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The global accretion rate of extraterrestrial materials in the last glacial period estimated from the abundance of micrometeorites in Antarctic glacier ice

Earth, Planets and Space volume 56, pages 67–79 (2004)Cite this article

Abstract

The accretion rate of micrometeorites in the last glacial period was estimated from the concentrations of micrometeorites in the blue ice around the Yamato Mts. in Antarctica. The samples from this study were collected from the five sampling points (M03, K02, K11, J09 and J10) in the blue ice. The blue ice was melted and filtered, and the micrometeorites were handpicked from the collected “glacial sands”. The weight of the micrometeorites in the blue ice was estimated from the abundance of recovered micrometeorites and the solar noble gas concentrations in the “residue” after handpicking. The age of the blue ice from the K area was estimated to be 27–33 kyr before present based on oxygen isotope data. The estimated accretion rate to the whole Earth ranges from 5300 × 103kg/a to 16000 × 103kg/a. However, the lower end of this range probably represents lower limits due to possible loss of solar noble gases during long residence in the glacier ice. Hence, we estimate that the accretion rate of micrometeorites 27–33 kyr before present to be in the range between (11000 ± 6600) × 103kg/a and (16000 ± 9100) × 103kg/a. These results, as well as the other estimates, suggest that the accretion rate of micrometeorites in the last glacial period was comparable to that in the present. Micrometeorite k]accretion rate k]Antarctica k]last glacial periods k]noble gas k]interplanetary dust particle

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  1. Toru Yada

    Present address: Laboratory for Space Sciences, CB 1105, Physics Department, Washington University, 1 Brookings Drive, St. Louis, MO, 63130-4899, USA

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Graduate School of Sciences, 33 Kyushu University, 6-10-1 Hakozaki, Fukuoka, 812-8581, Japan

    Toru Yada, Tomoki Nakamura & Nobuo Takaoka

  2. Department of Earth and Planetary Science, Graduate School of Science, the University of Tokyo, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, 113-0033, Japan

    Toru Yada

  3. Department of Minerals and Biological Sciences, Ibaraki University, Bunkyo 2-1-1, Mito, Ibaraki, 310-8512, Japan

    Takaaki Noguchi

  4. Department of Earth and Planetary Systems Science, Graduate School of Science, Hiroshima University, Higashi-Hiroshima, 739-8526, Japan

    Kentaro Terada

  5. Department of Planetary Science, Institute of Space and Astronautical Science, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, 3-1-1 Yoshinodai, Sagamihara, Kanagawa, 229-8510, Japan

    Hajime Yano

  6. Center of Atmospheric and Oceanic studies, Graduate School of Science, Tohoku University, Aoba-ku, Sendai, 980-8578, Japan

    Takakiyo Nakazawa

  7. National Institute of Polar Research, 1-9-10 Kaga, Itabashi-ku, Tokyo, 173-8515, Japan

    Hideyasu Kojima

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  1. Toru Yada
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Yada, T., Nakamura, T., Takaoka, N. et al. The global accretion rate of extraterrestrial materials in the last glacial period estimated from the abundance of micrometeorites in Antarctic glacier ice. Earth Planet Sp 56, 67–79 (2004). https://doi.org/10.1186/BF03352491

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