April 19, 2024

Unusual Microcrystals Discovered in Meteorite Dust

Most likely, these structures will have been formed by repeatedly including graphene layers to closed carbon nuclei. In concluding, Taskaev and Khovaylo suggest that classifying these crystals could assist recognize previous meteorites.
Recommendation: “Exotic carbon microcrystals in meteoritic dust of the Chelyabinsk superbolide: experimental examinations and theoretical situations of their formation” by Sergey Taskaev, Konstantin Skokov, Vladimir Khovaylo, Wolfgang Donner, Tom Faske, Alexander Dudorov, Nick Gorkavyi, Dmitry S. Muratov, Galina Savosteenko, Alexander Dyakonov, Woohyeon Baek, Artem Kuklin, Pavel Avramov and Oliver Gutfleisch, 7 May 2022, The European Physical Journal Plus.DOI: 10.1140/ epjp/s13360 -022 -02768 -7.

Some carbon microcrystals in this dust have odd shapes. Taskaev, Khovaylo, and their group first observed micrometer-sized carbon microcrystals in this dust under a light microscopic lense. Further analysis using Raman spectroscopy and X-ray crystallography revealed that the carbon crystals were, really, exotically-shaped types of graphite.

An investigation using X-ray crystallography and Raman spectroscopy revealed that the carbon crystals were undoubtedly abnormally formed ranges of graphite.
The odd carbon microcrystals have been studied by researchers from Chelyabinsk State University.
On February 15, 2013, above Chelyabinsk in Russias Southern Urals, the most significant meteorite that was ever seen this century entered the Earths atmosphere. Unusually, the meteorites surface dust survived its effect and is now the topic of extensive research. Some carbon microcrystals in this dust have odd shapes. A group led by Sergey Taskaev and Vladimir Khovaylo from Chelyabinsk State University in Russia has actually recently released a paper on the morphology and simulations of the formation of these crystals in the European Physical Journal Plus.
A meteors surface establishes meteorite dust as it goes into the environment and is subjected to really remarkable pressures and high temperatures. The Chelyabinsk meteor was remarkable in terms of its size, the strength of the air burst it produced as it took off, the size of the most significant pieces that was up to Earth, and the destruction it triggered. More importantly, it landed on snowy surface, and the snow helped keep the dust undamaged.
Taskaev, Khovaylo, and their group initially observed micrometer-sized carbon microcrystals in this dust under a light microscope. They, therefore, examined the same crystals using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and discovered that they used up a range of uncommon shapes: closed, quasi-spherical shells and hexagonal rods. Further analysis utilizing Raman spectroscopy and X-ray crystallography showed that the carbon crystals were, in fact, exotically-shaped kinds of graphite.