Glass with embedded metal and sulfides 2179144 225321409 2008-07-13T02:15:09Z UnitedStatesian 3461395 moved [[Glass with Embedded Metal and Sulfides]] to [[Glass with embedded metal and sulfides]]: Fix capitalization '''Glass with Embedded Metal and Sulfides''' (GEMS) are tiny spheroids in [[cosmic dust]] particles with bulk compositions that are approximately chondritic. They form the building blocks of anhydrous [[cosmic dust |interplanetary dust particles]] (IDPs) in general, and ''cometary'' [[cosmic dust|IDP]]s, in particular. Their compositions, [[mineralogy]] and [[petrography]] appear to have been shaped by exposure to ionizing radiation. Since the exposure occurred prior to the [[accretion]] of cometary IDPs, and therefore comets themselves, GEMS are likely either [[solar nebula]] or presolar interstellar grains. The properties of GEMS (size, shape, mineralogy) bear a strong resemblance to those of interstellar [[silicate]] grains as inferred from astronomical observations (Bradley and Ireland, 1996). ==References== {{cite conference | author=Bradley, John and Ireland, Trevor, I, | title=The Search for Interstellar Components in Interplanetary Dust Particles | booktitle=Physics, Chemistry, and Dynamics of Interplanetary Dust, ASP Conference Series, Vol 104 | year=1996| pages=275-282 }} [[Category:Astronomical objects]] [[Category:Planetary science]] [[Category:Solar System]] [[Category:Meteoroids]] [[Category:Glass types]] {{astronomy-stub}} {{physics-stub}}