Disintegration and Skipping Dynamics of Bilobate‐Shaped Meteoroids for Generating Ultra‐Long Strewn Fields

Abstract The longest known Aletai meteorite belt presents a unique phenomenon in meteoroid dynamics. To investigate its formation mechanism, this study introduces a bilobate‐shaped meteoroid model, emphasizing aerodynamic interactions and structure evolution. The sintered bond model is applied to simulate the tensile, compressive, and shear strengths of the bilobate‐shaped meteoroid. Its disintegration is analyzed under the combined effects of aerodynamic forces and self‐rotation. After disintegration, the transverse velocity of the sub‐spherical fragments is applied to track their dispersal trajectories and calculate the resulting strewn field of meteorites. The influence of aerodynamical shock wave and mass ablation is considered throughout the descent process. Numerical simulations are conducted with varying initial entry conditions, particularly focusing on the initial rotation of the bilobate‐shaped meteoroid. The study focuses on the mechanism of the skipping trajectory and the associated strewn field during the meteoroid's dynamical evolution. The results highlight the critical role of bilobate‐shaped meteoroids in generating skipping trajectories and provide new insights into the formation of Aletai‐like ultra‐long meteorite belt.

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Publication Details

Journal
Earth and Space Science
Published
2026-01-29
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1029/2025ea004383
Primary Topic
Astro and Planetary Science
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
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article

Disintegration and Skipping Dynamics of Bilobate‐Shaped Meteoroids for Generating Ultra‐Long Strewn Fields

Xiangyuan Zeng, Haoyu Li, Ziwen Li, Qingbo Gan
Earth and Space Science
Astro and Planetary Science
article

Disintegration and Skipping Dynamics of Bilobate‐Shaped Meteoroids for Generating Ultra‐Long Strewn Fields

Xiangyuan Zeng, Haoyu Li, Ziwen Li, Qingbo Gan
article en

Abstract

Abstract The longest known Aletai meteorite belt presents a unique phenomenon in meteoroid dynamics. To investigate its formation mechanism, this study introduces a bilobate‐shaped meteoroid model, emphasizing aerodynamic interactions and structure evolution. The sintered bond model is applied to simulate the tensile, compressive, and shear strengths of the bilobate‐shaped meteoroid. Its disintegration is analyzed under the combined effects of aerodynamic forces and self‐rotation. After disintegration, the transverse velocity of the sub‐spherical fragments is applied to track their dispersal trajectories and calculate the resulting strewn field of meteorites. The influence of aerodynamical shock wave and mass ablation is considered throughout the descent process. Numerical simulations are conducted with varying initial entry conditions, particularly focusing on the initial rotation of the bilobate‐shaped meteoroid. The study focuses on the mechanism of the skipping trajectory and the associated strewn field during the meteoroid's dynamical evolution. The results highlight the critical role of bilobate‐shaped meteoroids in generating skipping trajectories and provide new insights into the formation of Aletai‐like ultra‐long meteorite belt.

Earth and Space ScienceVol. 13(2)
Beijing Institute of Technology (CN), National Astronomical Observatories (CN)
National Natural Science Foundation of China
Openalex Percentile: Top 71%
Astro and Planetary Science
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Disintegration and Skipping Dynamics of Bilobate‐Shaped Meteoroids for Generating Ultra‐Long Strewn Fields — Xiangyuan Zeng, Haoyu Li, et al. · Earth and Space Science (2026) | TGRS Research Map | TGRS