# Kanazawa University finds poorly crystalline silicate in Ryugu samples

- Published: 2026-11-06 13:36 UTC
- Section: Sky & Space › Space
- Tags: Ryugu asteroid samples, magnesium silicate hydrate, carbonaceous chondrites, XANES spectroscopy, Kanazawa University, aqueous alteration
- URL: https://realtech.media/news/rt-c59016d74ea1168563718aba_kanazawa_university_finds/

**Synchrotron XANES analyses revealed magnesium silicate hydrate-like phases that explain compositional retention during aqueous alteration.**

![Kanazawa University finds poorly crystalline silicate in Ryugu samples](https://sgzwpqqelzmajkcubgkl.supabase.co/storage/v1/object/public/rt-media/2026/11/7b3c29fbfdd39c1a.jpg)
*Steve Jurvetson from Los Altos, USA, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0*

Researchers from Kanazawa University, The University of Tokyo, and partner institutes investigated fine-grained matrices from asteroid Ryugu and carbonaceous chondrites using synchrotron radiation. According to a study published on nature.com, the magnesium coordination environments in these samples reveal a widespread presence of poorly crystalline magnesium silicate hydrate (M-S-H)-like material alongside standard serpentine- and saponite-like phyllosilicates [1]. The findings provide a physicochemical model for how ancient asteroid matrices preserved localized composition during extensive aqueous reactions.

## Synchrotron XANES spectroscopy

To identify the phase structure of the fine-grained silicates, the team recorded magnesium K-edge X-ray absorption near-edge structure (XANES) spectra, including bulk XANES and scanning transmission X-ray microscopy (STXM-XANES) measurements. Data were collected using facilities at KEK-PF and SPring-8 on pristine grains delivered by the Hayabusa2 mission and carbonaceous chondrite specimens [1]. The spectral profiles did not fully match well-crystalline terrestrial layered silicates, showing instead that poorly ordered hydrous silicates form a substantial fraction of the matrix mass.

## Thermodynamic buffering and transformation

Previously, aqueous processing on C-type parent bodies was modeled as producing primarily crystalline serpentine and saponite, which typically require distinct geochemical environments to yield wide compositional variance. Integrated analysis of M-S-H solubility indicated that this poorly crystalline precursor exhibits coherent physicochemical behavior across broad magnesium-to-silicon ratios under uniform fluid conditions [1]. The authors suggest that initial precipitation of M-S-H and its subsequent solid-state mineralogical transformation account for the observed chemical variability without requiring isolated aqueous regimes for each micro-environment.

## Sources

1. [nature.com](https://www.nature.com/articles/s43247-026-03958-2)
2. [Nauka w Polsce](https://naukawpolsce.pl/aktualnosci/news%2C115741%2Codkryto-jak-skaly-asteroidy-ryugu-mogly-zachowac-pierwotny-sklad.html)

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Source: RealTech, realtech.media — https://realtech.media/news/rt-c59016d74ea1168563718aba_kanazawa_university_finds/