^1,2,3Harold C. Connolly Jr et al. (>10)
Meteoritics & Planetary Society (in Press) Open Access Link to Article [https://doi.org/10.1111/maps.14335]
¹Department of Geology, School of Earth and Environment, Rowan University, Glassboro, New Jersey, USA
²Lunar and Planetary Laboratory, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona, USA
³Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, American Museum of Natural History, New York, New York, USA
Published by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons

The OSIRIS-REx mission returned a sample of regolith from the carbonaceous asteroid Bennu in September 2023. We present preliminary in situ investigations of the petrology and petrography of selected particles ranging in size from 0.5 to 3 mm. Using a combination of optical and electron beam techniques, we investigate whole specimens and polished sections belonging to morphologically and visually distinct categories of particles. We find that morphological differences in the particles are reflective of petrographic and petrologic differences, leading to the conclusion that we have at least two distinct major lithologies in the bulk sample. Our findings support predictions from remote sensing, suggesting that the morphological differences observed in the boulder population of Bennu correspond to petrologic differences. Our data provide insight into the geologic activity on Bennu’s parent body and the petrographic framework needed to contextualize the detailed analyses of this pristine asteroidal material.