Trapped noble gases in meteorites

The most volatile elements in meteorites are the noble (or inert) gases. Although they are far less abundant than condensible elements, they are present in measurable quantities in virtually all meteorites. The trapped noble gases in meteorites come in two main varieties, usually referred to as "solar' and "planetary'. The solar noble gases are implanted solar-wind or solar-flare materials, and thus their relative elemental abundances provide a good estimate of those of the Sun. The planetary noble gases have relative elemental abundances similar to those in the terrestrial atmosphere, but there are also important distinctions: At least one other elemental pattern ("subsolar') and several isotopic patterns have also been identified. Understanding the relationship among all these components continues to be a challenging problem. -Author