Fusion crust of stony meteorites: From the observation spectrum to the initial meteoroid matter
Evgeniya V. Petrova, Victor I. Grokhovsky, Anna Kartashova
Icarus, In Press, Journal Pre-proof, Available online 3 May 2026
“Highlights
- The type of substance can be determined by the radiation spectrum of a meteorite.
- The ablation simulations produced an artificial fusion crust that has a similar texture and composition as the fusion crust of natural origin.
- We noticed that elements heavier than Ni and Co can be concentrated in the fusion crust of chondrites.
- In the spectra of the fall of stony meteoroids, both with the spectra from the ground simulation ablation experiments, the lines corresponding to Fe, Na, K, Cr are observed.”
“Fragmentation, ablation and significant loss of mass occur when the meteoroid passes through the Earth’s atmosphere. There a combined action of melting and shearing takes place, so a fusion crust is forming on the surface of the fragments. It combined a subsurface layer of heated matter and an outer layer consisting of remaining melted meteoroid substance.
In this publication we focused on the process of ablation from different points of view: i – registered spectra of fireballs; ii – fusion crust composition study; iii – ablation modeling ground experiments.”
