Metal-silicate mixing in planetesimal collisions

Fuente: arXiv
Gespeichert in:
Bibliographische Detailangaben
Hauptverfasser: Shuai, Kang, Schäfer, Christoph M., Burger, Christoph, Hui, Hejiu
Format: Preprint
Veröffentlicht: 2024
Schlagworte:
Online-Zugang:
Tags: Tag hinzufügen
Keine Tags, Fügen Sie den ersten Tag hinzu!
_version_ 1866909263296724992
author Shuai, Kang
Schäfer, Christoph M.
Burger, Christoph
Hui, Hejiu
author_facet Shuai, Kang
Schäfer, Christoph M.
Burger, Christoph
Hui, Hejiu
contents Impacts between differentiated planetesimals are ubiquitous in protoplanetary discs and may mix materials from the core, mantle, and crust of planetesimals, thus forming stony-iron meteorites. The surface composition of the asteroid (16) Psyche represents a mixture of metal and non-metal components. However, the velocities, angles, and outcome regimes of impacts that mixed metal and silicate from different layers of planetesimals are debated. Our aim is to investigate the impacts between planetesimals that can mix large amounts of metal and silicate, and the mechanism of stony-iron meteorite formation. We used smooth particle hydrodynamics to simulate the impacts between differentiated planetesimals with various initial conditions that span different outcome regimes. In our simulations, the material strength was included and the effects of the states of planetesimal cores were studied. Using a statistical approach, we quantitatively analysed the distributions of metal and silicate after impacts. Our simulations modelled the mass, depth, and sources of the metal-silicate mixture in different impact conditions. Our results suggest that the molten cores in planetesimals could facilitate mixing of metal and silicate. Large amounts of the metal-silicate mixture could be produced by low-energy accretional impacts and high-energy erosive impacts in the largest impact remnant, and by hit-and-run and erosive impacts in the second-largest impact remnant. After impact, most of the metal-silicate mixture was buried at depth, consistent with the low cooling rates of stony-iron meteorites. Our results indicate that mesosiderites potentially formed in an erosive impact, while pallasites potentially formed in an accretional or hit-and-run impact. The mixing of metal and non-metal components on Psyche may also be the result of impacts.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2407_14830
institution arXiv
publishDate 2024
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Metal-silicate mixing in planetesimal collisions
Shuai, Kang
Schäfer, Christoph M.
Burger, Christoph
Hui, Hejiu
Earth and Planetary Astrophysics
Impacts between differentiated planetesimals are ubiquitous in protoplanetary discs and may mix materials from the core, mantle, and crust of planetesimals, thus forming stony-iron meteorites. The surface composition of the asteroid (16) Psyche represents a mixture of metal and non-metal components. However, the velocities, angles, and outcome regimes of impacts that mixed metal and silicate from different layers of planetesimals are debated. Our aim is to investigate the impacts between planetesimals that can mix large amounts of metal and silicate, and the mechanism of stony-iron meteorite formation. We used smooth particle hydrodynamics to simulate the impacts between differentiated planetesimals with various initial conditions that span different outcome regimes. In our simulations, the material strength was included and the effects of the states of planetesimal cores were studied. Using a statistical approach, we quantitatively analysed the distributions of metal and silicate after impacts. Our simulations modelled the mass, depth, and sources of the metal-silicate mixture in different impact conditions. Our results suggest that the molten cores in planetesimals could facilitate mixing of metal and silicate. Large amounts of the metal-silicate mixture could be produced by low-energy accretional impacts and high-energy erosive impacts in the largest impact remnant, and by hit-and-run and erosive impacts in the second-largest impact remnant. After impact, most of the metal-silicate mixture was buried at depth, consistent with the low cooling rates of stony-iron meteorites. Our results indicate that mesosiderites potentially formed in an erosive impact, while pallasites potentially formed in an accretional or hit-and-run impact. The mixing of metal and non-metal components on Psyche may also be the result of impacts.
title Metal-silicate mixing in planetesimal collisions
topic Earth and Planetary Astrophysics
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2407.14830