¹M. Barthez, ¹J. Flahaut, ²M. Guitreau, ¹R. Pik, ¹G. Ito, ³C. Delangle, ³J.-P. Gremilliet, ¹B. Luais, ¹F. Faure
Icarus (in Press) Open Access Link to Article [https://doi.org/10.1016/j.icarus.2026.117027]
¹Université de Lorraine, CNRS, CRPG, Nancy F-54000, France
²Laboratoire Magmas et Volcans, Université Clermont Auvergne, OPGC, CNRS UMR-6524, IRD UMR-163, F-63173 Clermont-Ferrand, France
³Centre Terrae Genesis, F-88120 Le Syndicat, France
Copyright Elsevier

Visible Near-InfraRed (VNIR) spectroscopy is a powerful tool to assess the mineralogical composition of planetary surfaces remotely. Despite decades of investigation with the Observatoire pour la Minéralogie, l’Eau, les Glaces et l’Activité (OMEGA) and the Compact Reconnaissance Imaging Spectrometer for Mars (CRISM) instruments, new detections are still being made on Mars. Plagioclase signatures were reported on the surface of Mars with CRISM, and it could be indicative of uncommon lithologies, as plagioclase is known to be difficult to detect with VNIR spectroscopy, except for plagioclase-pure rocks (i.e., anorthosite).
The present study investigates the VNIR spectra of 67 plagioclase-bearing terrestrial igneous rocks of various nature (e.g., granite, anorthosite, gabbro, tonalite, syenite and their volcanic equivalents) that were kept uncrushed as Mars candidate analog rocks. Total rock spectra were measured with a point spectrometer, while the spectra of their plagioclase constituents are extracted from hyperspectral camera analyses. In parallel, the petrology of rocks and the chemical compositions of feldspar minerals are evaluated with optical microscopy and electron probe microanalyzer (EPMA) respectively.
Most plagioclase crystals in our sample collection exhibit diagnostic absorption features centered between 1.15 μm and 1.40 μm at the mineral level, unless the mineral is altered and/or weathered. Both physical and spectral evidence for alteration products, such as muscovite and prehnite, are observed. Still, plagioclase signatures are often masked on the total rock spectra (44 out of 67 samples). We found that the main factors that control the spectral signature of plagioclase in the total rock spectra are its chemical composition and grain size, as well as the associated minerals and the rock albedo. Plagioclase spectral signatures are observed in total rock spectra of samples containing as little as 18% plagioclase, challenging previously published estimates and interpretations based on studies of powders and grain mixtures. Diagnostic plagioclase signatures are visible in the spectra of rocks of various natures and textures, including plagioclase-phyric basalt, anorthosite, granite and granodiorite, opening up a range of possibilities for the nature of the lithologies involved in Mars detections.

¹Carine Sadaka et al. (>10)
Meteoritics & Planetary Science (in Press) Free Access Link to Article [https://doi.org/10.1111/maps.70125]
¹Aix-Marseille Université, CNRS, IRD, INRAE, CEREGE, Aix-en-Provence, France
Published by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons

The Atacama Desert in Chile is characterized by its high meteorite density and old meteorite terrestrial ages. In this work, we present new terrestrial ages derived from measurements of the concentration of cosmogenic 36Cl in the metal fraction of 51 ordinary chondrites collected over a 6.8 km2 area located in the Catalina Dense Collection Area (Atacama Desert). Cosmic-ray exposure ages were also measured on a subset of the oldest meteorites to confirm that all but one had reached 36Cl saturation before atmospheric entry. These meteorites have exceptionally old terrestrial ages, with an average of 937 ka (median 701 ka), making this collection the oldest known meteorite collection among hot deserts. This confirms that the Atacama Desert can preserve meteorites for long periods due to the prevailing stable hyper-arid climatic conditions. By combining terrestrial ages with pairing-corrected meteorite density estimates, we estimate the long-term meteorite flux to Earth over the past 2 Myr to be 74 ± 9 meteorites >20 g per km2 per Myr. This is consistent with estimates of (i) the modern flux, (ii) the integrated flux over the last ~100 kyr determined from Antarctic meteorites, and (iii) the average flux during the last ~50 kyr inferred from other hot desert collections. This suggests that the bulk meteorite flux to Earth has remained roughly stable over the past 2 Myr. We also investigate the compositional evolution of the flux by normalizing the H chondrite abundance to the total abundance of ordinary chondrites. Our results show a higher H chondrite abundance between 1200 and 400 ka, followed by a decline to present-day values. This temporal variation is not captured by the current dynamical models for meteoroid transfer to Earth, suggesting that short-term changes in the meteorite flux may be influenced by additional processes operating at a scale not considered by these models.

¹Arka Pratim Chatterjee, ²Meredith Townsend, ³Christian Huber, ³James W. Head III, ¹Olivier Bachmann
Earth and Planetary Science Letters 681, 119948 Open Access Link to Article [https://doi.org/10.1016/j.epsl.2026.119948]
¹Institute for Geochemistry and Petrology, Department of Earth Sciences, ETH Zürich, Switzerland
²Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Lehigh University, Bethlehem, PA, USA
³Department of Earth, Environmental, and Planetary Science, Brown University, Providence, RI, USA
Copyright Elsevier

Martian volcanism exhibits two key global trends: magmas evolved from alkali- and silica-rich compositions in the Noachian epoch to alkali depleted mafic compositions in the Amazonian, while spatially, young (Amazonian) volcanic resurfacing is confined to the Northern hemisphere and the Tharsis region, with no evidence of recent volcanism in the Southern highlands. A unifying model linking these observations has been lacking. Here, we investigate the relationship between spatio-temporal variations in volcanic resurfacing and the evolution of magma chemistry throughout martian geological history. By analyzing the physical conditions required for volcanic eruptions to be sourced from magma reservoirs located within the martian crust, we model how these conditions influence mantle-derived magma compositions. Our results show that dike propagation from magma chambers is controlled by crustal rheology, with dike height depending on chamber size, magma overpressure, and volatile exsolution (both in the reservoir and within the dike). During the Noachian, the thin crust allowed eruptions of both low- and high-degree mantle melts, consistent with the diverse alkalinity of ancient surface rocks. In contrast, the thickened Amazonian crust selectively filtered low-degree melts, necessitating high recharge rates in large magma reservoirs for eruptions. This filtering effect explains the alkali – depleted compositions of Amazonian basalts, as only high-degree melts could reach the surface. Our study provides a holistic framework connecting magma reservoir dynamics, crustal evolution, and the observed geochemical and spatio-temporal trends in martian volcanism.

^1,2,3Yong Wang et al. (>10)
Earth and Planetary Science Letters 681, 119952 Link to Article [https://doi.org/10.1016/j.epsl.2026.119952]
¹State Key Laboratory of Deep Earth Processes and Resources, Guangzhou Institute of Geochemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510640, China
²YU-CUGW Joint Research Center on Deep Earth and Surface Dynamic Coupling, College of Resources and Environment, Yangtze University, Wuhan 430100, China
³College of Earth and Planetary Science, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
Copyright Elsevier

The origin of lunar water—whether inherited during its formation (endogenous) or delivered later (exogenous)—remains a fundamental question in planetary science. Previous studies relying on hydrous minerals or melt inclusions are often compromised by post-magmatic processes. Zircon, with robust physico-chemical stability, serves as a superior archive for preserving primary magmatic composition. Here, we report the first SIMS measurements of water content and hydrogen isotopes in a ca.∼4.38 Ga zircon from lunar meteorite NWA 10049. The zircon exhibits a distinct core-rim structure with anomalous H2O-δD compositions: while the core maintains relatively homogeneous water content (735 to 1164 μg/g) with elevated δD (+1320 to +1882‰), the rim displays variable and inversely correlated water content (879 to 4268 μg/g) and δD (+1879 to +250‰). Such H2O-δD systematics—combined with geochemical and petrological signatures—precludes magmatic degassing or post-magmatic alteration. Instead, we attribute these variations to magma mixing and the subsequent assimilation of heterogeneous exogenous hydrous materials within a massive impact melt sheet. Our findings provide key evidence for the accretion of meteoritic material into the lunar interior before 4.38 Ga, which delivered substantial amounts of water and likely played a critical role in shaping the composition and spatial distribution of volatiles in the early Moon.

¹Lukáš Shrbený,¹Jiří Borovička,¹Pavel Spurný,²Mike Hankey
Meteoritics & Planetary Science (in Press) Link to Article [doi: 10.1111/maps.70119]
¹Astronomical Institute of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Ondrejov, Czech Republic
¹American Meteor Society, Monkton, MD, USA
Published by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons

We present detailed analysis of a daytime fireball observed on June 25, 2022, which is based on four instrumental video records. The atmospheric trajectory was observed from 69.5 to 21.8 km with a slope of 57.1 degrees to the surface. During the flight, the original body weighing 16 kg fragmented four times and the initial velocity of 19.84 km s⁻¹ decreased to 5 km s⁻¹. The determined heliocentric orbit has a semimajor axis of 1.727 AU, a perihelion distance of 1.00878 AU, and one of the highest inclinations among the meteorite orbits, which is 27.14 degrees. Based on our computations, one meteorite was found in the predicted impact area by Polish searcher Mateusz Żmija on August 20, 2022. The recovered meteorite, Pusté Úľany, is an ordinary chondrite H5 with a mass of 8.6 grams and a bulk density of 3.41 g cm⁻³.

¹Juraj Toth et al. (>10)
Meteoritics & Planetary Science (in Press) Link to Article [doi: 10.1111/maps.701201]
¹Department of Astronomy, Physics of the Earth and Meteorology, Faculty of Mathematics, Physics and Informatics, ComeniusUniversity, Bratislava, Slovakia
Published by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons

Pust´e ´Ul’any (PU) is the smallest recovered pedigree fall event meteorite so farand, moreover, was observed during daylight. The results of physical and mineralogicalanalyses of the new meteorite fall instrumentally observed on June 25, 2022, in the westernpart of Slovakia are presented. The meteorite fragment of 8.55 g mass was recovered onAugust 20, 2022, in the strewn field within 100 m of the predicted area of equivalent massfragments. Mineralogical analyses, computed tomography, physical properties such as bulkand grain densities, as well as magnetic susceptibility were carried out, confirming that PUis an ordinary chondrite of H5 type. Analysis of cosmogenic radionuclides confirmed a freshfall of the meteorite and helped estimate a pre-atmospheric radius of the meteorite to be19 4 cm with a corresponding mass of 98 24 kg, and a minimum cosmic-ray exposureage of 2–3 Myr.

¹G.I. Kokhirova, ²D. Vida, ¹M. Pirkhoniyon, ¹Z. Nazarova, ¹P. Gulmurodzoda
Icarus (in Press) Link to Article [https://doi.org/10.1016/j.icarus.2026.116968]
¹Institute of Astrophysics of the National Academy of Sciences of Tajikistan, Dushanbe, Tajikistan
²Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, Canada
Copyright Elsevier

Two sets of equipment for automated meteor video observations were installed for the first time at the Institute of Astrophysics of the National Academy of Sciences of Tajikistan. Test observations were conducted at two locations: in Dushanbe (ϕ = 38.55°, λ = 68.86°) and at the Sanglokh Astronomical Observatory (ϕ = 38.26°, λ = 69.22°). The first light was achieved in June 2024. The video cameras were registered in the Global Meteor Network Project under the codes Dushanbe TJ0001 and Khatlon TJ0002, and they are now operating continuously in systematic observation mode. This paper presents the first results of meteor video observations in Tajikistan, including detection statistics and derived meteor atmospheric trajectories, radiants, orbits, absolute magnitudes and initial photometric masses.

^1,2,3Xhonatan Shehaj,²Eleonora Ammannito,^3,4Giovanni Pratesi
Meteoritics & Planetary Sciences (in Press) Open Access Link to Article [https://doi.org/10.1111/maps.70112]
¹Dipartimento di Fisica, Universit`a degli Studi di Trento, Trento, Italy
<sup>2</sup>Agenzia Spaziale Italiana, Rome, Italy
<sup>3</sup>Dipartimento di Scienze della Terra, Universit`a degli Studi di Firenze, Florence, Italy
⁴Istituto di Geoscienze e Georisorse—IGG-CNR, Pisa, Italy
Published by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons

In Earth’s igneous systems, crystal mushes, crystal-rich frameworks permeated by silicate melt, represent a common and fundamental stage in the evolution of magma bodies. However, whether crystal mushes occur within Martian igneous systems and play a comparable role is unknown. Here, we present a comprehensive petrography and mineral chemistry study of a new pyroxene- and olivine-phyric shergottite, Northeast Africa 053, found in Libya in 2023. This sample exhibits a basaltic bulk chemical composition and a porphyritic texture, primarily characterized by pyroxene and olivine megacrysts set in a groundmass of lath-like maskelynite (shocked plagioclase) and pyroxene. A remarkable feature of this sample is the distribution of pyroxene crystals, which delineates a distinct fine-grained layering juxtaposed within a coarse-grained domain, unusual for a Martian meteorite. Pyroxene grains in both textural domains exhibit a consistent zoning pattern, typically characterized by Mg-rich pigeonite cores, augite mantles, and in some grains, a defined Fe-rich pigeonite rims. High-precision electron microprobe analyses reveal that distinct chemical differences evolved during the late stages of pyroxene crystallization, particularly in the FeO content of the crystal rims and in groundmass grains between the two textural domains. In the fine-grained layer, late-forming pyroxene shows a progressive FeO enrichment from rims to groundmass (FeOrim = 27.72 ± 3.73 wt%; FeOgroundmass = 30.30 ± 2.15 wt%), whereas in the coarse-grained domain, the FeO content is lower (FeOrim = 25.68 ± 5.74 wt%; FeOgroundmass = 26.90 ± 5.19 wt%). This trend, along with the juxtaposition of the fine- and coarse-grained texture, suggests that the two textural domains likely formed in separate zones within a single evolving magmatic body, shaped by local thermal gradients. We interpret these features as relicts of a dynamic crystal mush system, potentially driven by magma ascent and shallow emplacement. This implies that Martian magmatic activity exhibited rheological properties and dynamics similar to those observed in Earth’s magmatic systems, highlighting the complex internal architecture of Martian igneous bodies.

¹Ingo Leya
Meteoritics & Planetary Science (in Press) Open Access Link to Article [https://doi.org/10.1111/maps.70118]
¹Space Science and Planetology, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
Published by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons

Production rates for the cosmogenic radionuclides 10Be, 14C, 26Al, 36Cl, 41Ca, 53Mn, and 60Fe in a large variety of meteorites, that is, ordinary chondrites (H, L, LL), carbonaceous chondrites, HED meteorites, ureilites, Martian meteorites, and iron meteorites and in the uppermost ~2 m of the lunar surface are modeled. The new model, which covers a wide range of pre-atmospheric radii and shielding conditions, is the first version to fully implement primary and secondary α-particles. Additionally, the new model gives for the first time uncertainties that are calculated using the same type of modeling as the production rates; they are therefore no longer best guesses. A series of tests demonstrate that the assumption of a spherical geometry has only little effect on the modeled production rate, as long as the irradiation is isotropic, and that all types of carbonaceous chondrites can be described using one set of particle spectra, that is, the matrix effect for carbonaceous chondrites is small, as long as neutron capture effects are not considered. The new model describes production rates for almost all cosmogenic radionuclides within the estimated uncertainties, which are in the range of 10%–15%. One exception is 53Mn in iron meteorites, for which the model significantly overestimates some of the experimental data. However, this might also be due to erroneous experimental data. Based on the new model calculations, 14C/10Be-, 36Cl/10Be-, and 41Ca/36Cl-production rate ratios, which are used to determine meteorite terrestrial ages, are systematically studied. The model predictions agree with experimentally found correlations. In addition, the 60Fe/53Mn production rate ratios, which are often used to distinguish interstellar from interplanetary 60Fe, are studied in some detail.

¹Karina López García,¹Tetsuya Yokoyama,¹Ikshu Gautam,¹Makiko K. Haba,²Tsuyoshi Iizuka,¹Nao Nakanishi,³Ryota Fukai
Meteoritics & Planetary Science (in Press) Open Access Link to Article [https://doi.org/10.1111/maps.70109]
¹Department of Earth and Planetary Science, Institute of Science Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
²Department of Earth and Planetary Science, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
³Institute of Space and Astronautical Science, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, Kanagawa, Japan
Published by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons

Ryugu materials closely resemble CI chondrites’ mineralogical, chemical, andisotopic compositions; yet minor but resolvable differences in certain elemental abundances areevident. In this study, the bulk chemical compositions of eight individual Ryugu particles(1.5–4.3 mg) from the first touchdown site (TD1) were determined using triple–quadrupoleinductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (TQ-ICP-MS). These samples show broadabundance ranges (0.4–4 9 CI) for elements commonly hosted in minor secondary phasesincluding P, Ca, Mn, Sr, Y, Ba, and rare earth elements (REE), and display distinctcovariation patterns among these elements. Combining our data with previous analyses of TD1 Ryugu particles, we identified three compositional types: Type 1 particles are enriched by>20% in P, Ca, Mn, Sr, and REE relative to the Ryugu average; Type 3 particles are depletedby >20% in these elements but show slight enrichments (up to 30%) in siderophile andchalcophile elements; Type 2 particles have most elemental abundances within 20% of theRyugu average. These wide abundance ranges reflect heterogeneous distribution (nugget effect)of minor secondary minerals within Ryugu’s parent body. Such heterogeneity provides insightsinto the evolving conditions of alteration fluids and the consequent elemental fractionationpatterns.