Refractory inclusions in Bennu samples indicative of outer Solar System accretionOPEN ACCESS 

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Noriyuki Kawasaki, Toru Matsumoto, Sota Arakawa, Naoya Sakamoto, Ken-ichi Bajo, Sara S. Russell, Jessica J. Barnes, Ann N. Nguyen, Timothy J. McCoy, Pierre Haenecour, Hisayoshi Yurimoto, Harold C. Connolly Jr. & Dante S. Lauretta

Nature Communications, Published: 18 July 2026

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“NASA’s OSIRIS-REx mission returned material from the carbonaceous asteroid Bennu, which is dominated by aqueous-alteration products but preserves rare high-temperature components. Here we present an integrated petrographic, oxygen-isotopic and 26Al–26Mg chronological characterization of refractory inclusions in Bennu samples. All identified inclusions are small (<~100 µm) and commonly preserve mineralogical evidence of in situ aqueous alteration, indicating incorporation into Bennu’s parent body prior to hydration. Their mineralogical characteristics and oxygen-isotopic and 26Al–26Mg systematics demonstrate formation during the earliest stage of Solar System evolution and genetic affinity with refractory inclusions in asteroid Ryugu samples and chondritic meteorites. The shared refractory-inclusion signatures across diverse chondritic materials are consistent with widespread outward transport and mixing of early-formed inner-disk solids. In Bennu samples analyzed thus far, large (>submillimeter) refractory inclusions are absent, in contrast to most carbonaceous chondrites. This size distribution implies that Bennu’s constituents accreted in the outer Solar System beyond the pressure bump associated with proto-Jupiter, which effectively filtered distinct dust populations.”

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