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Silicate Spherules from Deep-Sea Sediments: Confirmation of Extraterrestrial Origin

R. Ganapathy, D. E. Brownlee, and P. W. Hodge
Science • 22 Sep 1978 • Vol 201, Issue 4361 • pp. 1119-1121 • DOI: 10.1126/science.201.4361.1119
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Abstract

Silicate spherules produced by atmospheric melting of meteoric bodies are probably the most common form of extraterrestrial material on the earth. It has never been possible to positively identify such particles although it has been known for more than a century that silicate spherules of suspected extraterrestrial origin are present in deep-sea sediments. One such spherule has been identified as definitely extraterrestrial since its abundances of nonvolatile trace elements closely match those of primitive solar system material.

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Published In

Science
Volume 201 | Issue 4361
22 September 1978

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1978 by the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

Submission history

Received: 13 March 1978
Published in print: 22 September 1978

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R. Ganapathy
J. T. Baker Chemical Company, Phillipsburg, New Jersey 08865
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D. E. Brownlee
Division of Geological and Planetary Sciences, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena 91125
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P. W. Hodge
Department of Astronomy, University of Washington, Seattle 98185
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Cited by

    • Dennis V. Kent,
    Asteroid Extinction Hypothesis, Science, 211, 4483, (648-650), (1981)./doi/10.1126/science.211.4483.648
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    A Major Meteorite Impact on the Earth 65 Million Years Ago: Evidence from the Cretaceous-Tertiary Boundary Clay, Science, 209, 4459, (921-923), (1980)./doi/10.1126/science.209.4459.921
    Abstract
    • Luis W. Alvarez,
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    • Helen V. Michel,
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Citation information is sourced from Crossref Cited-by service.

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