%0 Journal Article
%T An aqueously altered carbon-rich Ceres
%J -
%D 2018
%R https://doi.org/10.1038/s41550-018-0656-0
%X The surface mineralogy of dwarf planet Ceres appears to be dominated by products of rock¨Cfluid interactions, such as phyllosilicates¡ªsome of which are NH4-bearing¡ªand carbonates1,2,3. Elemental concentrations derived from the inferred mineral mixing fractions, however, do not match measurements of H, C, K and Fe on Ceres4. A complicating factor in assessing Ceres¡¯s unique surface composition is the secular accretion of asteroids typical of chondritic compositions. Here we show that Ceres¡¯s mineral and elemental data can be explained by the presence of carbonaceous chondritic-like materials (~50¨C60£¿vol%), possibly due to infalling asteroids, admixed with aqueously altered endogenic materials that contain higher-than-chondritic concentrations of carbon. We find that Ceres¡¯s surface may contain up to 20£¿wt% of carbon, which is more than five times higher than in carbonaceous chondrites. The coexistence of phyllosilicates, magnetite, carbonates and a high carbon content implies rock¨Cwater alteration played an important role in promoting widespread carbon chemistry. These findings unveil pathways for the synthesis of organic matter, with implications for their transport across the Solar System
%U https://www.nature.com/articles/s41550-018-0656-0