Chondrule formation by collisions of planetesimals containing volatiles triggered by Jupiter's formation
arXiv:2511.19041 · doi:10.1038/s41598-025-12643-x
Abstract
Chondrules are spherical or subspherical particles of crystallized or partially crystallized liquid silicates that constitute large-volume fractions of most chondritic meteorites. Chondrules typically range mm in size and solidified with cooling rates of , yet these characteristics prove difficult to reconcile with proposed formation models. We numerically show that collisions among planetesimals containing volatile material naturally explain both the sizes and cooling rates of chondrules. We show that the high-velocity collisions with volatile-rich planetesimals first induced in the solar nebula by Jupiter's formation produced increasing amounts of silicate melt for increasing impact velocities above . We propose that the expanding gas formed from volatile materials by collisional heating dispersed and cooled the silicate melt, resulting in droplet sizes and cooling rates consistent with the observed sizes and inferred cooling rates. We further show that the peak melt production is linked to the onset of Jupiter's runaway gas accretion, and argue that the peak age of chondrules points to Jupiter's birth dating 1.8 Myr after CAIs.
arXiv comment22 pages, 8 figures and 1 table, version accepted for publication on Scientific Reports, preprint adapted to include the Supplementary Information
References in corpus (36)
- Asteroids Were Born Big
- Origin of water in the inner Solar System: Planetesimals scattered inward during Jupiter and Saturn's rapid gas accretion
- Equilibrium chemistry down to 100 K - Impact of silicates and phyllosilicates on carbon/oxygen ratio
- Tracing the Ingredients for a Habitable Earth from Interstellar Space through Planet Formation
- Theoretical models of planetary system formation: mass vs semi-major axis
- Tracing the formation history of giant planets in protoplanetary disks with Carbon, Oxygen, Nitrogen and Sulphur
- Chondrule size and related physical properties: a compilation and evaluation of current data across all meteorite groups
- Global Models of Planet Formation and Evolution
- Jupiter's composition suggests its core assembled exterior to the N2 snowline
- The formation of Jupiter by hybrid pebble-planetesimal accretion
- Impact splash chondrule formation during planetesimal recycling
- The multifaceted planetesimal formation process
- The protoplanetary disk population in the rho-Ophiuchi region L1688 and the time evolution of Class II YSOs
- Thermal history modeling of the H chondrite parent body
- The consequences of planetary migration on the minor bodies of the early Solar System
- The spatial distribution of carbon dust in the early solar nebula and the carbon content of planetesimals
- Effects of friction and plastic deformation in shock-comminuted damaged rocks on impact heating
- Final Masses of Giant Planets III: Effect of Photoevaporation and a New Planetary Migration Model
- Vesta and Ceres: crossing the history of the Solar System
- Accretion of the earliest inner solar system planetesimals beyond the water-snowline
- Self-Stirring of Debris Discs by Planetesimals Formed by Pebble Concentration
- Saturn's formation and early evolution at the origin of Jupiter's massive moons
- Thermal history modeling of the L chondrite parent body
- Jovian Early Bombardment: planetesimal erosion in the inner asteroid belt
- Forming chondrules in impact splashes. I. Radiative cooling model
- Growth of Jupiter: Formation in Disks of Gas and Solids and Evolution to the Present Epoch
- Dust-to-gas ratio resurgence in circumstellar disks due to the formation of giant planets: the case of HD 163296
- Jetting during oblique impacts of spherical impactors
- Impact Erosion Model for Gravity-Dominated Planetesimals
- The Formation of Jupiter, the Jovian Early Bombardment and the Delivery of Water to the Asteroid Belt: The Case of (4) Vesta
- Evolution of the parent body of enstatite (EL) chondrites
- A Method to Constrain the Size of the Protosolar Nebula
- Chondrule Formation via Impact Jetting Triggered by Planetary Accretion
- Age and genetic relationships among CB, CH and CR chondrites
- HD 163296 and its Giant Planets: Creation of Exo-comets, Interstellar Objects and Transport of Volatile Material
- The late accretion and erosion of Vesta's crust recorded by eucrites and diogenites as an astrochemical window into the formation of Jupiter and the early evolution of the Solar System