Refractory metal nuggets in different types of cosmic spherules

2014

Abstract Out of the three basic cosmic spherule types collected from the seafloor, RMNs (refractory metal nuggets) have been reported from I-type spherules commonly, rarely from S-type spherules and never from the G-type spherules. Nuggets in the I-type cosmic spherules have formed by melting and complete oxidation during atmospheric entry, whereas no clear understanding emerged so far regarding the formation of the rare nuggets in S-type spherules. We collected cosmic spherules by raking the deep seafloor with magnets, and carried out systematic and sequential grinding, polishing and electron microscopic investigations on 992 cosmic spherules to identify RMNs. Fifty-four nuggets (RMNs) are…