Science

Early solar system bodies formed primarily from chondrules, study finds

Ancient meteorites show planetary building blocks favored heat-forged rock over icy dust, ScienceDaily reports.

Updated Sep 23, 2026 · 06:26 UTC1 reports

The short version

Geochemical analysis of ancient iron meteorites indicates that the solar system's earliest solid bodies formed predominantly from molten rock beads called chondrules.[ScienceDaily]
Researchers found that early outer solar system planetesimals were composed of 83% to 92% chondrules, incorporating minimal water-rich matrix dust.[ScienceDaily]
The discovery provides the first geochemical proof that material sorting occurred within the solar system's first million years, earlier than previously documented.[ScienceDaily]

Ancient iron meteorites show that early solid bodies were composed of 83% to 92% chondrules and largely excluded water-rich dust.[ScienceDaily]
This finding pushes evidence of selective planet-building back into the solar system's first million years, earlier than the previously documented 2 to 4 million years.[ScienceDaily]
Researchers used sulfur concentration and iron oxidation states as chemical tracers to determine that matrix made up only 8% to 17% of the original parent bodies.[ScienceDaily]
The study was authored by researchers from institutions including Yale University and published in Nature Astronomy.[ScienceDaily]

Because high levels of radioactive aluminum-26 melted the original parent bodies and erased their physical structures, scientists cannot directly observe the original physical mixture of chondrules and matrix.[ScienceDaily]

Outlet counts describe coverage, not independent confirmation. Reports may share a wire service or original source.