^1,2 Alan E. Rubin
Meteoritics & Planetary Science (in Press) Link to Article [DOI: 10.1111/maps.12679]
¹Department of Earth, Planetary and Space Sciences, University of California, Los Angeles, California, USA
²Institute of Geophysics and Planetary Physics, University of California, Los Angeles, California, USA
Published by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons

Al Haggounia 001 and paired specimens (including Northwest Africa [NWA] 2828 and 7401) are part of a vesicular, incompletely melted, EL chondrite impact melt rock with a mass of ~3 metric tons. The meteorite exhibits numerous shock effects including (1) development of undulose to weak mosaic extinction in low-Ca pyroxene; (2) dispersion of metal-sulfide blebs within silicates causing “darkening”; (3) incomplete impact melting wherein some relict chondrules survived; (4) vaporization of troilite, resulting in S2 bubbles that infused the melt; (5) formation of immiscible silicate and metal-sulfide melts; (6) shock-induced transportation of the metal-sulfide melt to distances >10 cm; (7) partial resorption of relict chondrules and coarse silicate grains by the surrounding silicate melt; (8) crystallization of enstatite in the matrix and as overgrowths on relict silicate grains and relict chondrules; (9) crystallization of plagioclase from the melt; and (10) quenching of the vesicular silicate melt. The vesicular samples lost almost all of their metal during the shock event and were less susceptible to terrestrial weathering; in contrast, the samples in which the metal melt accumulated became severely weathered. Literature data indicate the meteorite fell ~23,000 yr ago; numerous secondary phases formed during weathering. Both impact melting and weathering altered the meteorite’s bulk chemical composition: e.g., impact melting and loss of a metal-sulfide melt from NWA 2828 is responsible for bulk depletions in common siderophile elements and in Mn (from alabandite); weathering of oldhamite caused depletions in many rare earth elements; the growth of secondary phases caused enrichments in alkalis, Ga, As, Se, and Au.

¹J.Wilk, ¹T.Kenkmann
Meteoritics & Planetary Sience (in Press) Link to Article [DOI: 10.1111/maps.12682]
¹Institute of Earth and Environmental Sciences—Geology, Albert-Ludwigs-Universität (ALU) Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
Published by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons

Shatter cones are the only macroscopic feature considered as evidence for shock metamorphism. Their presence is diagnostic for the discovery and verification of impact structures. The occurrence of shatter cones is heterogeneous throughout the crater record and their geometry can diverge from the typical cone shape. The precise formation mechanism of shatter cones is still not resolved. In this study, we aim at better constraining the boundary conditions of shatter cone formation in impact experiments and test a novel approach to qualitatively and quantitatively describe shatter cone geometries by white light interferometry. We recovered several ejected fragments from MEMIN cratering experiments that show slightly curved, striated surfaces and conical geometries with apices of 36°–52°. These fragments fulfilling the morphological criteria of shatter cones were found in experiments with 20–80 cm sized target cubes of sandstone, quartzite and limestone, but not in highly porous tuff. Targets were impacted by aluminum, steel, and iron meteorite projectiles at velocities of 4.6–7.8 km s−1. The projectile sizes ranged from 2.5–12 mm in diameter and produced experimental peak pressures of up to 86 GPa. In experiments with lower impact velocities shatter cones could not be found. A thorough morphometric analysis of the experimentally generated shatter cones was made with 3D white light interferometry scans at micrometer accuracy. SEM analysis of the surfaces of recovered fragments showed vesicular melt films alternating with smoothly polished surfaces. We hypothesize that the vesicular melt films predominantly form at strain releasing steps and suggest that shatter cones are probably mixed mode fractures.