Inward Radial Mixing of Interstellar Water Ices in the Solar Protoplanetary Disk

Abstract

The very wide diversity of asteroid compositions in the main belt suggests significant material transport in the solar protoplanetary disk and hints at the presence of interstellar ices in hydrated bodies. However, only a few quantitative estimations of the contribution of interstellar ice in the inner solar system have been reported, leading to considerable uncertainty about the extent of radial inward mixing in the solar protoplanetary disk 4.56 Ga ago. We show that the pristine CM chondrite Paris contains primary Ca-carbonates whose O-isotopic compositions require an 8%-35% contribution from interstellar water. The presence of interstellar water in Paris is confirmed by its bulk D/H isotopic composition that shows significant D enrichment (D/H = (167±0.2)×10 −6 ) relative to the mean D/H of CM chondrites ((145±3)×10 −6 ) and the putative D/H of local CM water ((82±1.5)×10 −6 ). These results imply that (i) efficient radial mixing of interstellar ices occurred from the outer zone of the solar protoplanetary disk inward and that (ii) chondrites accreted water ice grains from increasing heliocentric distances in the solar protoplanetary disk.

Primordial heavy noble gases in the pristine Paris carbonaceous chondrite

“…) and in the pristine Paris meteorite (Vacher et al. ). The latter represents the least altered CM described to date (Hewins et al.…”

“…A scenario for the Paris meteorite alteration history at the millimeter scale: the Paris meteorite parent body experienced a heterogeneous accretion of inner and outer solar system materials, with a limited amount of total water ice relative to other CM chondrites (Vacher et al. ; Piani et al. ).…”

“…In addition, the oxygen isotope signatures in carbonates of the Paris meteorite require the mixing of 8–35% of outer disk water with the CM local fluid from which some of the 17,18 O‐rich Ca‐carbonates precipitated (Vacher et al. ). This is consistent with the specific in situ C/H versus D/H correlation observed for the matrix of the Paris meteorite (Piani et al.…”

“…Quantitative estimates of the contribution of outer solar system ice to the inner solar system have crucial implications regarding the extent of the radial mixing in the protoplanetary disk (Vacher et al. ) as well as the origin of the water accreted by asteroids and terrestrial planets (Drake ). However, the dichotomy between O and H isotope composition of water in the inner and outer solar system suggests low influx of D‐ and 17,18 O‐rich water ice grains from the outer part of the solar system, possibly accounted for by the presence of a Jupiter‐induced gap that limited the inward drift of outer solar system material into inner parts of the protoplanetary disk (Marrocchi et al.…”

Erratum: “Inward Radial Mixing of Interstellar Water Ices in the Solar Protoplanetary Disk” (2016, ApJL, 827, L1)

“…The bulk D/H value of the CM chondrite Paris (i.e., (167±0.2) × 10 −6 ) reported in the published article is incorrect (Vacher et al 2016). The D/H SMOW value used for the D/H calculation was 149 × 10 −6 (i.e., D/H ratio of the Bulk Silicate Earth; Lécuyer et al 1998) …”