Environmental Effects on Space-weathered Lizardite GrainsOPEN ACCESS 

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Nicole M. Ozdowski, Ian J. Marrs, Max A. Hood, Mark R. Salvatore, Cristina A. Thomas and Mark J. Loeffler

The Planetary Science Journal, Volume 7, Number 6, published: 24 June 2026

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“Sample preparation is a crucial step in the analysis of returned material from asteroid surfaces, such as Bennu and Ryugu. Here, we study the effect of soaking olivine and lizardite in H2O after they have been irradiated with 4 keV He+ ions. We find that soaking depletes the irradiated surface of Mg and that the depletion depends on both the ion fluence and the soak time. Specifically, we find that only 5 minutes of soaking can result in as much as 45% Mg depletion, while longer soak times can deplete the Mg further. Our results imply that returned samples from asteroids containing olivine or lizardite will be susceptible to Mg loss if they are soaked in H2O prior to analysis. Finally, we note that this depletion may also occur for other cations besides Mg, suggesting that careful attention should be paid to the handling of any extraterrestrial sample that requires some form of sample preparation prior to analysis.”

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