A study on cosmic dust particles in Antarctic ice, snow and non-Antarctic region and their origins

• Main Authors: Daode, Wang, Chengda, Dai
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Polar Research Institute of China - PRIC 1995
• Subjects: Antarctic; Advances in Polar Science; Antarc*; Polar Science
• Online Access: http://library.arcticportal.org/2095/; http://library.arcticportal.org/2095/1/A502.000.pdf

A large number of cosmic dust particles, micrometeorites and volcanic dust bands have been found and collected in Antarctic ice, snow and glacial sediments, especially in meteorite concentrated regions. Extraterrestrial spherules also have been discovered from the stratosphere and deep-sea sediments. On the basis of their distributive characteristics the cosmic dust particles are classified into interplanetary dust particles and interstellar dust particles. According to their origins cosmic dust particles can be divided into cometary origin particles, asteroidal origin particles, ablation particles from meteorites and interstellar origin particles. The criteria for identifying cosmic dust particles have been established and the origins of cosmic dust particles are also discussed in this paper.