Calcium isotope cosmochemistry

The past decade has seen significant advancements in analytical capabilities and with it a marked increase in the use of Ca isotopes to advance our understanding of the Solar System's and Earth's evolution. Here, mass-dependent and non-mass-dependent Ca isotopic variations in bulk meteorites and chondrite components are discussed. This contribution also examines how Ca isotopes record nebular processes, including evaporation/condensation and mixing of chemically and isotopically distinct reservoirs in the protoplanetary disk. The applicability of non-mass-dependent Ca isotopic variations to tracing the nature and timing of stellar mass contributions to the parental molecular cloud is discussed. This includes the constraints Ca isotopic data provide on the nature of and the relationships between planetary building blocks. This contribution also explores the effects of parent body-based and terrestrial secondary processes, and variable sampling of isotopically heterogeneous Ca-rich components, on bulk meteorite compositions. Using the data reviewed here, this contribution attempts to reconcile the chemical and isotopic Ca data from bulk meteorites and meteorite components to address a major goal in planetary science, the development of a comprehensive model of the chemical and isotopic evolution of the Solar nebula into our planetary system.

Automated summary

Significant advancements in analytical capabilities in the past decade have led to a marked increase in the use of Ca isotopes to understand the evolution of the Solar System and Earth. This study discusses mass-dependent and non-mass-dependent Ca isotopic variations, as well as how these isotopes record nebular processes and contribute to tracing the nature and timing of stellar mass contributions. The research also explores the effects of various processes on meteorite compositions and attempts to develop a comprehensive model of the chemical and isotopic evolution of the Solar nebula into our planetary system.