Chondrites are stony
meteorites that have not been modified due to
melting or
differentiation of the parent body. They formed when various types of dust and small grains that were present in the early solar system accreted to form primitive
asteroids. Prominent among the components present in chondrites are the enigmatic
chondrules, millimeter-sized objects that originated as freely floating, molten or partially molten droplets in space; most chondrules are rich in the
silicate minerals
olivine and
pyroxene. Chondrites also contain
refractory inclusions (including
Ca-Al Inclusions), which are among the oldest objects to form in the solar system, particles rich in metallic Fe-Ni and sulfides, and isolated grains of silicate minerals. The remainder of chondrites consists of fine-grained (micrometer-sized or smaller) dust, which may either be present as the
matrix of the rock or may form rims or mantles around individual chondrules and refractory inclusions. Embedded in this dust are
presolar grains, which predate the formation of our solar system and originated elsewhere in the galaxy.
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