Shock-induced isotope evolution of hydrogen and carbon in meteorites

Single- and multiple-shock recovery experiments on Murchison meteorite samples were performed, to examine the shock-induced isotope behavior of their hydrogen and carbon contents. delta D values of the shocked Murchison showed an initial increase from + 10.6 parts per thousand to + 59.1 parts per thousand before declining to - 87.6 parts per thousand, as the dehydrogenation progressed. Isotope behavior of delta D can be controlled by dehydrogenation involving extremely large isotope fractionation and is attributed to the composition of organic matter in the Murchison. On the other hand, the behavior of delta C-13 simply decreased from - 5.15 parts per thousand to - 17.65 parts per thousand and is explainable by decarbonization only. The plot of those isotope data collected along devolatilization shows a variation curve that suggests the evolution of those isotopes in the meteorites. Shock is one of the processes effectively controlling the isotope features of the solar system.