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Published September 22, 1978 | public
Journal Article

Silicate Spherules from Deep-Sea Sediments: Confirmation of Extraterrestrial Origin

Abstract

Silicate spherules produced by atmospheric melting of meteoric bodies are probably the most common form of extraterrestrial material on the earth. It has never been possible to positively identify such particles although it has been known for more than a century that silicate spherules of suspected extraterrestrial origin are present in deep-sea sediments. One such spherule has been identified as definitely extraterrestrial since its abundances of nonvolatile trace elements closely match those of primitive solar system material.

Additional Information

© 1978 American Association for the Advancement of Science. Received 13 March 1978; revised 2 May 1978. One of us (R.G.) thanks N. Trivedi, Pfizer, Inc., for the use of the scanning electron microscope and A. J. Barnard, Jr., for helpful discussions. Part of the work was supported by NASA grant NSG-9052 (to D.E.B.).

Additional details

Created:
August 19, 2023
Modified:
October 25, 2023