The Winchcombe meteorite, a unique and pristine witness from the outer solar system

• DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.abq3925
• Publication Date: 2022-11-16T18:58:34Z
• Authors: Ashley J. King; Luke Daly; James Rowe; Katherine H. Joy; Richard C. Greenwood; Hadrien A. R. Dev...; Martin D. Suttle; Queenie H. S. Chan; Sara S. Russell; Helena C. Bates; James F. J. Bryson; Patricia L. Clay; Denis Vida; Martin R. Lee; Áine O’Brien; Lydia J. Hallis; Natasha R. Stephen; Romain Tartèse; Eleanor K. Sansom; Martin C. Towner; Martin Cupak; Patrick M. Shober; Phil A. Bland; Ross Findlay; Ian A. Franchi; Alexander B. Verc...; Feargus A. J. Abe...; Monica M. Grady; Cameron J. Floyd; Matthias Van Ginn...; John Bridges; Leon J. Hicks; Rhian H. Jones; Jennifer T. Mitchell; Matthew J. Genge; Laura Jenkins; Pierre-Etienne Ma...; Mark A. Sephton; Jonathan S. Watson; Tobias Salge; Katherine A. Shirley; Rowan J. Curtis; Tristram J. Warren; Neil E. Bowles; Finlay M. Stuart; Luigia Di Nicola; Domokos Györe; Adrian J. Boyce; Kathryn M. M. Shaw; Tim Elliott; Robert C. J. Steele; Pavel Povinec; Matthias Laubenstein; David Sanderson; Alan Cresswell; Anthony J. T. Jull; Ivan Sýkora; Sanjana Sridhar; Richard J. Harrison; Francesca M. Will...; Catherine S. Harr...; Daniel Hallatt; Penny J. Wozniaki...; Mark J. Burchell; Luke S. Alesbrook; Aishling Dignam; Natasha V. Almeida; Caroline L. Smith; Brett Clark; Emma R. Humphreys...; Paul F. Schofield; Luke T. Cornwell; Vassilia Spathis; Geraint H. Morgan; Mark J. Perkins; Richard Kacerek; Peter Campbell-Burns; Francois Colas; Brigitte Zanda; Pierre Vernazza; Sylvain Bouley; Simon Jeanne; Mike Hankey; Gareth S. Collins; John S. Young; Clive Shaw; Jana Horak; Dave Jones; Nick James; Steve Bosley; Alan Shuttleworth; Paul Dickinson; Ian McMullan; Derek Robson; Andrew R. D. Smedley; Ben Stanley; Richard Bassom; Mark McIntyre; Adam A. Suttle; Richard Fleet; Luc Bastiaens; Míra B. Ihász; Sarah McMullan; Sarah J. Boazman; Zach I. Dickeson; Peter M. Grindrod; Annemarie E. Pick...; Colin J. Weir; Fiona M. Suttle; Sarah Farrelly; Ieun Spencer; Sheeraz Naqvi; Ben Mayne; Dan Skilton; Dan Kirk; Ann Mounsey; Sally E. Mounsey; Sarah Mounsey; Pamela Godfrey; Lachlan Bond; Victoria Bond; Cathryn Wilcock; Hannah Wilcock; Rob Wilcock
• Keywords: MCC; Earth, Environmental, Ecological, and Space Sciences; 550; NDAS; 500; 37 Earth Sciences; 3705 Geology; 5109 Space Sciences; 01 natural sciences; [SDU] Sciences of the Universe [physics]; QC Physics; 5101 Astronomical Sciences; 13. Climate action; 0103 physical sciences; QB Astronomy; 51 Physical Sciences; QC; QB; 0105 earth and related environmental sciences

Direct links between carbonaceous chondrites and their parent bodies in the solar system are rare. The Winchcombe meteorite is most accurately recorded chondrite fall. Its pre-atmospheric orbit cosmic-ray exposure age confirm that it arrived on Earth shortly after ejection from a primitive asteroid. Recovered only hours falling, composition of largely unmodified by terrestrial environment. It contains abundant hydrated silicates formed during fluid-rock reactions, carbon- nitrogen-bearing organic matter including soluble protein amino acids. near-pristine hydrogen isotopic comparable to hydrosphere, providing further evidence volatile-rich asteroids played an important role origin Earth's water.