Determine the origin of GEMS-like materials

Determine whether GEMS and GEMS-like materials in cometary and outer-disk reservoirs formed predominantly in the interstellar medium or in the solar nebula, in order to resolve their relationship to chondrule-forming processes and primitive matrix material.

Background

The paper compares GEMS and GEMS-like materials in CM chondrite matrices with amorphous silicates in chondritic porous interplanetary dust particles and outer-disk dark clasts. These materials have sub-chondritic Mg/Si ratios and may represent condensates chemically complementary to chondrules.

Their origin remains significant for reconstructing the relationship between chondrule formation, matrix formation, cometary dust, and presolar material. An interstellar origin would support preservation or incorporation of primitive molecular-cloud material, whereas a solar-nebular origin would link GEMS-like materials more directly to chondrule-forming and condensation events.