Cosmic Dust Flux During the Quaternary: The Record of Large Scoriaceous and Unmelted Micrometeorites From the Transantarctic Mountains CollectionOPEN ACCESS

07/07/2026 20:34 · by karmaka · in micrometeorites

S. Ottaviani, L. Folco, M. D. Suttle, R. Repič, L. Mancini, T. Battiston, S. Iannini Lelarge, M. Masotta

JGR PLanets, First Published: 6 July 2026

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“Key Points

Bimodal size distributions of scoriaceous and unmelted micrometeorites are larger than cosmic spherules, indicating ∼87% entry mass loss
The bimodality of the size distribution reflects contrasting lithological end-member components (fine- and coarse-grained micrometeorites)
The pre-atmospheric mass flux over the Quaternary is ∼12 kt/yr, indicating that the influx has remained stable in the last few million years”

“We estimate the cosmic dust flux to Earth through the study of rare micrometeorites that preserve part of their precursor features during atmospheric entry heating, namely unmelted and scoriaceous subtypes. Combining high-precision mass balance measurements, X-ray computed microtomography and scanning electron microscopy, we studied mass, size and petrography of 207 micrometeorites recovered from sediment traps in the Transantarctic Mountains (TAM), ranging from ∼170 to ∼1650 µm. Chondrules were identified in ∼14% of the micrometeorites, particularly among coarse-grained and composite particles. The analysed population shows a bimodal size-frequency distribution, with peaks at ∼305 µm and ∼470 µm. A similar bimodal distribution was previously reported from the TAM cosmic spherule population, yet shifted towards lower sizes. This size-shift is consistent with an average mass loss of ∼87% during atmospheric entry heating. The mass-size relationship follows a power-law, where the spherical equivalent diameter (d_µm) and mass (m_µg) of the micrometeorite are related by: m = 1.07 × 10 6 d2.96. The size-frequency distribution of the fine- and coarse-grained micrometeorites reveals two well-separated clusters, with peaks at ∼315 µm and ∼550 µm, respectively. These observations suggest that the bimodal distribution in the micrometeorite flux reflects contrasting lithological end-member components with different physical properties and fragmentation behaviours during dust production in space. Based on earlier mass flux estimates from TAM melted micrometeorites and accounting for the mass loss due to atmospheric entry derived here, we calculate a time-averaged pre-atmospheric mass flux of ∼12,000 (±6,000) t/yr over the Quaternary, suggesting that the influx has remained stable over the last few million years.”