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Micrometeorites

Mystery Solved: Black holes in Micrometeorites

Earlier this week, just for fun I put out a new photo of an apparently ordinary barred olivine (BO-type) micrometeorite with a peculiar hole, and asked if any our sharp readers could deduce the formation process here? The response was fantastic, thank you, and several suggested either a loss of a metal bead, and/or degassing of volatiles. But it was a trick question, and I was fishing for an explanation of one unusual detail in the photo. So here we go.

Micrometeorite NMM 2897 is an ordinary sized barred olivine (BO-type) micrometeorite. The stone is complete, oriented, and aerodynamic; the front is up in the photo and the even and coarse stripes of the olivine plate crystals in the lower area (back) suggests little spin. Or spin perpendicular to the direction of speed. This implies that the hole is not from a migrated and lost metal bead, which would have been in the front part of the stone.

Consequently, we are left with degassing, which was suggested by several readers, and is correct. But there is one unusual detail here, which can only be explained by an additional and important principal in the formation of micrometeorites. Whereas most open gas vesicles on BO micrometeorites have jagged crystalline edges round the hole, here it is a glassy area. Where did the surplus glass come from?

The principle I was searching for, is that during formation the solidification of micrometeorites is from the outside and in.

Due to a high peak temperature during atmospheric entry, most barred olivine micrometeorites have completed degassing of volatiles when solidification occurs during atmospheric deceleration. But occasionally they have to let off some steam. If the surface is already crystalline, and the interior still liquid, the result may become spectacular “glass foam” as described in the Atlas of Micrometeorites or an unusual glass rim around the hole.

Below are some other photos, electron microscope images and collages, diving deeper into this unusual phenomenon. From the 4,035 micrometeorites in my collection (plus the handful of MMs sent to me by Michel Haak), I have seen this phenomenon less than ten times. So, this is rare.

NMM 2897 is a barred olivine micrometeorite with a mysterious hole discovered and photographed by Project Stardust Founder Jon Larsen
NMM 2897 is a barred olivine micrometeorite with a mysterious hole discovered and photographed by Project Stardust Founder Jon Larsen
SEM image of micrometeorites with glass foam discovered by Project Stardust founder Jon Larsen
SEM image of micrometeorites with glass foam discovered by Project Stardust founder Jon Larsen. Real relative sizes (from 140µm to ~450µm). © Project Stardust, 2023.
Cropped detail image of micrometeorite NMM 365 showing glass foam discovered and photographed by Project Stardust founder Jon Larsen and Jan Braly Kihle
Cropped detail image of micrometeorite NMM 365 showing glass foam discovered and photographed by Project Stardust founder Jon Larsen and Jan Braly Kihle. The culprit is the crack with the yellow olivine. This is similar to intrusion or secondary mineralization in terrestrial rocks. © Project Stardust, 2023.
High resolution SEM image of a barred olivine micrometeorite with glass foam by Project Stardust Founder Jon Larsen
High resolution SEM image of a barred olivine micrometeorite with glass foam by Project Stardust Founder Jon Larsen. Note that the crystallization is initiated also in the glass foam, a secondary mineralization. © Project Stardust, 2023.
An ultra rare cryptocrystalline micrometeorite with a burst glass bubble discovered and photogrpahed by Project Stardust Founder Jon Larsen
An ultra rare cryptocrystalline micrometeorite with a burst glass bubble discovered and photogrpahed by Project Stardust Founder Jon Larsen. Note the smaller secondary metal bead at the end of the stone (down). The bubble is typically in the gravitational center (or spin axis) between the two. © Project Stardust, 2023.
A SEM image of a rare barred olivine micrometeorite with burst glass bubbles by Project Stardust Founder Jon Larsen
A SEM image of a rare barred olivine micrometeorite with burst glass bubbles by Project Stardust Founder Jon Larsen. The culprit is the unusually large crack (crystalline grain border) beneath. © Project Stardust, 2023.
A small micrometeorite discovered by Michel Haak and photographed by Project Stardust Founder Jon Larsen
A small (0.14 mm) micrometeorite discovered by Michel Haak and photographed by Project Stardust Founder Jon Larsen. The relatively large but burst glass bubble is situated right above the large crfack where the degassing and melt protrusion has occurred. © Project Stardust, 2023.

There is, by the way, a closely related phenomenon which in some cases can be observed on V-type (glass) micrometeorites: crackelation, which is also described for the first time in the Atlas of Micrometeorites. Crackelation occurs when the surface of a glass micrometeorite with a large central void has solidified and cracks while the interior is still molten and can float and fill in the gaps and crevices. See the enclosed pictures of micrometeorite NMM 1930, which is also featured in our blog post about Newton Rings. Thanks to Imperial College London’s Dr. Matthew Genge for coining “crackelation.”

Photo 6_Project Stardust micrometeorite NMM 1930 showing oxidation
Photo 6: Project Stardust micrometeorite NMM 1930 showing oxidation. Photo by Jon Larsen and Jan Braly Kihle. © Project Stardust, 2022.

Enjoy the enclosed pictures, and remember Plato’s wisdom: “If you are not happy as an individual, you can not be happy in a relationship. Happiness comes from micrometeorites.”

If you have questions, or a comment, please get in touch on FacebookInstagram, or Twitter, and I’ll get back to you.

Yours truly,

Jon Larsen

Just in case you're new here!

Together we have amassed the world's most expansive collection of micrometeorites and we can't wait to share it with you.

Whether you're an expert in the field, an art collector with an appetite for treasures from space, or a budding stardust enthusiast, we hope you'll enjoy learning about our work.

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WINTER 2022 COLLECTION

Meet this season's micrometeorites

This season's collection features a variety of stunning micrometeorites. From mountainous cryptocrystalline turtlebacks and bewitching glass spherules to ultra rare giants. Available for a limited time only.

NMM 1448: V-TYPE

NMM 1448:  V-TYPE

Glass / Vitreous

Glass or vitreous type (V-type) micrometeorites each a temperature of up to 2000°C (3600°F) as they descend through the atmosphere..

These delicate, translucent spherules are difficult to find due to their lack of magnetism, since most of their metals evaporated during descent. 

NMM 1359:  CC-TYPE

Crypto-crystalline

Cryptocrystalline (CC-type) micrometeorites are composed of glassy particles with fine-grained crystallites that are too small to recognize as individual grains.

Many of these magnificent spherules feature metal beads and aerodynamic forms, while others have a "turtleback" shape with humps distributed evenly around the spherule.

NMM 1359:  CC-TYPE

NMM 500:  BO-TYPE

Barred Olivine

Barred olivine (BO-type) spherules are coarse-grained  micrometeorites made of the magnesium variety of the mineral olivine, forsterite, which is punctuated with small particles of magnetite.

The surface features striations that are formed when iron reacts with oxygen in the atmosphere. 

NMM 500:  BO-TYPE

NMM 1149:  PO-TYPE

Porphyritic Olivine

Porphyritic olivine (PO-type) micrometeorites are also made of forsterite, a type of olivine that is made of magnesium.

There are many morphological varieties of this type of micrometeorite; From evenly distributed small crystals, to crystals that increase in side, to extremely large or even possibly a single olivine crystal.

NMM 1149:  PO-TYPE

NMM 1271:  Sc-TYPE

Scoriaceous

When stardust does not reach a peak temperature of at least 1350°C (2500°F) during entry and deceleration, it barely melts. Volatile elements expand and escape in the form of gas bubbles, which results in a scoriaceous (SC-type) or vesicular micrometeorite.

Micrometeorites of this type are extremely difficult to find.

NMM 1271:  SC-TYPE

NMM 1271: G-, I-, CAT-typeS

Other Types

From G-types with dark silicate glass, I-types dominated by iron, and milky CAT spherules  enriched with calcium, aluminum, and titanium, to fossil, unmelted, and un-categorized micrometeorites.

There is no question that Jon Larsen and Jan Braly Kihle's contributions have had a dramatic effect on the field.

NMM 1271:  G-/I-/CAT-TYPES

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Michael Zolensky

NASA JOhnson Space Center

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Never before has it been possible to see stardust in such a large format with crisp details. The 500+ color images are made possible by a new photo technology developed for this project by the author and mineralogist Jan Braly Kihle. 

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The Atlas of Micrometeorites provides an INVALUABLE RESOURCE
for stardust hunters around the world.

Matthew Genge

Imperial College, London

ORIGIN STORIES

Jon Larsen revolutionized the study of micrometeorites when he became the first person to discover a micrometeorite from an urban environment. Then a new form of art emerged when he and Jan Braly Kihle created the world's first high resolution photographs of micrometeorites in colour.

Learn about the singular moment that led to Jon's groundbreaking discovery
and the phone call that kickstarted a truly epic friendship.

Jon Larsen revolutionized the study of micrometeorites when he became the first person to discover a micrometeorite from an urban environment. Then a new form of art emerged when he and Jan Braly Kihle created the world's first high resolution photographs of micrometeorites in colour.

Learn about the singular moment that led to Jon's groundbreaking discovery and the phone call that kickstarted a truly epic friendship.

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Micrometeorites

Jon Larsen and Jan Braly Kihle have amassed the world's most expansive collection of urban micrometeorites and they want you to follow in their footsteps.

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