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Chondrites
Kinds of Chondrites Selected AbstractsEcospace utilization in early Phanerozoic deep-marine environments: deep bioturbation in the Blakely Sandstone (Middle Ordovician), Arkansas, USALETHAIA, Issue 2 2003PATRICK J. ORR Ichnofabric analysis of alternating light and dark-coloured mudstone layers in the Blakely Sandstone (Middle Ordovician) at Crystal Springs Landing, Lake Ouachita (west of Hot Springs, western Arkansas, USA) reveals two equilibrium palaeoichnocoenoses. The first was emplaced under variable, but low, oxygen levels during deposition of the dark-coloured layers; small diameter transition layer burrows overprint a mixed layer ichnofabric. The transition layer infauna was tiered with abundant Chondrites representing the deeper of two shallow tiers. Light-coloured layers accumulated during prolonged intervals in which the sediments were oxygenated to a greater extent and depth. Preservation of a mixed layer ichnofabric within them is the result of limited, but deep (up to at least 400 mm), reworking subsequently in the transition layer by an equilibrium community. These transition layer trace fossils are not tiered. If representative of oxygenated sediment columns in Ordovician deep-marine environments, an extensive volume of infaunal ecospace was colonized (in this case by deposit feeders); its more efficient use subsequently, including vertical partitioning of the infaunal community into specific environmental niches (tiering), could have accommodated increases in diversity and community complexity. Changes over time in the maximum depth to which sediments were bioturbated, alone, would therefore be a poor measure of the extent of ecospace utilization. [source] Stony meteorite characterization by non-destructive measurement of magnetic propertiesMETEORITICS & PLANETARY SCIENCE, Issue 3 2006D. L. Smith These parameters provide a basis for rapid, non-destructive, and accurate meteorite classification as each meteorite class tends to have a distinct range of values. Chondrites show a clear trend of increasing bulk susceptibility from LL to L to H to E within the 3.6 to 5.6 log, (in 10,9 m3/kg) range, reflecting increasing Fe-Ni metal and Fe-Ni sulfide content. Achondrite values range in log, from 2.4 to 4.7 and primitive achondrites from 4.2 to 5.7. Frequency dependence is observed, using 19,000 Hz and 825 Hz, with variations in strength among meteorite classes and individual specimen dependence ranging from 1,25.6%. Degrees of anisotropy range from 1 to 53% with both oblate and prolate ellipsoids present. The aubrite class is marked by high degrees of anisotropy, low bulk magnetic susceptibility, and prolate fabric. Camel Donga is set apart from other eucrites, marked by higher bulk susceptibility, degree of anisotropy, and magnitude of oblate ellipsoid shape. The Shergotty, Nakhla, and Chassigny (SNC) meteorites show subclass distinction using frequency dependence and Chassigny is set apart with a relatively strong oblate fabric. The presence of both strong oblate and prolate fabrics among and within meteorite classes of chondritic and achondritic material points to a complex, multi-mechanism origin for anisotropy, more so than previously thought, and likely dominated by impact processes in the later stages of stony parent body formation. [source] Palaeoenvironmental implications of the ichnology and geochemistry of the Westbury Formation (Rhaetian), Westbury-on-Severn, south-west EnglandPALAEONTOLOGY, Issue 3 2010LU ALLINGTON-JONES Abstract:, The Westbury Formation (Rhaetian) beds of Westbury Garden Cliff, Westbury-on-Severn, west of Gloucester, Britain, show an unusual combination of features. Both deep water and emergent characteristics are present within the sediments and the trace fossils. The ichnoassemblage consists of abundant Selenichnites, Planolites beverlyensis and Lockeia with rarer Oniscoidichnus, Chondrites, Rhizocorallium irregulare, Taenidium serpentium, an unusual form of Walcottia and Merostomichnites -like traces. These trace fossils display an interesting relationship with the sediments: low-energy Cruziana ichnofacies is found within high-energy sandstones. The sandstones are interbedded with laminated mudstones, apparently deposited in deep water, but some aspects of the ichnoassemblage, preservation and sedimentation indicate shallower water. One new trace fossil, Radichnus allingtona igen. et isp. nov., closely resembles the traces of modern fiddler crabs and imply emergence, by analogy. This ichnofauna is similar to early stage disaster colonisation in recent experiments in Long Island Sound (south of Connecticut, USA) and with storm-influenced deposits within the Cardium Formation (Seebe, Alberta, Canada). This indicates a lagoonal environment with influxes of sand and oxygen. Total organic carbon levels were found to fluctuate greatly between stratigraphic layers but remained relatively high. This implies low oxygen conditions. The abundance of sulphur (in pyrite) also supports an interpretation of anoxic conditions, and low sedimentation rates within the shale layers. A restricted shallow basin or lagoonal environment is proposed for the palaeoenvironment, with fluctuating oxygen influencing diversity. [source] The formation of foliated (garnet-bearing) granites in the Tongbai-Dabie orogenic belt: partial melting of subducted continental crust during exhumationJOURNAL OF METAMORPHIC GEOLOGY, Issue 9 2009L. ZHANG Abstract Foliated (garnet-bearing) (FGB) granites are associated closely with and are usually the major wall rocks of the high-pressure (HP) and ultrahigh-pressure (UHP) metamorphic rocks in the Tongbai-Dabie region, the mid segment of the Qinling-Dabie-Sulu orogenic belt in central China. These granites appear either as small plutons or as veins, which commonly intrude into or surround the HP and UHP metamorphic eclogites or gneisses. The veins of FGB granites usually penetrate into the retrograded eclogites or gneisses along the foliations. Condensation rims can occasionally be found along the margins of granite veins. These granites are rich in Si and alkali with high Ga/Al ratios, and depleted in Ca, Mg, Al, Ti, Sc, V, Ni, Co, Cr and Sr, which are similar to A-type granites. In a chondrite normalized diagram, the samples are light rare earth elements enriched with different extent of negative Eu anomaly. Moreover, Rb, Nb, Ta, Sr, P and Ti show different degrees of negative anomalies, whereas Ba, K, La, Zr and Hf show positive anomalies in the primitive mantle normalized diagram. Negative anomalies of Eu and Sr indicate strong influence of plagioclase. In conventional discrimination diagrams, these FGB granites belong to the A-type granite, with geochemical characteristics affinitive to post-collisional granites. The ,Nd (230 Ma) values (,15.80 to ,2.52) and TDM values (1.02,2.07 Ga) suggest that magma for the FGB granites were derived from a heterogeneous crustal source. Therefore, the FGB granites may provide clues for deciphering the formation of post-collisional granites. It is proposed that the magma of the FGB granites both in the HP and UHP units was formed in an extensional tectonic setting slightly post-dating the HP and UHP metamorphism, most likely as a result of decompressional partial melting of UHP retrograded eclogites during exhumation. [source] Compositions and taxonomy of 15 unusual carbonaceous chondritesMETEORITICS & PLANETARY SCIENCE, Issue 4 2010Won Hie CHOE 1152 (anomalous CV3); Pecora Escarpment (PCA) 91008 (anomalous, metamorphosed CM); Queen Alexandra Range 99038 (type 2 ungrouped); Sahara 00182 (type 3 ungrouped, possibly related to HaH 073 and/or to C-L 001); and WIS 91600 (mildly metamorphosed, anomalous, CM-like chondrite, possibly a member of a new grouplet that includes Belgica-7904, Dhofar 225, and Y-86720). Many of these meteorites show fractionated abundance patterns, especially among the volatile elements. Impact volatilization and dehydration as well as elemental transport caused by terrestrial weathering are probably responsible for most of these compositional anomalies. The metamorphosed CM chondrites comprise two distinct clusters on the basis of their ,17O values: approximately ,4, for PCA 91008, GRO 95566, DaG 978, and LEW 85311, and approximately 0, for Belgica-7904 and WIS 91600. These six meteorites must have been derived from different asteroidal regions. [source] Noble gas study of the Saratov L4 chondriteMETEORITICS & PLANETARY SCIENCE, Issue 3 2010Jun-ichi MATSUDA The Ar, Kr, and Xe concentrations in the HF/HCl residue are two orders of magnitude higher than those in the bulk sample, while He and Ne concentrations from both are comparable. The residue contains only a portion of the trapped heavy noble gases in Saratov; 40 ± 9% for 36Ar, 58 ± 12% for 84Kr, and 48 ± 10% for 132Xe, respectively. The heavy noble gas elemental pattern in the dissolved fraction is similar to that in the residue but has high release temperatures. Xenon isotopic ratios of the HF/HCl residue indicate that there is no Xe-HL in Saratov, but Ne isotopic ratios in the HF/HCl residue lie on a straight line connecting the cosmogenic component and a composition between Ne-Q and Ne-HL. This implies that the Ne isotopic composition of Q has been changed by incorporating Ne-HL (Huss et al. 1996) or by being mass fractionated during the thermal metamorphism. However, it is most likely that the Ne-Q in Saratov is intrinsically different from this component in other meteorites. The evidence of this is a lack of correlation between the isotopic ratio of Ne-Q and petrologic types of meteorites (Busemann et al. 2000). A neutron capture effect was observed in the Kr isotopes, and this process also affected the 128Xe/132Xe ratio. The 3He and 21Ne exposure ages for the bulk sample are 33 and 35 Ma, respectively. [source] The fine-grained matrix of the Semarkona LL3.0 ordinary chondrite: An induced thermoluminescence studyMETEORITICS & PLANETARY SCIENCE, Issue 5 2009Jonathan P. CRAIG The samples had TL sensitivities comparable with 4 mg of bulk samples of type 3.2,3.4 ordinary chondrites, which is very high relative to bulk Semarkona. The other induced TL properties of these samples, TL peak temperatures, and TL peak widths distinguish them from other ordinary chondrite samples where the TL is caused by feldspar. Cathodoluminescence images and other data suggest that the cause of the luminescence in the Semarkona fine-grained matrix is forsterite. In some respects the matrix TL data resemble that of Semarkona chondrules, in which the phosphor is forsterite and terrestrial forsterites from a variety of igneous and metamorphic environments. However, differences in the TL peak temperature versus TL peak width relationship between the matrix samples and the other forsterites suggest a fundamentally different formation mechanism. We also note that forsterite appears to be a major component in many primitive materials, such as nebulae, cometary dust, and Stardust particles. [source] Characterization of Antarctic micrometeorites by thermoluminescenceMETEORITICS & PLANETARY SCIENCE, Issue 5 2009F. SEDAGHATPOUR These micrometeorites have TL sensitivities ranging from 0.017 ± 0.002 to 0.087 ± 0.009 (on a scale normalized to 4 mg of the H3.9 chondrite Dhajala). The four micrometeorites have very similar TL peak temperatures and TL peak widths, and these distinguish them from CI, most CM, CV, CO, and ordinary chondrites. However, the TL properties of these micrometeorites closely resemble those of the unusual CM chondrite MacAlpine Hills (MAC) 87300 and terrestrial forsterites. Heating experiments on submillimeter chips of a CM chondrite and a H5 chondrite suggest that these TL properties are have not been significantly affected by atmospheric passage. Thus we suggest that there is no simple linkage between these micrometeorites and the established meteorite classes, and that forsterite is an important component of these micrometeorites, as it is in many primitive solar system materials. [source] Reclassification and thermal history of Trenzano chondriteMETEORITICS & PLANETARY SCIENCE, Issue 12 2007A. M. FIORETTI The quenched intracrystalline Fe2+ -Mg ordering state in orthopyroxene preserves the memory of the cooling rate near closure temperature Tc, thus yielding useful constraints on the last thermal event undergone by the host rock. The orthopyroxene Tc of 522 ± 13 °C, calculated using a new calibration equation obtained by Stimpfl (2005b), is higher than in previously published H chondrite data. The orthopyroxene cooling rate at this Tc is about 100 °C/kyr. This fast rate is inconsistent with the much slower cooling rate expected for H6 in the onion shell structural and thermal model of chondrite parent bodies. A petrographic study carried out at the same time indicated that the Trenzano meteorite is an H5 chondrite and not an H6 chondrite, as it is officially classified. Furthermore, the two-pyroxene equilibrium temperature of Trenzano (824 ± 24 °C), calculated with QUILF95, is similar to the two-pyroxene temperature of 750,840 °C obtained for the Carcote (H5) chondrite (Kleinschrot and Okrusch 1999). [source] The GRO 95577 CR1 chondrite and hydration of the CR parent bodyMETEORITICS & PLANETARY SCIENCE, Issue 9 2007Michael K. Weisberg GRO 95577 has many petrological similarities to the CR chondrites. Although the INAA data show patterns indicative of terrestrial weathering, some of the elemental abundances are consistent with a relationship to CR chondrites. The oxygen isotopic composition of GRO 95577 plots close to the Renazzo CR chondrite on the three-isotope diagram. However, GRO 95577 is remarkable in that the chondrules are completely hydrated, consisting almost entirely of phyllosilicates, magnetite, and sulfides. Although GRO 95577 is completely hydrated, the initial chondrule textures are perfectly preserved. The chondrules are in sharp contact with the matrix, their fine-grained rims are clearly visible, and the boundaries of the dark inclusions can be easily discerned. Many chondrules in GRO 95577 have textures suggestive of type I chondrules, but the phenocrysts have undergone perfect pseudomorphic replacement by yellow to brownish serpentine-rich phyllosilicate, with sharp original crystal outlines preserved. The chondrule mesostasis is a green aluminous chlorite-rich material, most likely a hydration product of the feldspathic mesostasis commonly found in anhydrous type I chondrules. Some chondrules contain magnetite spheres, most likely formed by oxidation of metal. We propose that GRO 95577 be classified as a CR1 chondrite, making it the first known CR1 chondrite and expanding the range of alteration conditions on the CR parent body. [source] Authenticating the recovery location of meteorites: The case of CastenasoMETEORITICS & PLANETARY SCIENCE, Issue 3 2007Luigi Folco Using the hypothesis that Castenaso was instead a hot-desert meteorite, we conducted a comparative mineralogical and geochemical study of major weathering effects on European and Saharan ordinary chondrites as potential markers of the environment where Castenaso resided during its terrestrial lifetime. Inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) data reveals that Castenaso is significantly enriched in Sr, Ba, Tl, and U, and suggests geochemical alteration in a hot-desert environment. The alteration is minor: Castenaso is not coated by desert varnish and does not show significant light rare earth element (LREE) enrichment or loss of Ni and Co. The apparent contrast in size, morphology, and composition between the soil particles filling the external fractures of Castenaso and those from the bank of the Idice Stream observed under the scanning electron microscope (SEM) suggests that Castenaso did not reside at the reported find location. Abraded quartz grains (up to 1 mm in size) in Castenaso are undoubtedly from a hot-desert eolian environment: they are well-rounded and show external surfaces characterized by the presence of dish-shaped concavities and upturned silica plates that have been subject to solution-precipitation and subsequent smoothing. We therefore conclude that Castenaso is one of the many hot-desert ordinary chondrite finds, probably from the Sahara, that is currently available on the market. This forensic work provides the scientific grounds for changing the name of this meteorite. [source] Heating effects of the matrix of experimentally shocked Murchison CM chondrite: Comparison with micrometeoritesMETEORITICS & PLANETARY SCIENCE, Issue 1 2007Naotaka TOMIOKA However, if a major fraction of micrometeorites are produced by impacts on porous asteroids, they may have experienced shock heating before contact with the Earth's atmosphere (Tomeoka et al. 2003). A transmission electron microscope (TEM) study of the matrix of Murchison CM chondrite experimentally shocked at pressures of 10,49 GPa shows that its mineralogy and texture change dramatically, mainly due to shock heating, with the progressive shock pressures. Tochilinite is completely decomposed to an amorphous material at 10 GPa. Fe-Mg serpentine is partially decomposed and decreases in amount with increasing pressure from 10 to 30 GPa and is completely decomposed at 36 GPa. At 49 GPa, the matrix is extensively melted and consists mostly of aggregates of equigranular grains of Fe-rich olivine and less abundant low-Ca pyroxene embedded in Si-rich glass. The mineralogy and texture of the shocked samples are similar to those of some types of micrometeorites. In particular, the samples shocked at 10 and 21 GPa are similar to the phyllosilicate (serpentine)-rich micrometeorites, and the sample shocked at 49 GPa is similar to the olivine-rich micrometeorites. The shock heating effects also resemble the effects of pulse-heating experiments on the CI and CM chondrite matrices that were conducted to simulate atmospheric entry heating. We suggest that micrometeorites derived from porous asteroids are likely to go through both shock and atmospheric-entry heating processes. [source] Fabric analysis of Allende matrix using EBSDMETEORITICS & PLANETARY SCIENCE, Issue 7 2006Lauren E. Watt Electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) has allowed fabrics in these fine-grained materials to be visualized in detail for the first time. Our data reveal that Allende, a CV3 chondrite, possesses a uniform, planar, short-axis alignment fabric that is pervasive on a broad scale and is probably the result of deformational shortening related to impact or gravitational compaction. Interference between this matrix fabric and the larger, more rigid components, such as dark inclusions (DIs) and calcium-aluminium-rich inclusions (CAIs), has lead to the development of locally oriented and intensified matrix fabrics. In addition, DIs possess fabrics that are conformable with the broader matrix fabric. These results suggest that DIs were in situ prior to the deformational shortening event responsible for these fabrics, thus providing an argument against dark inclusions being fragments from another lithified part of the asteroid (Kojima and Tomeoka 1996; Fruland et al. 1978). Moreover, both DIs and Allende matrix are highly porous (,25%) (Corrigan et al. 1997). Mobilizing a highly porous DI during impact-induced brecciation without imposing a fabric and incorporating it into a highly porous matrix without significantly compacting these materials is improbable. We favor a model that involves Allende DIs, CAIs, and matrix accreting together and experiencing the same deformation events. [source] Shock-melted material in the Krymka LL3.1 chondrite: Behavior of the opaque mineralsMETEORITICS & PLANETARY SCIENCE, Issue 2 2005Vira P. Semenenko The shock pressure, nominally in the range of 75,90 GPa, could only have been 30,35 GPa in a porous material like fine-grained matrix. The melted regions have an igneous texture and their silicates are zoned and unequilibrated. Large metal-troilite intergrowths formed in these regions. The metal has a nickel content corresponding to martensite and the troilite contains up to 4.2 wt% nickel. Melting must have been very short and cooling very fast (>100 °C/h at high temperature). The metal contains up to 0.7 wt% phosphorus. Abundant chromite crystals and sodium-iron phosphate glass globules are found in troilite. The differences in composition between the opaque phases found in the melted regions and those generally observed in unmetamorphosed chondrules are assigned to melting under closed system conditions. Surprisingly high Co concentrations (up to 13 wt%) were found in some metal grains in or at the periphery of melted regions. They likely resulted from sulfurization of metal by sulfur vapor produced during the shock. After solidification, at least one other shock led to mechanical effects in the melted regions. [source] The multiple meteorite fall of Neuschwanstein: Circumstances of the event and meteorite search campaignsMETEORITICS & PLANETARY SCIENCE, Issue 10 2004J. OBERST From analysis of the images, a prediction on the geographic location of the meteorite strewn field could be made. Following systematic ground searches in difficult high-mountain terrain, three fragments of a rare EL6 enstatite chondrite were recovered during search campaigns in the summers of 2002 and 2003. "Neuschwanstein" is the fourth meteorite fall in history that has been photographed by fireball networks and the fragments of which have been found subsequently. It is the first time since the beginning of the EN operation in the early sixties that the photographic observations have made a meteorite recovery possible. [source] Spectacular fall of the Kendrapara H5 chondriteMETEORITICS & PLANETARY SCIENCE, Issue S8 2004D. Dhingra In a rare observation, the fireball was seen by two airline pilots, providing direction of the trail with reasonable accuracy, consistent with ground-based observations. A few fragments of the meteorite were subsequently recovered along the end of the trail in different parts of Kendrapara district (20°30, N; 86°26, E) of Orissa. Based on petrography and chemical composition, the meteorite is classified as H5 chondrite. The cosmogenic radionuclides54Mn,22Na,60Co, and26Al and tracks have been studied in this stony meteorite. Two of the fragments show an unusually high activity of60Co (,160 dpm/kg) indicating a meteoroid radius of 50,150 cm. Assuming that less than 10% (by weight) of the fragments could be recovered because of difficult terrain, an atmospheric mass ablation of >95% is estimated. Based on the observations of the trail and the estimated mass ablation, orbital parameters of the meteoroid have been calculated. The aphelion is found to lie in the asteroidal belt (1.8,2.4 AU), but the inclination of the orbit is large (22°,26°) with respect to the ecliptic. Noble gases have been analysed in two samples of this meteorite. He and Ne are dominantly cosmogenic. Using production rates based on the sample depth derived from60Co content,21Ne-based exposure age of 4.50 ± 0.45 Ma is derived for Kendrapara. One of the samples, known to be more deeply shielded based on high60Co activity, shows the presence of80Kr,82Kr, and128Xe produced by (n, ,) reaction on79Br,81Br, and127I, respectively. The (80Kr/82Kr)n ratio of 3.5 ± 0.9 is consistent with neutrons being mostly thermal. Trapped84Kr and132Xe are in the expected range for metamorphic grade H5. [source] Mineralogy, petrology, and thermal evolution of the Benton LL6 chondriteMETEORITICS & PLANETARY SCIENCE, Issue S7 2003Erin L. WALTON Internally, the meteorite comprises light-colored, subangular to subrounded clasts embedded in a dark grey-colored matrix. Clasts comprise the same mineral phases as the matrix, as well as chondrules and larger (50,100 ,m) single mineral grains (mainly olivine and orthopyroxene). Composite (polyphase) clasts can be several millimeters in length. Numerous examples of post-brecciation and post-annealing shearing and displacement at the micron to millimeter scale occur in the form of shock veins. Benton is a shock stage S3 chondrite, which experienced shock pressures on the order of 15,20 GPa, with an estimated post-shock temperature increase of 100,150°C. Benton's history comprises a sequence of events as follows: 1) chondrule formation and initial assembly; 2) brecciation; 3) thermal metamorphism; and 4) shock veining. Events (2) and (4) can be equated with distinct impact events, the former representing bombardment of target material that remained in situ or collisionally fragmented during metamorphism, and then gravitationally reassembled, the latter probably with release from the source body to yield a meteorite. Thermal metamorphism post-dates brecciation. The mean equilibration temperature recorded in the Benton LL6 chondrite is 890°C, obtained using the two pyroxene geothermometer. [source] Disequilibrium partial melting experiments on the Leedey L6 chondrite: Textural controls on melting processesMETEORITICS & PLANETARY SCIENCE, Issue 11 2001S. N. Feldstein Chips of the L6 chondrite, Leedey, were heated at 1200 °C and log ,O2 = IW-1 for durations of 1 h to 21 days. We observed a progression of kinetically-controlled textural changes in melt and restite minerals and changes in the liquidus mineralogy in response to factors such as volatile loss. During the course of the experiments, both olivine and orthopyroxene recrystallized at different times. Rare relic chondrules could still be identified after 21 days. The silicate melts that form are very heterogeneous, in terms of both major and trace element chemistry, reflecting heterogeneity of the localized mineral assemblage, particularly with respect to phosphates and clinopyroxene. Metal-sulfide melts formed in short-duration runs are also heterogeneous. The experimental data are relevant to aspects of the genesis of primitive achondrites such as the acapulcoites. The observed textures are consistent with a model for acapulcoite petrogenesis in which silicate melting was limited to only a few volume percent of the chondritic source rock. The experiments are also relevant to the behavior of chondritic material that has been partially melted in an impact environment. [source] MUSES-C target asteroid (25143) 1998 SF36: A reddened ordinary chondriteMETEORITICS & PLANETARY SCIENCE, Issue 8 2001Richard P. BINZEL High signal-to-noise and relatively high-resolution (50 Å) visible and near-infrared spectroscopic measurements obtained during this asteroid's favorable 2001 apparition reveal it to have a red-sloped S(IV)-type spectrum with strong 1 and 2 ,m absorption bands analogous to those measured for ordinary chondrite meteorites. This red slope, which is the primary spectral difference between (25143) 1998 SF36 and ordinary chondrite meteorites, is well modeled by the spectrum of 0.05% nanophase iron (npFe0) proposed as a weathering mechanism by Pieters et al. (2000). Asteroid 1998 SF36 appears to have a surface composition corresponding to that of ordinary chondrite meteorites and is most similar in spectral characteristics and modeled olivine/pyroxene content to the LL chondrite class. [source] Determination of Lithium Contents in Silicates by Isotope Dilution ICP-MS and its Evaluation by Isotope Dilution Thermal Ionisation Mass SpectrometryGEOSTANDARDS & GEOANALYTICAL RESEARCH, Issue 3 2004Takuya Moriguti Lithium; ICP-MS avec dilution isotopique; TIMS; matériaux silicatés de référence; météorites A precise and simple method for the determination of lithium concentrations in small amounts of silicate sample was developed by applying isotope dilution-inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ID-ICP-MS). Samples plus a Li spike were digested with HF-HClO4, dried and diluted with HNO3, and measured by ICP-MS. No matrix effects were observed for 7Li/6Li in rock solutions with a dilution factor (DF) of 97 at an ICP power of 1.7 kW. By this method, the determination of 0.5 ,g g -1 Li in a silicate sample of 1 mg can be made with a blank correction of < 1%. Lithium contents of ultrabasic to acidic silicate reference materials (JP-1, JB-2, JB-3, JA-1, JA-2, JA-3, JR-1 and JR-2 from the Geological Survey of Japan, and PCC-1 from the US Geological Survey) and chondrites (three different Allende and one Murchison sample) of 8 to 81 mg were determined. The relative standard deviation (RSD) was typically < 1.7%. Lithium contents of these samples were further determined by isotope dilution-thermal ionisation mass spectrometry (ID-TIMS). The relative differences between ID-ICP-MS and ID-TIMS were typically < 2%, indicating the high accuracy of ID-ICP-MS developed in this study. Nous avons développé une méthode simple et précise de détermination des concentrations en lithium dans de très petits échantillons silicatés. Elle est basée sur la méthode de dilution isotopique couplée à l'analyse par spectrométrie de masse avec couplage induit (ID-ICP-MS). Les échantillons auxquels est ajouté le spike de Li, sont mis en solution avec un mélange HF-HclO4, évaporés à sec, puis repris avec HNO3 et analysés à l'ICP-MS. Aucun effet de matrice n'est observé sur les rapports 7Li/6Li dans les solutions quand les facteurs de dilution sont 97 et qu'elles sont analysées avec une puissance du plasma de 1.7 kW. Par cette méthode, la détermination de 0.5 ,g g -1 de Li dans un échantillon silicaté de 1 mg peut être effectuée avec une correction de blanc < 1 %. Les teneurs en lithium des matériaux de référence de composition ultrabasique à acide (JP-1, JB-2, JB-3, JA-1, JA-2, JA-3, JR- 1 et JR-2 du Service Géologique du Japon, et PCC-1 du Service Géologique des USA) et de chondrites (trois échantillons différents d'Allende et un de Murchison), de poids variant entre 8 et 81 mg ont été déterminées. La déviation standard relative typique était < 1.7%. Les teneurs en lithium de ces échantillons ont été ensuite mesurées par dilution isotopique et spectrométrie de masse à thermo-ionisation (ID-TIMS). Les différences entre les résultats obtenus par ID-ICP-MS et ID-TIMS étaient < 2%, démontrant ainsi la grande justesse de la technique ID-ICP-MS développée dans cette étude. [source] Ar-Ar ages and thermal histories of enstatite meteoritesMETEORITICS & PLANETARY SCIENCE, Issue 5 2010Donald D. BOGARD In this study, we report 39Ar- 40Ar dating results for five EL chondrites: Khairpur, Pillistfer, Hvittis, Blithfield, and Forrest; five EH chondrites: Parsa, Saint Marks, Indarch, Bethune, and Reckling Peak 80259; three igneous-textured enstatite meteorites that represent impact melts on enstatite chondrite parent bodies: Zaklodzie, Queen Alexandra Range 97348, and Queen Alexandra Range 97289; and three aubrites, Norton County, Bishopville, and Cumberland Falls Several Ar-Ar age spectra show unusual 39Ar recoil effects, possibly the result of some of the K residing in unusual sulfide minerals, such as djerfisherite and rodderite, and other age spectra show 40Ar diffusion loss. Few additional Ar-Ar ages for enstatite meteorites are available in the literature. When all available Ar-Ar data on enstatite meteorites are considered, preferred ages of nine chondrites and one aubrite show a range of 4.50,4.54 Ga, whereas five other meteorites show only lower age limits over 4.35,4.46 Ga. Ar-Ar ages of several enstatite chondrites are as old or older as the oldest Ar-Ar ages of ordinary chondrites, which suggests that enstatite chondrites may have derived from somewhat smaller parent bodies, or were metamorphosed to lower temperatures compared to other chondrite types. Many enstatite meteorites are brecciated and/or shocked, and some of the younger Ar-Ar ages may record these impact events. Although impact heating of ordinary chondrites within the last 1 Ga is relatively common for ordinary chondrites, only Bethune gives any significant evidence for such a young event. [source] Sulfide-rich metallic impact melts from chondritic parent bodiesMETEORITICS & PLANETARY SCIENCE, Issue 5 2010Devin L. SCHRADER We compare them with the H-metal meteorite, Lewis Cliff 88432. Phase diagram analyses suggest that SaW 005, MET 00428, and HOW 88403 were liquids at temperatures above 1350 °C. Tridymite in HOW 88403 constrains formation to a high-temperature and low-pressure environment. The morphology of their metal-troilite structures may suggest that MET 00428 cooled the slowest, SaW 005 cooled faster, and HOW 88403 cooled the quickest. SaW 005 and MET 00428 contain H-chondrite like silicates, and SaW 005 contains a chondrule-bearing inclusion that is texturally and compositionally similar to H4 chondrites. The compositional and morphological similarities of SaW 005 and MET 00428 suggest that they are likely the result of impact processing on the H-chondrite parent body. SaW 005 and MET 00428 are the first recognized iron- and sulfide-rich meteorites, which formed by impact on the H-chondrite parent body, which are distinct from the IIE-iron meteorite group. The morphological and chemical differences of HOW 88403 suggest that it is not from the H-chondrite body, although it likely formed during an impact on a chondritic parent body. [source] Carbonates in CM chondrites: Complex formational histories and comparison to carbonates in CI chondritesMETEORITICS & PLANETARY SCIENCE, Issue 4 2010Simone De LEUW Two different carbonate minerals (calcite/aragonite and dolomite) together constitute 1.4,2.8 vol% of CM chondrites. In contrast, CI chondrites contain four different carbonate minerals: calcite/aragonite, dolomite, breunnerite, and siderite. CI chondrites have abundant dolomite, a mineral that seems to be absent in the most aqueously altered CM chondrites. In this study, carbonates in seven CM chondrites (Y-791198, LaPaz Icefield 04796, Cold Bokkeveld, Nogoya, Queen Alexandra Range 93005, Allan Hills 83100, and Meteorite Hills 01070) were studied petrographically and by electron microprobe. The results indicate that carbonate formation in CM chondrites differs from that in CI chondrites and is more complex than previously recognized. Our studies of CM chondrites indicate that (1) carbonates formed on the parent asteroid in an aqueous environment that gradually changed in composition, (2) at some stage, Ca and Mg activities in the environment were high enough to form metastable dolomite, and (3) dolomites disappeared in the most aqueously altered CM chondrites. [source] Compositions and taxonomy of 15 unusual carbonaceous chondritesMETEORITICS & PLANETARY SCIENCE, Issue 4 2010Won Hie CHOE 1152 (anomalous CV3); Pecora Escarpment (PCA) 91008 (anomalous, metamorphosed CM); Queen Alexandra Range 99038 (type 2 ungrouped); Sahara 00182 (type 3 ungrouped, possibly related to HaH 073 and/or to C-L 001); and WIS 91600 (mildly metamorphosed, anomalous, CM-like chondrite, possibly a member of a new grouplet that includes Belgica-7904, Dhofar 225, and Y-86720). Many of these meteorites show fractionated abundance patterns, especially among the volatile elements. Impact volatilization and dehydration as well as elemental transport caused by terrestrial weathering are probably responsible for most of these compositional anomalies. The metamorphosed CM chondrites comprise two distinct clusters on the basis of their ,17O values: approximately ,4, for PCA 91008, GRO 95566, DaG 978, and LEW 85311, and approximately 0, for Belgica-7904 and WIS 91600. These six meteorites must have been derived from different asteroidal regions. [source] Vapor-condensed phase processes in the early solar systemMETEORITICS & PLANETARY SCIENCE, Issue 1 2010Lawrence GROSSMAN Many refractory inclusions in CM2 chondrites contain a relatively SiO2 -poor assemblage (spinel, hibonite, grossite, perovskite, corundum) that represents a high-temperature stage of condensation, and some may be pristine condensates that escaped later melting. Compact Type A and Type B refractory inclusions, consisting of spinel, melilite, perovskite, Ca-rich clinopyroxene ± anorthite, in CV3 chondrites are more SiO2 -rich and equilibrated with the solar nebular gas at a slightly lower temperature. Textures of many of these objects indicate that they underwent melting after condensation, crystallizing into the same phase assemblage as their precursors. The Ti3+/Ti4+ ratio of their pyroxene indicates that this process occurred in a gas whose oxygen fugacity () was approximately 8.5 log units below that of the iron-wüstite buffer, making them the only objects in chondrites known to have formed in a system whose composition was close to that of the sun. Relative to CI chondrites, these inclusions are uniformly enriched in a group of elements (e.g., Ca, REE, Zr, Ta, Ir) that are chemically diverse except for their high condensation temperatures in a system of solar composition. The enrichment factor, 17.5, can be interpreted to mean that these objects represent either the first 5.7 wt% of the condensable matter to condense during nebular cooling or the residue after vaporization of 94.3% of a CI chondrite precursor. The Mg and Si isotopic compositions of Types A and B inclusions are mass-fractionated by up to 10 and 4 ,/amu, respectively. When interpreted in terms of Rayleigh fractionation during evaporation of Mg and Si from the inclusions while they were molten, the isotopic compositions imply that up to 60% of the Mg and up to 25% of the Si were evaporated, and that approximately 80% of the enrichment in refractory (CaO+Al2O3) relative to more volatile (MgO+SiO2) in the average inclusion is due to initial condensation and approximately 20% due to subsequent evaporation. The mineralogical composition, including the Ti3+/Ti4+ ratio of the pyroxene, in Inti, a particle sampled from Comet Wild 2 by the Stardust spacecraft, is nearly identical to that of a Type B inclusion, indicating that comets contain not only the lowest-temperature condensates in the form of ices but the highest-temperature condensates as well. The FeO/(FeO+MgO) ratios of olivine and pyroxene in the matrix and chondrules of carbonaceous and ordinary chondrites are too high to be made in a system of solar composition, requiring s only 1 or 2 log units below iron-wüstite, more than 105 times higher than that of a solar gas. Various ways have been devised to generate cosmic gases sufficiently oxidizing to stabilize significant FeO in olivine at temperatures above those where Fe-Mg interdiffusion in olivine ceases. One is by vertical settling of dust toward the nebular midplane, enriching a region in dust relative to gas. Because dust is enriched in oxygen compared to carbon and hydrogen relative to solar composition, a higher results from total vaporization of the region, but the factor by which theoretical models have so far enriched the dust is 10 times too low. Another is by transporting icy bodies from the outer part of the nebula into the hot, inner part where vaporization of water ice occurs. Not only does this method fail to make the needed by a factor of 30,1000 but it also ignores simultaneous evaporation of carbon-bearing ices that would make the even lower. [source] Analysis of ordinary chondrites using powder X-ray diffraction: 2.METEORITICS & PLANETARY SCIENCE, Issue 1 2010Applications to ordinary chondrite parent-body processes Several observations indicate that oxidation may have occurred during progressive metamorphism of equilibrated chondrites, including systematic changes with petrologic type in XRD-derived olivine and low-Ca pyroxene abundances, increasing ratios of MgO/(MgO+FeO) in olivine and pyroxene, mean Ni/Fe and Co/Fe ratios in bulk metal with increasing metamorphic grade, and linear Fe addition trends in molar Fe/Mn and Fe/Mg plots. An aqueous fluid, likely incorporated as hydrous silicates and distributed homogeneously throughout the parent body, was responsible for oxidation. Based on mass balance calculations, a minimum of 0.3,0.4 wt% H2O reacted with metal to produce oxidized Fe. Prior to oxidation the parent body underwent a period of reduction, as evidenced by the unequilibrated chondrites. Unlike olivine and pyroxene, average plagioclase abundances do not show any systematic changes with increasing petrologic type. Based on this observation and a comparison of modal and normative plagioclase abundances, we suggest that plagioclase completely crystallized from glass by type 4 temperature conditions in the H and L chondrites and by type 5 in the LL chondrites. Because the validity of using the plagioclase thermometer to determine peak temperatures rests on the assumption that plagioclase continued to crystallize through type 6 conditions, we suggest that temperatures calculated using pyroxene goethermometry provide more accurate estimates of the peak temperatures reached in ordinary chondrite parent bodies. [source] Meteorite finds from southern TunisiaMETEORITICS & PLANETARY SCIENCE, Issue 7 2009N. LARIDHI OUAZAA Nine likely unpaired meteorites (seven H-class and two L-class chondrites) totalling ?1.3 kg were recovered by exploring an approximately 45 km2area, therefore demonstrating that southern Tunisia is a suitable terrain for systematic searches for meteorites. [source] The Fountain Hills unique CB chondrite: Insights into thermal processes on the CB parent bodyMETEORITICS & PLANETARY SCIENCE, Issue 6 2009Dante S. LAURETTA This meteorite is closely related to the CBa class. Mineral compositions and O-isotopic ratios are indistinguishable from other members of this group. However, many features of Fountain Hills are distinct from the other CB chondrites. Fountain Hills contains 23 volume percent metal, significantly lower than other members of this class. In addition, Fountain Hills contains porphyritic chondrules, which are extremely rare in other CBa chondrites. Fountain Hills does not appear to have experienced the extensive shock seen in other CB chondrites. The chondrule textures and lack of fine-grained matrix suggests that Fountain Hills formed in a dust-poor region of the early solar system by melting of solid precursors. Refractory siderophiles and lithophile elements are present in near-CI abundances (within a factor of two, related to the enhancement of metal). Moderately volatile and highly volatile elements are significantly depleted in Fountain Hills. The abundances of refractory siderophile trace elements in metal grains are consistent with condensation from a gas that is reduced relative to solar composition and at relatively high pressures (10,3bars). Fountain Hills experienced significant thermal metamorphism on its parent asteroid. Combining results from the chemical gradients in an isolated spinel grain with olivine-spinel geothermometry suggests a peak temperature of metamorphism between 535 °C and 878 °C, similar to type-4 ordinary chondrites. [source] The fine-grained matrix of the Semarkona LL3.0 ordinary chondrite: An induced thermoluminescence studyMETEORITICS & PLANETARY SCIENCE, Issue 5 2009Jonathan P. CRAIG The samples had TL sensitivities comparable with 4 mg of bulk samples of type 3.2,3.4 ordinary chondrites, which is very high relative to bulk Semarkona. The other induced TL properties of these samples, TL peak temperatures, and TL peak widths distinguish them from other ordinary chondrite samples where the TL is caused by feldspar. Cathodoluminescence images and other data suggest that the cause of the luminescence in the Semarkona fine-grained matrix is forsterite. In some respects the matrix TL data resemble that of Semarkona chondrules, in which the phosphor is forsterite and terrestrial forsterites from a variety of igneous and metamorphic environments. However, differences in the TL peak temperature versus TL peak width relationship between the matrix samples and the other forsterites suggest a fundamentally different formation mechanism. We also note that forsterite appears to be a major component in many primitive materials, such as nebulae, cometary dust, and Stardust particles. [source] Characterization of Antarctic micrometeorites by thermoluminescenceMETEORITICS & PLANETARY SCIENCE, Issue 5 2009F. SEDAGHATPOUR These micrometeorites have TL sensitivities ranging from 0.017 ± 0.002 to 0.087 ± 0.009 (on a scale normalized to 4 mg of the H3.9 chondrite Dhajala). The four micrometeorites have very similar TL peak temperatures and TL peak widths, and these distinguish them from CI, most CM, CV, CO, and ordinary chondrites. However, the TL properties of these micrometeorites closely resemble those of the unusual CM chondrite MacAlpine Hills (MAC) 87300 and terrestrial forsterites. Heating experiments on submillimeter chips of a CM chondrite and a H5 chondrite suggest that these TL properties are have not been significantly affected by atmospheric passage. Thus we suggest that there is no simple linkage between these micrometeorites and the established meteorite classes, and that forsterite is an important component of these micrometeorites, as it is in many primitive solar system materials. [source] | |||||||||||||