¹Manuel Moreira, ²Sébastien Charnoz
¹Institut de Physique du Globe de Paris, Sorbonne Paris Cité, UMR CNRS 7154, Université Paris Diderot, France
²Laboratoire AIM (Astrophysique Instrumentation Modélisation), Sorbonne Paris Cité, Université Paris Diderot, CEA Irfu, UMR CNRS 7158, France

We discuss the origin of the neon isotopic signatures in chondrites and in the terrestrial mantle. There are two primary possible origins for neon in the Earth’s mantle. One origin is the dissolution of a dense primordial atmosphere with a solar composition of 20Ne/22Ne >13.4 into the mantle in a possible magma ocean stage during Earth’s accretion. The second origin, developed in this study, is that mantle neon was already in Earth’s parent bodies because of refractory grain irradiation by solar wind. We propose that solar wind implantation occurred early on dust within the accretion disk to allow such irradiation. Because solar wind implantation fractionates neon isotopes, the heavier isotopes are implanted deeper than the lighter ones because of different kinetic energies, and the process of implantation, if coupled with sputtering, leads to a steady state neon isotopic ratio (20Ne/22Ne ∼12.7) that is similar to what is observed in mantle-derived rocks (12.5–12.9), lunar soil grains (∼12.9) and certain gas-rich chondrites from all classes (enstatite, ordinary, rumuruti). Using a dust transport model in a turbulent and irradiated solar nebula, we estimated the equivalent irradiation age of a population of dust particles at three different distances from the sun (0.8, 1, 1.2 AU) and converted these ages into neon concentrations and isotopic ratios. The dust subsequently coagulated to form Earth’s parent bodies, which have the mean neon isotopic composition of the irradiated dust (non-irradiated dust is assumed to be free of neon). If this scenario of solar wind implantation coupled with sputtering in the precursors of Earth’s parent bodies is correct, it offers a simple alternative to the model of solar nebula gas incorporation by dissolution in a magma ocean.

Reference
Moreira M, Charnoz S (2015) The origin of the neon isotopes in chondrites and on Earth. Earth and Planetary Science Letters (in Press)
Link to Article [doi:10.1016/j.epsl.2015.11.002doi:10.1016/j.epsl.2015.11.002]
Copyright Elsevier

¹Fatemeh Sedaghatpour, ²Fang-Zhen Teng
¹Isotope Laboratory, Department of Geosciences and Arkansas
²Center for Space and Planetary Sciences, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR 72701, USA

Magnesium isotopic compositions of 22 well-characterized differentiated meteorites including 7 types of achondrites and pallasite meteorites were measured to estimate the average Mg isotopic composition of their parent bodies and evaluate Mg isotopic heterogeneity of the solar system. The δ26Mg values are -0.236‰ and -0.190‰ for acapulcoite-lodranite and angrite meteorites, respectively and vary from -0.267‰ to -0.222‰ in the winonaite-IAB-iron silicate group, -0.369‰ to -0.292‰ in aubrites, -0.269‰ to -0.158‰ in HEDs, -0.299‰ to -0.209‰ in ureilites, -0.307‰ to -0.237‰ in mesosiderites, and -0.303‰ to -0.238‰ in pallasites. Magnesium isotopic compositions of most achondrites and pallasite meteorites analyzed here are similar and reveal no significant isotopic fractionation. However, Mg isotopic compositions of D′Orbigny (angrite) and some HEDs are slightly heavier than chondrites and the other achondrites studied here. The slightly heavier Mg isotopic compositions of angrites and some HEDs most likely resulted from either impact-induced evaporation or higher abundance of clinopyroxene with the Mg isotopic composition slightly heavier than olivine and orthopyroxene. The average Mg isotopic composition of achondrites (δ26Mg = -0.246 ± 0.082‰, 2SD, n = 22) estimated here is indistinguishable from those of the Earth (δ26Mg = -0.25 ± 0.07‰; 2SD, n = 139), chondrites (δ26Mg = -0.28 ± 0.06‰; 2SD, n = 38), and the Moon (δ26Mg = -0.26 ± 0.16‰) reported from the same laboratory. The chondritic Mg isotopic composition of achondrites, the Moon, and the Earth further reflects homogeneity of Mg isotopes in the solar system and the lack of Mg isotope fractionation during the planetary accretion process and impact events.

Reference
Sedaghatpour F, Teng F-Z (2015) Magnesium isotopic composition of achondrites. Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta (in Press)
Link to Article [doi:10.1016/j.gca.2015.11.016]
Copyright Elsevier