The Winchcombe meteorite, a unique and pristine witness from the outer solar system.
Ashley J KingLuke DalyJames RoweKatherine H JoyRichard C GreenwoodHadrien A R DevillepoixMartin D SuttleQueenie Hoi Shan ChanSara S RussellHelena C BatesJames F J BrysonPatricia L ClayDenis VidaMartin R LeeÁine Clare O'BrienLydia J HallisNatasha R StephenRomain TartèseEleanor K SansomMartin C TownerMartin CupakPatrick M ShoberPhil A BlandRoss FindlayIan A FranchiAlexander B VerchovskyFeargus A J AbernethyMonica M GradyCameron J FloydMatthias Van GinnekenJohn BridgesLeon J HicksRhian H JonesJennifer T MitchellMatthew J GengeLaura JenkinsPierre-Etienne MartinMark A SephtonJonathan S WatsonTobias SalgeKatherine A ShirleyRowan J CurtisTristram J WarrenNeil E BowlesFinlay M StuartLuigia Di NicolaDomokos GyöreAdrian J BoyceKathryn M M ShawTim ElliottRobert C J SteelePavel P PovinecMatthias LaubensteinDavid SandersonAlan CresswellAnthony J T JullIvan SýkoraSanjana SridharRichard J HarrisonFrancesca M WillcocksCatherine S HarrisonDaniel HallattPenny J WozniakiewiczMark J BurchellLuke S AlesbrookAishling DignamNatasha V AlmeidaCaroline L SmithBrett ClarkEmma R Humphreys-WilliamsPaul F SchofieldLuke T CornwellVassilia SpathisGeraint H MorganMark J PerkinsRichard KacerekPeter Campbell-BurnsFrancois ColasBrigitte ZandaPierre VernazzaSylvain BouleySimon JeanneMike HankeyGareth S CollinsJohn S YoungClive ShawJana HorakDave JonesNick JamesSteve BosleyAlan ShuttleworthPaul DickinsonIan McMullanDerek RobsonAndrew R D SmedleyBen StanleyRichard BassomMark McIntyreAdam A SuttleRichard FleetLuc BastiaensMíra B IhászSarah McMullanSarah J BoazmanZach I DickesonPeter M GrindrodAnnemarie E PickersgilLColin J WeirFiona M JonesSarah FarrellyIeun SpencerSheeraz NaqviBen MayneDan SkiltonDan KirkAnn MounseySally E MounseySarah MounseyPamela GodfreyLachlan BondVictoria BondCathryn WilcockHannah WilcockRob WilcockPublished in: Science advances (2022)
Direct links between carbonaceous chondrites and their parent bodies in the solar system are rare. The Winchcombe meteorite is the most accurately recorded carbonaceous chondrite fall. Its pre-atmospheric orbit and cosmic-ray exposure age confirm that it arrived on Earth shortly after ejection from a primitive asteroid. Recovered only hours after falling, the composition of the Winchcombe meteorite is largely unmodified by the terrestrial environment. It contains abundant hydrated silicates formed during fluid-rock reactions, and carbon- and nitrogen-bearing organic matter including soluble protein amino acids. The near-pristine hydrogen isotopic composition of the Winchcombe meteorite is comparable to the terrestrial hydrosphere, providing further evidence that volatile-rich carbonaceous asteroids played an important role in the origin of Earth's water.