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Meteorites
Selected AbstractsMeteorite 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 new Arthur Ross Hall of Meteorites at the American Museum of Natural HistoryMETEORITICS & PLANETARY SCIENCE, Issue 10 2004Denton S. Ebel [source] Meteorites,A journey through space and time by Alex Bevan and John de LaeterMETEORITICS & PLANETARY SCIENCE, Issue 1 2003Alan E. Rubin [source] Books and Multimedia ReviewMETEORITICS & PLANETARY SCIENCE, Issue 10 2001Article first published online: 4 FEB 2010 Book reviewed in this article: The Oxford Companion to the Earth edited by Paul L. Hancock, Brian J. Skinner and David L. Dineley. Molecular Hydrogen in Space edited by F. Combes and G. Pineau des Forets. The Cambridge Handbook of Physics Formulas by G. Woan. From Mountains to Meteorites by Brian Mason and Simon Nathan. [source] Books and Multimedia ReviewsMETEORITICS & PLANETARY SCIENCE, Issue 8 2001Article first published online: 4 FEB 2010 Book reviewed in this article: Meteorites from A to Z by Michael R. Jensen, William B Ces Pierres qui tombent du ciel by Jean-Paul Poirier Aiming for the Stars: The Dreamers and Doers of the Space Age by Tom D. Crouch [source] Books and Multimedia ReviewsMETEORITICS & PLANETARY SCIENCE, Issue 3 2001Article first published online: 4 FEB 2010 Book reviewed in this article: Catalogue of Meteorites, Fifth Edition (Revised and Enlarged) by Monica M. Grady Extrasolar Planets: The Search for New Worlds by Stuart Clark The Moon: Resources, Future Development and Colonization by David Schrunk, Burton Sharpe, Bonnie Cooper and Madhu Thangavelu Rare Earth: Why Complex Life is Uncommon in the Universe by Peter D. Ward and Donald E. Brownlee [source] Meteorites, meteors and cometsASTRONOMY & GEOPHYSICS, Issue 5 2003Jonathan Shanklin There are many areas in which professional and amateur co-operation brings benefits to both. Speakers at the RAS-BAA Pro-am discussion meeting on 10 May explored observational work on some of the debris in the solar system. The meeting concluded with a lecture given in memory of the noted amateur astronomer George Alcock. Jonathan Shanklin reports. [source] Analysis of Simulated Martian Regolith Using an Array of Ion Selective ElectrodesELECTROANALYSIS, Issue 15-16 2005Stefan Abstract A prototype miniature array of polymer membrane and solid state ion selective electrodes was developed for the purpose of performing an in-situ analysis of the soluble ionic species in Martian regolith (soil). The array contains a total of 27 electrodes for K+, Na+, Ca2+, Mg2+, NH, Ba2+, NO, Cl,, and Li+, each in triplicate. Barium electrodes were used to indirectly monitor sulfate through precipitation by the addition of barium chloride while the lithium electrodes served as a reference for the array by having a constant lithium concentration as a background for all solutions. The array was tested with several types of simulants, soils, and sawdust from a Mars meteorite, all with varying salt content, meant to approximate the various hypotheses regarding the ionic composition of the Martian soil. The activities of anions and cations determined with the array were compared to ion chromatography data. [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] 40Ar- 39Ar age determinations of lunar basalt meteorites Asuka 881757, Yamato 793169, Miller Range 05035, La Paz Icefield 02205, Northwest Africa 479, and basaltic breccia Elephant Moraine 96008METEORITICS & PLANETARY SCIENCE, Issue 6 2009Vera A. FERNANDES Stepped heating 40Ar- 39Ar analyses of several bulk fragments of related meteorites A-881757, Y-793169 and MIL 05035 give crystallization ages of 3.763 ± 0.046 Ga, 3.811 ± 0.098 Ga and 3.845 ± 0.014 Ga, which are comparable with previous age determinations by Sm-Nd, U-Pb Th-Pb, Pb-Pb, and Rb-Sr methods. These three meteorites differ in the degree of secondary 40Ar loss with Y-793169 showing relatively high Ar loss probably during an impact event ,200 Ma ago, lower Ar loss in MIL 05035 and no loss in A-881757. Bulk and impact melt glass-bearing samples of LAP 02205 gave similar ages (2.985 ± 0.016 Ga and 2.874 ± 0.056 Ga) and are consistent with ages previously determined using other isotope pairs. The basaltic portion of EET 96008 gives an age of 2.650 ± 0.086 Ga which is considered to be the crystallization age of the basalt in this meteorite. The Ar release for fragmental basaltic breccia EET 96008 shows evidence of an impact event at 631 ± 20 Ma. The crystallization age of 2.721 ± 0.040 Ga determined for NWA 479 is indistinguishable from the weighted mean age obtained from three samples of NWA 032 supporting the proposal that these meteorites are paired. The similarity of 40Ar- 39Ar ages with ages determined by other isotopic systems for multiple meteorites suggests that the K-Ar isotopic system is robust for meteorites that have experienced a significant shock event and not a prolonged heating regime. [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] Puerto Lápice eucrite fall: Strewn field, physical description, probable fireball trajectory, and orbitMETEORITICS & PLANETARY SCIENCE, Issue 2 2009Josep M. TRIGO-RODRÍGUEZ Its daylight fireball was witnessed by hundreds of people from Spain, and produced a meteorite fall associated with a large strewn field of fragments. There were no direct pictures of the fireball, but several pictures of the fireball's train were taken from different locations in Spain. Additional theodolite calibrations of visual records were made in order to find the most probable fireball trajectory based on the available data. The shape of the meteorite strewn field was considered as well. Although the orbit of the Puerto Lápice meteoroid could not be computed due to the absence of velocity data, we assumed a likely range of geocentric velocities and computed a range of possible orbits. All solutions show that the body was in an Apollo-type orbit, with low inclination and perihelion distance just below 1 astronomical unit (AU). This is the first case that an orbit can be discussed for an HED meteorite fall. [source] The Twannberg (Switzerland) IIG iron meteorites: Mineralogy, chemistry, and CRE agesMETEORITICS & PLANETARY SCIENCE, Issue 2 2009Beda A. HOFMANN Five additional masses (12 to 2488 g) were recovered between 2000 and 2007 in the area. The different masses show identical mineralogy consisting of kamacite single crystals with inclusions of three types of schreibersite crystals: cm-sized skeletal (10.5% Ni), lamellar (17.2% Ni), and 1,3 × 10 ,m-sized microprismatic (23.9% Ni). Masses I and II were compared in detail and have virtually identical microstructure, hardness, chemical composition, cosmic-ray exposure (CRE) ages, and 10Be and 26Al activities. Bulk concentrations of 5.2% Ni and 2.0% P were calculated. The preatmospheric mass is estimated to have been at least 11,000 kg. The average CRE age for the different Twannberg samples is 230 ± 50 Ma. Detrital terrestrial mineral grains in the oxide rinds of the three larger masses indicate that they oxidized while they were incorporated in a glacial till deposited by the Rhône glacier during the last glaciation (Würm). The find location of mass I is located at the limit of glaciation where the meteorite may have deposited after transport by the glacier over considerable distance. All evidence indicates pairing of the six masses, which may be part of a larger shower as is indicated by the large inferred pre-atmospheric mass. [source] Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and amino acids in meteorites and ice samples from LaPaz Icefield, AntarcticaMETEORITICS & PLANETARY SCIENCE, Issue 9 2008Oliver BOTTA Four LL5 ordinary chondrites (OCs) and one CK carbonaceous chondrite were collected as part of the 2003/2004 ANSMET season. Ice samples collected from directly underneath the meteorites were extracted. In addition, exhaust particles from the snowmobiles used during the expedition were collected to investigate possible contributions from this source. The meteorite samples, the particulate matter and solid-state extracts of the ice samples and the exhaust filters were subjected to two-step laser mass spectrometry (L2MS) to investigate the PAH composition. For amino acids analysis, the meteorites were extracted with water and acid hydrolyzed, and the extracts were analyzed with offline OPA/NAC derivatization combined with liquid chromatography with UV fluorescence detection and time of flight mass spectrometry (LC-FD/ToF-MS). PAHs in the particulate matter of the ice were found to be qualitatively similar to the meteorite samples, indicating that micron-sized grains of the meteorite may be embedded in the ice samples. The concentration levels of dissolved PAHs in all the ice samples were found to be below the detection limit of the L2MS. The PAH composition of the snowmobile exhaust is significantly different to the one in particulate matter, making it an unlikely source of contamination for Antarctic meteorites. The amino acids glycine, ,-alanine and ,-amino- n -butyric acid that were detected at concentrations of 3 to 19 parts per billion (ppb) are probably indigenous to the Antarctic meteorites. Some of the LaPaz ice samples were also found to contain amino acids at concentration levels of 1 to 33 parts per trillion (ppt), in particular ,-aminoisobutyric acid (AIB), an abundant non-protein amino acid of extraterrestrial origin found in some carbonaceous chondrites. We hypothesize that this amino acid could have been extracted from Antarctic micrometeorites and the particulate matter of the meteorites during the concentration procedure of the ice samples. [source] In situ micro-Raman and X-ray diffraction study of diamonds and petrology of the new ureilite UAE 001 from the United Arab EmiratesMETEORITICS & PLANETARY SCIENCE, Issue 7 2008Dominik C. HEZEL This is the first report of a meteorite in this country. The sample is heavily altered, of medium shock level, and has a total weight of 155 g. Bulk rock, olivine (Fo79.8,81.8) and pyroxene (En73.9,75.2, Fs15.5,16.9, Wo8.8,9.5) compositions are typical of ureilites. Olivine rims are reduced with Fo increasing up to Fo96.1,96.8. Metal in these rims is completely altered to Fehydroxide during terrestrial weathering. We studied diamond and graphite using micro-Raman and in situ synchrotron X-ray diffraction. The main diamond Raman band (LO = TO mode at ,1332 cm,1) is broadened when compared to well-ordered diamond single crystals. Full widths at half maximum (FWHM) values scatter around 7 cm,1. These values resemble FWHM values obtained from chemical vapor deposition (CVD) diamond. In situ XRD measurements show that diamonds have large grain sizes, up to >5 ,m. Some of the graphite measured is compressed graphite. We explore the possibilities of CVD versus impact shock origin of diamonds and conclude that a shock origin is much more plausible. The broadening of the Raman bands might be explained by prolonged shock pressure resulting in a transitional Raman signal between experimentally shock-produced and natural diamonds. [source] Petrology of Martian meteorite Northwest Africa 998METEORITICS & PLANETARY SCIENCE, Issue 5 2008Allan H. TREIMAN This 456-gram, partially fusion-crusted meteorite consists of (by volume) ,75% augite (core composition Wo39En39Fs22), ,9% olivine (Fo35), ,7% plagioclase (Ab61An35) as anhedra among augite and olivine, ,3.5% low-calcium pyroxenes (pigeonite and orthopyroxene) replacing or forming overgrowths on olivine and augite, ,1% titanomagnetite, and other phases including potassium feldspar, apatite, pyrrhotite, chalcopyrite, ilmenite, and fine-grained mesostasis material. Minor secondary alteration materials include "iddingsite" associated with olivine (probably Martian), calcite crack fillings, and iron oxide/hydroxide staining (both probably terrestrial). Shock effects are limited to minor cataclasis and twinning in augite. In comparison to other nakhlites, NWA 998 contains more low-calcium pyroxenes and its plagioclase crystals are blockier. The large size of the intercumulus feldspars and the chemical homogeneity of the olivine imply relatively slow cooling and chemical equilibration in the late- and post-igneous history of this specimen, and mineral thermometers give subsolidus temperatures near 730 °C. Oxidation state was near that of the QFM buffer, from about QFM-2 in earliest crystallization to near QFM in late crystallization, and to about QFM + 1.5 in some magmatic inclusions. The replacement or overgrowth of olivine by pigeonite and orthopyroxene (with or without titanomagnetite), and the marginal replacement of augite by pigeonite, are interpreted to result from late-stage reactions with residual melts (consistent with experimental phase equilibrium relationships). Apatite is concentrated in planar zones separating apatite-free domains, which suggests that residual magma (rich in P and REE) was concentrated in planar (fracture?) zones and possibly migrated through them. Loss of late magma through these zones is consistent with the low bulk REE content of NWA 998 compared with the calculated REE content of its parent magma. [source] Geochemistry and origin of metal, olivine clasts, and matrix in the Dong Ujimqin Qi mesosideriteMETEORITICS & PLANETARY SCIENCE, Issue 3 2008Ping Kong According to silicate textures and metal composition, this meteorite is classified as a member of subgroup IB. Instrumental neutron activation analyses (INAA) of metals show that the matrix metal has lower concentrations of Os, Ir, Re, and Pt, but higher concentrations of Ni and Au than the 7.5 cm metal nodule present in the meteorite. We attribute these compositional differences to fractional crystallization of molten metal. Studies of olivine clasts show that FeO contents are uniform in individual olivine crystals but are variable for different olivine clasts. Although concentrations of rare earth elements (REEs) change within olivine clasts, they all exhibit a vee-shaped pattern relative to CI chondrites. The relatively high concentrations of REEs in olivine and the shape of REE patterns require a liquid high in REEs and especially in light REEs. As such a liquid was absent from the region where basaltic and gabbroic clasts formed, mesosiderite olivine must have formed in a part of the differentiated asteroid that is different from the location where other mesosiderite silicate clasts formed. [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] 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] Selective release of D and 13C from insoluble organic matter of the Murchison meteorite by impact shockMETEORITICS & PLANETARY SCIENCE, Issue 3 2007Koichi Mimura We also performed shock experiments on type III kerogen and compared the results of these experiments with the experimental results regarding IOM. The shock selectively released D and 13C from the IOM, while it preferably released H and 12C from the kerogen. The release of these elements from IOM cannot be explained in terms of the isotope effect, whereas their release from kerogen can be explained by this effect. The selective release of heavier isotopes from IOM would be due to its structure, in which D and 13C-enriched parts are present as an inhomogeneity and are weakly attached to the main network. Shock gave rise to a high release of D even at a lower degree of dehydrogenation compared with the stepwise heating of IOM. This effective release of D is probably an inherent result of shock, in which a dynamic high-pressure and high-temperature condition prevails. Thus, shock would effectively control the hydrogen isotope behavior of extraterrestrial organic matter during the evolution of the solar nebula. [source] The Villalbeto de la Peña meteorite fall: II.METEORITICS & PLANETARY SCIENCE, Issue 4 2006Determination of atmospheric trajectory, orbit The related daylight fireball was witnessed by thousands of people from Spain, Portugal, and southern France, and was also photographed and videotaped from different locations of León and Palencia provinces in Spain. From accurate astrometric calibrations of these records, we have determined the atmospheric trajectory of the meteoroid. The initial fireball velocity, calculated from measurements of 86 video frames, was 16.9 ± 0.4 km/s. The slope of the trajectory was 29.0 ± 0.6° to the horizontal, the recorded velocity during the main fragmentation at a height of 27.9 ± 0.4 km was 14.2 ± 0.2 km/s, and the fireball terminal height was 22.2 ± 0.2 km. The heliocentric orbit of the meteoroid resided in the ecliptic plane (i = 0.0 ± 0.2°), having a perihelion distance of 0.860 ± 0.007 AU and a semimajor axis of 2.3 ± 0.2 AU. Therefore, the meteorite progenitor body came from the Main Belt, like all previous determined meteorite orbits. The Villalbeto de la Peña fireball analysis has provided the ninth known orbit of a meteorite in the solar system. [source] Shock-induced melting, recrystallization, and exsolution in plagioclase from the Martian lherzolitic shergottite GRV 99027METEORITICS & PLANETARY SCIENCE, Issue 4 2006Deqiang Wang The recrystallized plagioclase contains lamellae of pyroxene, olivine, and minor ilmenite (<1 ,m wide). Both the pyroxene and the olivine inclusions enclosed in plagioclase and grains neighboring the plagioclase were partially melted into plagioclase melt pools. The formation of these lamellar inclusions in plagioclase is attributed to exsolution from recrystallizing melt. Distinct from other Martian meteorites, GRV 99027 contains no maskelynite but does contain recrystallized plagioclase. This shows that the meteorite experienced a slower cooling than maskelynite-bearing meteorites. We suggest that the parent rock of GRV 99027 could have been embedded in hot rocks, which facilitated a more protracted cooling history. [source] The Zak,odzie enstatite meteorite: Mineralogy, petrology, origin, and classificationMETEORITICS & PLANETARY SCIENCE, Issue S9 2005Tadeusz A. PRZYLIBSKI Macroscopic and microscopic observations (in transmitted and reflected light), microprobe analyses, cathodoluminescence images, and X-ray diffraction data show that the meteorite is composed of clino- and orthoenstatite, two generations of feldspars, relict olivine (forsterite), a polymorph of SiO2 (apparently cristobalite), and opaque minerals: Fe-Ni alloy (kamacite and taenite), troilite, schreibersite, graphite, and sulfide (Mg, Mn, Fe)S, which is probably keilite. The texture is fine- to inequigranular of cumulate type, locally intergranular. The MgS-FeS thermometer indicates that the sulfides crystallized at ,580,600 °:C. Thus, the Zaklodzie meteorite formed by the nearly complete melting of an enstatite chondrite protolith, probably at ,4.4 Ga; the process was likely caused by the decay of the 26Al nuclide in the planetesimal interior. The second stage of its evolution, which could have happened at ,2.1 Ga, involved partial re-melting of most fusible components, probably due to collision with another body. The structure, composition, and origin of the meteorite and its relation to the parent rock indicate that Zaklodzie may represent a primitive enstatite achondrite. [source] Northwest Africa 011: A "eucritic" basalt from a non-eucrite parent bodyMETEORITICS & PLANETARY SCIENCE, Issue 3 2005Christine Floss This meteorite bears many similarities to the eucrites it was initially identified with, although oxygen isotopic compositions rule out a genetic relationship. Like many eucrites, NWA 011 crystallized from a source with approximately chondritic proportions of REE, although a slightly LREE-enriched bulk composition with a small positive Eu anomaly, as well as highly fractionated Fe/Mg ratios and depleted Sc abundances (Korotchantseva et al. 2003), suggest that the NWA 011 source experienced some pyroxene and/or olivine fractionation. Thermal metamorphism resulted in homogenization of REE abundances within grains, but NWA 011 did not experience the intergrain REE redistribution seen in some highly metamorphosed eucrites. Despite a similarity in oxygen isotopic compositions, NWA 011 does not represent a basaltic partial melt from the acapulcoite/lodranite parent body. The material from which NWA 011 originated may have been like some CH or CB chondrites, members of the CR chondrite clan, which are all related through oxygen isotopic compositions. The NWA 011 parent body is probably of asteroidal origin, possibly the basaltic asteroid 1459 Magnya. [source] A shock-produced (Mg, Fe)SiO3 glass in the Suizhou meteoriteMETEORITICS & PLANETARY SCIENCE, Issue 11 2004Ming CHEN The glass is surrounded by a thick rim of polycrystalline majorite and is identical in composition to the parental low-Ca pyroxene and majorite. These ovoid grains are surrounded by a fine-grained matrix composed of majorite-pyrope garnet, ringwoodite, magnesiowüstite, metal, and troilite. This study strongly suggests that some precursor pyroxene grains inside the shock veins were transformed to perovskite within the pyroxene due to a relatively low temperature, while at the rim region pyroxene grains transformed to majorite due to a higher temperature. After pressure release, perovskite vitrified at post-shock temperature. The existence of vitrified perovskite indicates that the peak pressure in the shock veins exceeds 23 GPa. The post-shock temperature in the meteorite could have been above 477 °C. This study indicates that the occurrence of high-pressure minerals in the shock veins could not be used as a ubiquitous criterion for evaluating the shock stage of meteorites. [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] Oxygen isotopic alteration in Ca-Al-rich inclusions from Efremovka: Nebular or parent body setting?METEORITICS & PLANETARY SCIENCE, Issue 8 2004T. J. Fagan The coarse-grained CAI (CGI-10) is a sub-spherical object composed of elongate, euhedral, normally-zoned melilite crystals ranging up to several hundreds of Pm in length, coarse-grained anorthite and Al, Ti-diopside (fassaite), all with finegrained (,10 ,m across) inclusions of spinel. Similar to many previously examined coarse-grained CAIs from CV chondrites, spinel and fassaite are 16O-rich and melilite is 16O-poor, but in contrast to many previous results, anorthite is 16O-rich. Isotopic composition does not vary with textural setting in the CAI: analyses of melilite from the core and mantle and analyses from a variety of major element compositions yield consistent 16O-poor compositions. CGI-10 originated in an 16O-rich environment, and subsequent alteration resulted in complete isotopic exchange in melilite. The fine-grained CAI (FGI-12) also preserves evidence of a 1st-generation origin in an 16O-rich setting but underwent less severe isotopic alteration. FGI-12 is composed of spinel ± melilite nodules linked by a mass of Al-diopside and minor forsterite along the CAI rim. All minerals are very fine-grained (<5 ,m) with no apparent igneous textures or zoning. Spinel, Al-diopside, and forsterite are 16O-rich, while melilite is variably depleted in 16O (,17,18O from ,-40, to ,5,). The contrast in isotopic distributions in CGI-10 and FGI-12 is opposite to the pattern that would result from simultaneous alteration: the object with finer-grained melilite and a greater surface area/ volume has undergone less isotopic exchange than the coarser-grained object. Thus, the two CAIs were altered in different settings. As the CAIs are adjacent to each other in the meteorite, isotopic exchange in CGI-10 must have preceded incorporation of this CAI in the Efremovka parent body. This supports a nebular setting for isotopic alteration of the commonly observed 16O-poor melilite in coarse-grained CAIs from CV chondrites. [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] First discovery of stishovite in an iron meteoriteMETEORITICS & PLANETARY SCIENCE, Issue 11 2003Dan Holtstam The mineral occurs intimately mixed with amorphous silica, forming tabular grains up to ,3 mm wide, with a hexagonal outline. It was identified using X-ray diffraction and Raman microspectroscopy. The unit-cell parameters of stishovite are a = 4.165(3) Å and c = 2.661(6) Å, and its chemical composition is nearly pure SiO2. Raman spectra show relatively sharp bands at 231 and 754 cm,1 and a broad band with an asymmetric shape and a maximum around 500 cm,1. The rare grains are found within troilite nodules together with chromite, daubreelite, and schreibersite. From their composition and morphology, and by comparisons with silica inclusions in, e.g., the Gibeon IVA iron, we conclude that these rare grains represent pseudomorphs after tridymite. The presence of stishovite in Muonionalusta is suggested to reflect shock metamorphic conditions in the IVA parent asteroid during a cosmic impact event. [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] | |||||||||||||