Chondrule size and related physical properties: a compilation and evaluation of current data across all meteorite groups

摘要

The examination of the physical properties of chondrules has generallyreceived less emphasis than other properties of meteorites such as theirmineralogy, petrology, and chemical and isotopic compositions. Among thevarious physical properties of chondrules, chondrule size is especiallyimportant for the classification of chondrites into chemical groups, since eachchemical group possesses a distinct size-frequency distribution of chondrules.Knowledge of the physical properties of chondrules is also vital for thedevelopment of astrophysical models for chondrule formation, and forunderstanding how to utilize asteroidal resources in space exploration. Toexamine our current knowledge of chondrule sizes, we have compiled and providecommentary on available chondrule dimension literature data. We include allchondrite chemical groups as well as the acapulcoite primitive achondrites,some of which contain relict chondrules. We also compile and review currentliterature data for other astrophysically-relevant physical properties(chondrule mass and density). Finally, we briefly examine some additionalphysical aspects of chondrules such as the frequencies of compound and'cratered' chondrules. A purpose of this compilation is to provide a usefulresource for meteoriticists and astrophysicists alike.