A Mudball Model for the Evolution of Carbonaceous Asteroids

Authors:

PSI Staff

Category: Cover Story

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New insights are gained into the evolution of carbonaceous asteroids by assuming the asteroid body starts out as a compressed but not lithified mixture and rock grains and ice crystals. Coarse particles (chondrules) collect to form a permeable core with a mud ocean over-lying it. Small particles near the core-ocean boundary are continually lofted by convective flow. A frozen shell forms at the surface. A ‘CM-like’ core under a ‘CI-like’ mud ocean? (Bland and Travis 2018)