Thermal metamorphism study of carbonaceous chondritic meteorites

Carbonaceous chondritic meteorites are some of the most primitive materials in our solar system. They did not experience melting or other processes on their parent bodies (e.g. asteroids) during their initial formation, and thus, they preserve information of physical and chemical mechanisms in the solar nebula, which can unveil evidence about the origin of the planets and their components. However, most carbonaceous chondrites are exposed to secondary processes on their parent bodies, such as thermal metamorphism and aqueous alteration, modifying the primary properties of the carbonaceous chondritic constituents. Hence, in order to understand how these relics formed, it is important to analyze the modifications they have experienced induced by these secondary processes. In this work, we study the thermal metamorphism of these chondrites examining their carbon composition by Raman spectroscopy. We analyze the Raman spectra of carbon allotropes to obtain specific parameters that we use for thermal metamorphism mathematical models. In addition, we correlate the Raman results with those acquired using SEM/EDS (Scanning Electron Microscopy/Energy Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy), and we compare these findings with the results obtained from previously studied meteoritic samples.