Iron whiskers on asteroid Itokawa indicate sulfide destruction by space weathering
The authors here investigate troilite (FeS) grains recovered from the regolith of asteroid Itokawa. Finding wide-spread occurrence of metallic iron whiskers, the authors suggest them to be a decomposition product formed through irradiation of the sulfide by energetic ions of the solar wind.
| Main Authors: | , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Nature Publishing Group
2020-02-01
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| Series: | Nature Communications |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-020-14758-3 |