Cosmic spherules and asteroidal collisions

Newly found white stony cosmic spherules and extraterrestrial fragments from deep-sea sediments are described. Together with ordinary black spherules, these rarely occurring white spherules are used in the argument that most spherules originate in asteroidal collisions. Spherules and fragments from the collision then spiral to Earth under Poynting-Robertson drag. To test this hypothesis, two methods have been used.(1) Some of the new particles were examined for solar-flare track damage. However, no tracks were found. Either spherules are not exposed in space and the hypothesis is incorrect, or they are exposed but heating in atmospheric flight removes the tracks. (2) Iron spherules from two dated deep-sea cores were examined for the Poynting-Robertson size-sorting effect. The effect is marginally visible in both cores, although its existence can be disputed. Core matching was possible through a mineral investigation. Manganese and carbonate micro-nodules were found to vary abruptly down the cores. Attention is directed to these observations as they are of interest to marine chemistry and climatology. Brief mention is made of using iron spherules in cores to detect possible changes in the solar constant.