Placers of Cosmic Dust in the Blue Ice Lakes of Greenland
M. MAURETTE 1,
C. HAMMER 2,
N. REEH 2,
D. E. BROWNLEE 3, and
H. H. THOMSEN 4
1 Laboratoire René Bernas, Université de Paris, Paris, France.
2 Geofysisk Institut, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark.
3 Department of Astronomy, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195.
4 Geological Survey of Greenland, Østervoldgade 10, DK-1350, Copenhagen, Denmark.
A concentration process occurring in the melt zone of the Greenland ice cap has produced the richest known deposit of cosmic dust on the surface of the earth. Extraterrestrial particles collected from this region are well preserved and are collectable in large quantities. The collected particles are generally identical to cosmic spheres found on the ocean floor, but a pure glass type was discovered that has not been seen in deep-sea samples. Iron-rich spheres are conspicuously rare in the collected material.
Submitted on March 14, 1986
Accepted on June 11, 1986
