EPS Colloquium – Conel Alexander, Carnegie Institute

Meteorites are guides to making the Solar System and a habitable Earth

I will show that meteorites, particularly chondritic meteorites, retain at least a partial record of the prehistory and the main stages of Solar System formation. The interpretation of this record is not always straightforward and often requires interdisciplinary collaborations. Chondrites, retain evidence of a rich prebiotic chemistry in the early Solar System that may have its roots in the interstellar medium. It is also likely that objects similar to the known chondrites were the main sources of Earth’s H, C and N that make it habitable.

To be added to the EPS colloquium mailing list, please contact Caroline Carr at carolinecarr@fas.harvard.edu

Dr. Alexander is a staff scientist at the Earth and Planets laboratory of the Carnegie Institution for Science. His research focuses primarily on the study of chondritic meteorites and what they can tell us about the prehistory and the first ~10 Myr of Solar System history.