidence: 99%

C‐Complex Asteroids: UV‐Visible Spectral Characteristics and Implications for Space Weathering Effects

Hendrix

Vilas

2019

Geophysical Research Letters

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Space weathering effects on the rocky S-class asteroids are well understood. However, on the low-albedo C-complex asteroids, such as spacecraft targets Bennu and Ryugu, the situation is more complicated, especially due to a lack of spectral features throughout the visible-near infrared spectral region. Here we show, through a combination of observational data and laboratory data of carbonaceous chondrites, phyllosilicates, and mixtures, that the UV-visible spectral region is a diagnostic regime for studying space weathering effects on C-complex asteroids. We show that space-weathering-produced opaque constituents, such as graphitized carbons, darken mixtures with phyllosilicates and produce a bluing the UV-visible spectrum, consistent with what is seen on the asteroids compared with carbonaceous chondrites. Furthermore, we demonstrate that the UV upturns in the spectra of Bennu and Ryugu are consistent with the presence of graphitized carbon on those surfaces, the result of surface processing. Plain Language SummaryWe suggest that the relatively weak UV absorptions of C-complex asteroids compared with carbonaceous chondrite meteorites could be due to the increased presence of carbonized species on the asteroid surfaces, the result of space weathering processes. In fact, carbonized materials could be the source of the UV-visible spectra of Ryugu and Bennu, which appear to show UV upturns rather than UV absorptions. Though iron-rich and carbon-rich opaques have similar spectral effects in the UV-VIS, many laboratory experiments indicate that carbonaceous materials are the products of space weathering processes and thus carbonaceous materials could dominate spectral trends. Furthermore, we show that carbons may exhibit spectral features that change with processing and thus can help us to understand exposure age of some low-albedo targets.

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Section: Links With Space Weatheringmentioning

confidence: 99%

C‐Complex Asteroids: UV‐Visible Spectral Characteristics and Implications for Space Weathering Effects

Hendrix

Vilas

2019

Geophysical Research Letters

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“…Observations of the C-complex, Themis asteroid family and its younger sub-family, the Beagle asteroids, show spectral reddening with increasing age (Kaluna et al 2016b;Fornasier et al 2016). Due to their common origin (Hirayama 1918;Nesvorný et al 2008) and similarity in spectral features (Kaluna 2015;Kaluna et al 2016a), the observed spectral reddening among these two families is unlikely the result of compositional heterogeneity (Kaluna et al 2016b). Though the Themis and Beagle asteroid families provide a useful tool to study space weathering, they are currently the only known C-complex asteroids that originate from the same parent body while having different dynamical (i.e.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In comparison, both reddening and bluing trends have been observed among C-complex asteroids. However, Lazzarin et al (2006) and Kaluna et al (2016b) suggest the bluing trend found by Nesvorný et al (2005) arises from compositional variations rather than space weathering processes. Observations of the C-complex, Themis asteroid family and its younger sub-family, the Beagle asteroids, show spectral reddening with increasing age (Kaluna et al 2016b;Fornasier et al 2016).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…However, Lazzarin et al (2006) and Kaluna et al (2016b) suggest the bluing trend found by Nesvorný et al (2005) arises from compositional variations rather than space weathering processes. Observations of the C-complex, Themis asteroid family and its younger sub-family, the Beagle asteroids, show spectral reddening with increasing age (Kaluna et al 2016b;Fornasier et al 2016). Due to their common origin (Hirayama 1918;Nesvorný et al 2008) and similarity in spectral features (Kaluna 2015;Kaluna et al 2016a), the observed spectral reddening among these two families is unlikely the result of compositional heterogeneity (Kaluna et al 2016b).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Simulated space weathering of Fe- and Mg-rich aqueously altered minerals using pulsed laser irradiation

Kaluna

Ishii

Bradley

et al. 2017

Icarus

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Simulated space weathering experiments on volatile-rich carbonaceous chondrites (CCs) have resulted in contrasting spectral behaviors (e.g. reddening vs bluing). The aim of this work is to investigate the origin of these contrasting trends by simulating space weathering on a subset of minerals found in these meteorites. We use pulsed laser irradiation to simulate micrometeorite impacts on aqueously altered minerals and observe their spectral and physical evolution as a function of irradiation time. Irradiation of the mineral lizardite, a Mg-phyllosilicate, produces a small degree of reddening and darkening, but a pronounced reduction in band depths with increasing irradiation. In comparison, irradiation of an Fe-rich aqueously altered mineral assemblage composed of cronstedtite, pyrite and siderite, produces significant darkening and band depth suppression. The spectral slopes of the Fe-rich assemblage initially redden then become bluer with increasing irradiation time. Post-irradiation analyses of the Fe-rich assemblage using scanning and transmission electron microscopy reveal the presence of micron sized carbon-rich particles that contain notable fractions of nitrogen and oxygen. Radiative transfer modeling of the Fe-rich assemblage suggests that nanometer sized metallic iron (npFe 0 ) particles result in the initial spectral reddening of the samples, but the increasing production of micron sized carbon particles (µpC) results in the subsequent spectral bluing. The presence of npFe 0 and the possible catalytic nature of cronstedtite, an Fe-rich phyllosilicate, likely promotes the synthesis of these carbon-rich, organic-like compounds. These experiments indicate that space weathering processes may enable organic synthesis reactions on the surfaces of volatile-rich asteroids. Furthermore, Mg-rich and Fe-rich aqueously altered minerals are dominant at different phases of the aqueous alteration process. Thus, the contrasting spectral slope evolution between the Fe-and Mg-rich samples in these experiments may indicate that space weathering trends of volatilerich asteroids have a compositional dependency that could be used to determine the aqueous histories of asteroid parent bodies.

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“…Based on the simultaneous detection of some objects with phyllosilicate absorption features and the presence of the apparently ice-bearing 133P in the family, Kaluna et al (2016) concluded that the Beagle parent body was most likely composed of a heterogeneous mixture of ice and aqueously altered material. Meanwhile, spectroscopic observations of samples of both Beagle and Themis family asteroids showed that Beagle family asteroids are spectrally bluer, have higher albedos, and exhibit smaller spectral slope variability than background Themis family asteroids, suggesting that the Beagle parent body could have been a particularly blue and bright interior fragment of the original Themis parent body (Fornasier et al 2016).…”

Section: The Themis and Beagle Familiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Asteroid Family Associations of Active Asteroids

Hsieh

Novaković

Kim

et al. 2018

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We report on the results of a systematic search for associated asteroid families for all active asteroids known to date. We find that 10 out of 12 main-belt comets (MBCs) and 5 out of 7 disrupted asteroids are linked with known or candidate families, rates that have ∼0.1% and ∼6% probabilities, respectively, of occurring by chance, given an overall family association rate of 37% for asteroids in the inner solar system. We find previously unidentified family associations between 238P/Read and the candidate Gorchakov family, 311P/PANSTARRS and the candidate Behrens family, 324P/La Sagra and the Alauda family, 354P/LINEAR and the Baptistina family, P/2013 R3-B (Catalina-PANSTARRS) and the Mandragora family, P/2015 X6 (PANSTARRS) and the Aeolia family, P/2016 G1 (PANSTARRS) and the Adeona family, and P/2016 J1-A/B (PANSTARRS) and the Theobalda family. All MBCs with family associations belong to families that contain asteroids with primitive taxonomic classifications and low average reported albedos (p V 0.10), while disrupted asteroids with family associations belong to families that contain asteroids that span wider ranges of taxonomic types and average reported albedos (0.06 < p V < 0.25). These findings are consistent with MBC activity being closely correlated to composition (i.e., whether an object is likely to contain ice), while disrupted asteroid activity is not as sensitive to composition. Given our results, we describe a sequence of processes by which the formation of young asteroid families could lead to the production of present-day MBCs.

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Space weathering trends among carbonaceous asteroids

Cited by 32 publications

References 55 publications

C‐Complex Asteroids: UV‐Visible Spectral Characteristics and Implications for Space Weathering Effects

C‐Complex Asteroids: UV‐Visible Spectral Characteristics and Implications for Space Weathering Effects

Simulated space weathering of Fe- and Mg-rich aqueously altered minerals using pulsed laser irradiation

Asteroid Family Associations of Active Asteroids

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