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Asteroid-Meteorite Links: The Vesta Conundrum(s)Although a direct link between the HED meteorites and the asteroid 4 Vesta is generally acknowledged, several issues continue to be actively examined that tie Vesta to early processes in the solar system. Vesta is no longer the only basaltic asteroid in the Main belt. In addition to the Vestoids of the Vesta family, the small asteroid Magnya is basaltic but appears to be unrelated to Vesta. Similarly, diversity now identified in the collection of basaltic meteorites requires more than one basaltic parent body, consistent with the abundance of differentiated parent bodies implied by iron meteorites. The timing of the formation of the Vestoids (and presumably the large crater at the south pole of Vesta) is unresolved. Peaks in Ar-Ar dates of eucrites suggest this impact event could be related to a possible late heavy bombardment at least 3.5 Gyr ago. On the other hand, the optically fresh appearance of both Vesta and the Vestoids requires either a relatively recent resurfacing event or that their surfaces do not weather in the same manner thought to occur on other asteroids such as the ordinary chondrite parent body. Diversity across the surface of Vesta has been observed with HST and there are hints of compositional variations (possibly involving minor olivine) in near-infrared spectra.
Document ID
20080026035
Acquisition Source
Johnson Space Center
Document Type
Reprint (Version printed in journal)
Authors
Pieters, C. M. (Brown Univ. Providence, RI, United States)
Binzel, R. (Massachusetts Inst. of Tech. Cambridge, MA, United States)
Bogard, D. (NASA Johnson Space Center Houston, TX, United States)
Hiroi, T. (Brown Univ. Providence, RI, United States)
Mittlefehldt, D. W. (NASA Johnson Space Center Houston, TX, United States)
Nyquist, L. (NASA Johnson Space Center Houston, TX, United States)
Rivkin, A. (Johns Hopkins Univ. Laurel, MD, United States)
Takeda, H. (Chiba Inst. of Tech. Narashino, Japan)
Date Acquired
August 24, 2013
Publication Date
January 1, 2006
Subject Category
Lunar And Planetary Science And Exploration
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Public Use Permitted.

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