Dr. Knut Metzler

Dr. Knut Metzler

Wilhelm-Klemm-Str. 10, room 84
48149 Münster

T: +49 251 83-39113

Research Foci

Formation of solids in the early solar system

The collapse of a part of an interstellar molecular cloud marks the beginning of our solar system. The size of the dust grains contained in this gas cloud was on the order of nanometers to micrometers. From the collapsing cloud a protoplanetary accretion disk formed around a central protostar, our early sun. Later on, the planets and asteroids formed within this disk from parts of the gas; and dust mixture. The process of the transition from micrometer-sized grains to millimeter; to meter-sized bodies is not well understood yet. Fortunately, a large variety of these early solids can be found in the asteroidal rocks, which fall to us on Earth as chondritic meteorites and are available for scientific study in order to clarify this question.

Accretionary structures in primitive meteorites

Extraterrestrial breccias

Nuclear tracks by cosmic radiation in meteoritic minerals

CV

Academic Education

PhD in Planetology, Institut für Planetologie, WWU Münster "Petrographic and michochemical investigations on the history of accretion and evolution of chondritic parent bodies using the example of CM chondrites".
PhD study, Institut für Planetologie, WWU Münster
Diploma in Mineralogy, Institut für Mineralogie, WWU Münster "Texture and composition of lithic clasts in polymict achondritic breccias"
Intermediate diploma in Mineralogy, Institut für Mineralogie, WWU Münster
Study of Mineralogy, Institut für Mineralogie, WWU Münster

Positions

Research scientist, Institut für Planetologie, WWU Münster
Branch manager (private companies in the field of waste management and environmental remediation), Hamm, Münster
Chief curator for the rock, mineral, and meteorite collections at the Museum für Naturkunde, Humboldt-Universität Berlin
Research Scientist, Institut für Planetologie, WWU Münster
Research Scientist (part time work), Institut für Planetologie, WWU Münster

External Functions

Member of the Nomenclature Committee of the Meteoritical Society
Worldwide coordinator of the Meteoritical Society for dense meteorite collection areas (DCAs)
Member of the Meteoritical Society
Projects
Publications

  • , , , and . . “Nature and Origins of meteoritic breccias.” in Meteorites and the Early Solar System II, edited by DS Lauretta and HY Jr McSween. Tucson AZ, USA: University of Arizona Press.

  • , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , and . . “Growth and form of planetary seedlings: Results from a microgravity aggregation experiment.Physical Review Letters 85 (12): 24262429.

Research Article (Book Contribution)
Non-Scientific Contribution (Journal)

  • Three-dimensional texture of cluster chondrites

    The majority of meteorites, the so-called chondrites, predominantly consist of millimeter-sized beads (chondrules) which represent solidified droplets of silicate magma. The formation of these chondrules is highly debated and the time interval between chondrule formation and accretion of the first chondritic rocks is poorly constrained. The investigation of specific textural units in ordinary chondrites shall help to better understand the chondrule forming process and to narrow this time interval. These textural units are characterized by clustering of deformed chondrules (termed „cluster chondrites“ by me)  and can be interpreted in a way that hot and deformable chondrules accreted to form a solid rock only hours to a few days after chondrule formation. This is in strong contrast to the current view, that chondrules were already cold and solidified at the time of parent body accretion.

    The three-dimensional texture of cluster chondrite fragments was documented by different methods in the shape of image sequences.

    µ-CT of a cluster chondrite

    Micro-3D-Xray-computed tomography of a cluster chondrite clast in the chondritic meteorite NWA 5205. The width of field is 2 cm.

    These results were provided by Dr. Dominik Hezel, Institut für Geologie und Mineralogie, Universität zu Köln.

    µ-CT of a cluster chondrite
    © Dr. Dominik Hezel
  • Micro-grinding technique

    In order to visualize the three-dimensional texture a square column of a cluster chondrite clast from NWA 5205 was successively grinded in 120 steps of 80 µm each (see figure) and documented in the shape of an image sequence (see movie). This work was performed in cooperation with Mrs. Ursula Heitmann, preparator at the Institut für Planetologie, Münster.

    Figure:

     

    © Dr. Knut Metzler