chondrule

chondrule
/kon"droohl/, n.
a small round mass of olivine or pyroxene found in stony meteorites.
[1885-90; CHONDR- + -ULE]

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      small, rounded particle embedded in most stony meteorites called chondrites (chondrite). Chondrules are usually about one millimetre in diameter and consist largely of the silicate minerals olivine and pyroxene. From textural and chemical relationships, it is clear that they were formed at high temperatures as dispersed molten droplets, which subsequently solidified and aggregated into chondritic masses. This process occurred in space in earliest times before the planets accreted. How the chondrules were melted, however, is not understood. It seems likely that dust particles or planetesimals already in existence were melted by high-energy events such as high-velocity collisions and splashed about as droplets that quickly cooled and crystallized.

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Universalium. 2010.

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Look at other dictionaries:

  • chondrule — [kän′dro͞ol΄] n. [< ModL chondrus, chondrule (< Gr chondros: see CHONDRO ) + ULE] a rounded mass of various minerals, the size of a pea or smaller, in most stony meteorites …   English World dictionary

  • Chondrule — Chon drule, n. [Dim. from Gr. ? a grain (of wheat or spelt), cartilage.] (Min.) A peculiar rounded granule of some mineral, usually enstatite or chrysolite, found imbedded more or less abundantly in the mass of many meteoric stones, which are… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Chondrule — Chondrules in the chondrite Grassland. A millimeter scale is shown. Chondrules (from Ancient Greek χόνδρος chondros, grain) are round grains found in chondrites. Chondrules form as molten or partially molten droplets in space before being… …   Wikipedia

  • chondrule — noun Etymology: Greek chondros grain Date: circa 1889 a rounded granule of cosmic origin often found embedded in meteoric stones and sometimes free in marine sediments …   New Collegiate Dictionary

  • Chondrule — Chondre Vue en coupe d une météorite dévoilant les chondres. Élément important des météorites non différenciées de type chondrite, les chondres (ou chondrules) sont des petits grains (du grec chondron : granules) de composition variée noyés… …   Wikipédia en Français

  • chondrule — noun A small, round granule, formed from molten rock, found in chondritic meteorites …   Wiktionary

  • chondrule — n. mass of pyroxene found in meteorites …   English contemporary dictionary

  • chondrule — [ kɒndru:l] noun a spheroidal mineral grain present in large numbers in some stony meteorites. Origin C19: from chondrite + ule …   English new terms dictionary

  • chondrule — chon·drule …   English syllables

  • chondrule — chon•drule [[t]ˈkɒn drul[/t]] n. astron. mir a small round mass of olivine or pyroxene found in stony meteorites • Etymology: 1885–90; chondr ( ite) + ule …   From formal English to slang

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