Meteoritics and Cosmochemistry

Meteoritics and cosmochemistry are essential fields for exploring the origin and evolution of our Solar System. Meteorites—remnants of asteroids, planets, and other celestial bodies—serve as time capsules, preserving information about the early solar nebula and planetary formation processes.

In my research, I use a combination of mineralogical, elemental, and isotopic data to investigate the history and transformation of these extraterrestrial materials. My goal is to better understand the processes that shaped the Solar System’s formation and evolution.

I also study meteorites collected from Antarctica and hot deserts to examine their spatial distribution and the effects of terrestrial weathering. Understanding the weathering process itself is crucial, not only for accurately interpreting the original characteristics of meteorites but also for assessing how environmental conditions on Earth can alter their physical and chemical properties over time.

Research Highlights:

Pourkhorsandi H., Debaille V., Armytage R. M. G., and de Jong J. (2024)Cerium stable isotopic composition of non-carbonaceous chondrites. ACS Earth and Space Chemistry, 8, 2452-2462.

Roland J., Debaille V., Pourkhorsandi H., and Goderis S. (2024) Moderately volatile elemental and isotopic variations in variably shocked equilibrated ordinary chondrites from Antarctica. Icarus, 115983.

Pourkhorsandi H., Gattacceca J., Rochette P., Smith T., Bonal L., D’Orazio M., Devouard B., Sonzogni C., and Debaille V. (2022) The Famenin fall and other ordinary chondrites intermediate between H and L groups. Meteoritics and Planetary Science, 57, 1038-1059.

Pourkhorsandi H., Debaille V., Armytage R. M. G., van Ginneken M., Rochette P., and Gattacceca J. (2021) The effects of terrestrial weathering on samarium-neodymium isotopic composition of ordinary chondrites. Chemical Geology, 562, 120056.

Pourkhorsandi H., Gattacceca J., Rochette P., D’Orazio M., Kamali H., de Avillez R., Letichovsky S., Djamali M., Mirnejad H., Debaille V., and Jull A. J. T. (2019) Meteorites from Lut desert (Iran). Meteoritics and Planetary Science, 54, 1737-1768.

Pourkhorsandi H., Gattaccea J., Devouard B., D’Orazio M., Rochette P., Beck P., Sonzogni C., and Valenzuela M. (2017) The ungrouped chondrite El Médano 301 and its comparison with other reduced ordinary chondrites. Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta, 218, 98-113.

Pourkhorsandi H., D’Orazio M., Rochette P., Valenzuela M., Gattaccea J., Mirnejad H., Sutter B., Hutzler A., and Aboulahris M. (2017) Modification of REE distribution of ordinary chondrites from Atacama (Chile) and Lut (Iran) hot deserts: insights into the chemical weathering of meteorites. Meteoritics and Planetary Science, 52, 1843-1858.