[meteorite-list] 21 Lutetia (article)

[MexicoDoug]

Dear List,

Well, here's the free version spectra of Lutetia and selected enstatite 
chondrites:

http://binary-services.sciencedirect.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0019103511003848-gr1.sml

The full article and more, bigger plots are already available online if 
you pay for it:

"Asteroid (21) Lutetia as a remnant of Earth’s precursor 
planetesimals", P. Vernazzaa, P. Lamya, O. Groussina, T. Hiroic, L. 
Jordaa, P.L. Kingd, M.R.M. Izawae, F. Marchisf, g, M. Birlang, R. 
BrunettohIcarus
Volume 216, Issue 2, December 2011, Pages 650-659.

Kindest wishes
Doug


Abstract

Isotopic and chemical compositions of meteorites, coupled with 
dynamical simulations, suggest that the main belt of asteroids between 
Mars and Jupiter contains objects formed in situ as well as a 
population of interlopers. These interlopers are predicted to include 
the building blocks of the terrestrial planets as well as objects that 
formed beyond Neptune (, and ). Here we report that the main belt 
asteroid (21) Lutetia – encountered by the Rosetta spacecraft in July 
2010 – has spectral (from 0.3 to 25 μm) and physical (albedo, density) 
properties quantitatively similar to the class of meteorites known as 
enstatite chondrites. The chemical and isotopic compositions of these 
chondrites indicate that they were an important component of the 
formation of Earth and other terrestrial planets. This meteoritic 
association implies that Lutetia is a member of a small population of 
planetesimals that formed in the terrestrial planet region and that has 
been scattered in the main belt by emerging protoplanets (Bottke et al. 
2006) and/or by the migration of Jupiter (Walsh et al. 2011) early in 
its history. Lutetia, along with a few other main-belt asteroids, may 
contains part of the long-sought precursor material (or closely related 
materials) from which the terrestrial planets accreted.

Highlights


(21) Lutetia has spectral and physical properties similar to enstatite 
chondrites.
These meteorites are linked to the formation of Earth and other 
terrestrial planets.
This meteoritic association implies that Lutetia formed in the 
terrestrial region.

Article Outline
Acknowledgments
Appendix A
A.1. The debate on the nature of Lutetia
A.2. Comparison between the spectral properties of Lutetia and its 
likely meteoritic analogs (CO, CV, CK and enstatite chondrites) over 
the 0.3-25 μm range
A.2.1. UV, visible and near infrared spectral range (0.3–2.5 μm)
A.2.2. Mid-infrared spectral range (8–25 μm)
A.3. Caveats for an enstatite chondrite–Lutetia association from the 
literature (Belskaya et al., 2010): Water on Lutetia and Polarimetry of 
Lutetia
A.4. Density and internal structure of Lutetia