[astro-ph.EP] Chondrules and their associated fine-grained rims record key processes in the early protoplanetary disk, yet the links between chondrule chemistry, morphology, and matrix complementarity remain poorly constrained.
![Ni, Cu and Zn elemental maps of three chondrules from Paris, that show microspherule regions partitioned by zones enriched in siderophile elements (i.e., Fe, Ni, Co, Cu; pink arrows). The color bars reflect μg/g concentrations of the elements. While in BSE mode and lithophile element space, these would appear as single ~300 μm diameter chondrules, they represent aggregates of ~100 μm grape-bunch chondrules (pink spheres), where these microchondrules contained metal-rich rims. -- [astro-ph.EP]](https://i0.wp.com/astrobiology.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Chondrule.png?resize=1200%2C714&ssl=1)
[astro-ph.EP] Chondrules and their associated fine-grained rims record key processes in the early protoplanetary disk, yet the links between chondrule chemistry, morphology, and matrix complementarity remain poorly constrained.