¹O. Pravdivtseva, ¹A. Meshik, ¹C.M. Hohenberg,²A.N. Krot
¹Physics Department, Washington University, St. Louis MO 63130, USA
²Hawai‘i Institute of Geophysics and Planetology, School of Ocean, Earth Science and Technology, University of Hawai’i at Mānoa, Honolulu, HI 96822, USA

It is inferred that magnesian non-porphyritic chondrules in the CB (Bencubbin-type) carbonaceous chondrites formed in an impact generated plume of gas and melt 4562.49 ± 0.21 Ma (Bollard et al., 2015) and could be suitable for the absolute age normalization of relative chronometers. Here xenon isotopic compositions of neutron irradiated chondrules from the CB chondrites Gujba and Hammadah al Hamra (HH) 237 have been analyzed in an attempt to determine closure time of their I-Xe isotope systematics. One of the HH 237 chondrules, #1, yielded a well-defined I-Xe isochron that corresponds to a closure time of 0.29 ± 0.16 Ma after the Shallowater aubrite standard. Release profiles and diffusion properties of radiogenic 129∗Xe and 128∗Xe extracted from this chondrule by step-wise pyrolysis, indicate presence of two iodine host phases with distinct activation energies of 73 and 120 kcal/mol. In spite of the activation energy differences, the I-Xe isotope systematics of these two phases closed simultaneously, suggesting rapid heating and cooling (possibly quenching) of the CB chondrules. The release profiles of U-fission Xe and I-derived Xe correlate in the high temperature host phase supporting simultaneous closure of 129I-129Xe and 207Pb-206Pb systematics.

The absolute I-Xe age of Shallowater standard is derived from the observed correlation between I-Xe and Pb-Pb ages in a number of samples. It is re-evaluated here using Pb-Pb ages adjusted for an updated 238U/235U ratio of 137.794 and meteorite specific U-isotope ratios. With the addition of the new data for HH 237 chondrule #1, the re-evaluated absolute I-Xe age of Shallowater is 4562.4 ± 0.2 Ma. The absolute I-Xe age of the HH 237 chondrule #1 is 4562.1 ± 0.3 Ma, in good agreement with U-corrected Pb-Pb ages of the Gujba chondrules (Bollard et al., 2015) and HH 237 silicates (Krot et al., 2005).

All I-Xe data used here, and in previous estimates of the absolute age of Shallowater, are calculated using 15.7 ± 0.6 Ma value for 129I half-life. The slopes of I-Xe – Pb-Pb correlation lines plotted for different sets of samples for Shallowater normalization are always ⩽ 1. Assuming uranium half-life values are correct; this restricts the half-life of 129I to ⩽ 15.7 Ma.

Reference
Pravdivtseva O, Meshik A, Hohenberg CM, Krot AN (2016) I-Xe systematics of the impact plume produced chondrules from the CB carbonaceous chondrites: Implications for the half-life value of 129I and absolute age normalization of 129I-129Xe chronometer. Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta (in Press)
Link to Article [doi:10.1016/j.gca.2016.01.012]
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¹Noriyuki Kawasaki, ²Shoichi Itoh, ³Naoya Sakamoto, ¹Hisayoshi Yurimoto
¹Department of Natural History Sciences, Hokkaido University, Sapporo 060-0810, Japan
²Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Kyoto University, Kyoto 606-8502, Japan
³Creative Research Institution, Hokkaido University, Sapporo 001-0021, Japan

Fluffy Type A Ca-Al-rich inclusions (CAIs) containing reversely zoned melilite crystals are suggested to be direct condensates from solar nebular gas. We conducted an investigation of 26Al−26Mg systematics of a fluffy Type A CAI from Vigarano, named V2-01, with known oxygen isotopic distributions of reversely zoned melilite crystals; we also conducted oxygen isotope measurements of coexisting minerals. Two of six reversely zoned melilite crystals show continuous variations in magnesium isotopic composition, with δ25Mg becoming small along the inferred direction of crystal growth, which supports the idea that they originated through condensation. Petrography suggests that the constituent minerals of V2-01 formed in the following order: first spinel and fassaite enclosed by melilite, then reversely zoned melilite crystals, and spinel and diopside in the Wark-Lovering rim. The spinel enclosed by melilite has 16O-rich compositions (Δ17O ∼ −24‰) and an initial value of (26Al/27Al)0 = (5.6 ± 0.2) × 10−5. The fassaite enclosed by melilite crystals shows variable oxygen isotopic compositions (Δ17O ∼ −12‰ and −17‰) and plots on an isochron with (26Al/27Al)0 = (5.6 ± 0.2) × 10−5. The oxygen isotopic compositions of reversely zoned melilite showed continuous variations in Δ17O along the inferred direction of crystal growth, suggesting that surrounding nebular gas, during the formation of the reversely zoned melilite, changed from 16O-poor (Δ17O values larger than −10‰) to 16O-rich (Δ17O ∼ −25‰). The six reversely zoned melilite crystals show indistinguishable initial 26Al/27Al values with an average (26Al/27Al)0 of (4.7 ± 0.3) × 10−5, which is clearly distinguishable from the value of enclosed spinel and fassaite, indicating a younger formation age than the enclosed spinel and fassaite. The spinel and diopside from the Wark-Lovering rim shows 16O-rich compositions (Δ17O ∼ −23‰) with (26Al/27Al)0 = (4.5 ± 0.4) × 10−5. The values of (26Al/27Al)0 are consistent with the formation sequence inferred from petrography. The formation period for the V2-01 CAI is estimated to be 0.18 ± 0.07 Myr from the difference in initial 26Al/27Al values. These data suggest that the oxygen isotopic composition of solar nebular gas surrounding the CAI changed from 16O-rich to 16O-poor and back to 16O-rich during the first ∼0.2 Myr of Solar System formation.

Reference
Kawasaki N,Itoh S,Sakamoto N, Yurimoto H (2016) Chronological study of oxygen isotope composition for the solar protoplanetary disk recorded in a fluffy Type A CAI from Vigarano. Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta (in Press)
Link to Article [doi:10.1016/j.gca.2015.12.031]
Copyright Elsevier