Detailed mineralogy and petrology of highly shocked poikilitic shergottite Northwest Africa 6342

1,2Tanya V. Kizovski,1,2 Kimberly T. Tait,1Veronica E. Di Cecco,1Lee F. White,2Desmond E. Moser
Meteoritics & Planetary Science (in Press) Link to Article [https://doi.org/10.1111/maps.13255]
1Department of Natural History, Centre for Applied Planetary Mineralogy, Royal Ontario Museum, , Toronto, Ontario, M5S 2C6 Canada
2Department of Earth Sciences, University of Toronto, , Toronto, Ontario, M5S 3B1 Canada
Published by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons

Northwest Africa (NWA) 6342 is an intermediate, poikilitic shergottite, found in Algeria in 2010. It is comprised of two distinct petrographic areas; poikilitic domains with rounded Mg‐rich olivine chadacrysts enclosed by large low‐Ca pyroxene oikocrysts, and a nonpoikilitic domain mainly comprised of subhedral olivine and vesicular recrystallized plagioclase. Oxygen fugacity conditions become more oxidizing during crystallization from the poikilitic to the nonpoikilitic domain (QFM−3.0 to QFM−2.2). As such, it is likely that NWA 6342 experienced a two‐stage (polybaric) crystallization history similar to that of the enriched poikilitic shergottites. NWA 6342 also experienced relatively high levels of shock metamorphism in comparison to most other poikilitic shergottites as evidenced by the fine‐grained recrystallization texture in olivine, as well as melting and subsequent crystallization of plagioclase. The recrystallization of plagioclase requires an extended period of postshock thermal metamorphism for NWA 6342 and similarly shocked intermediate poikilitic shergottites NWA 4797 and Grove Mountains 99027 most likely due to launch from Mars. The similarities in petrology, chemistry, and shock features between these three meteorites indicate that they have similar crystallization and shock histories; possibly originating from the same source area on Mars.

Primordial, thermal, and shock features of ordinary chondrites: Emulating bulk X‐ray diffraction using in‐plane rotation of polished thin sections

1,2Naoya Imae,1Makoto Kimura,1,2Akira Yamaguchi,1Hideyasu Kojima
Meteoritics & Planetary Science (in Press) Link to Article [https://doi.org/10.1111/maps.13257]
1Antarctic Meteorite Research Center, National Institute of Polar Research, , Tachikawa‐shi, Tokyo, 190‐8518 Japan
2Department of Polar Science, School of Multidisciplinary Sciences, SOKENDAI (The Graduate University for Advanced Studies), , Tachikawa‐shi, Tokyo, 190‐8518 Japan
Published by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons

Using an X‐ray diffractometer, powder‐like diffraction patterns were acquired from in‐plane rotation of polished thin sections (PTSs) of 60 ordinary chondrites (23 H, 21 L, and 16 LL), in order to explore the thermal and shock metamorphism and its modifications of primordial features. The olivine (Ol) 130 peak position shown as Bragg indices clearly correlates with the chemical group for equilibrated ordinary chondrites (EOCs), while the peak is split or broad for unequilibrated ordinary chondrites (UOCs). The intensity ratio of kamacite may be useful for distinguishing the chemical group between H and L‐LL, but it is not definite because of heterogeneous terrestrial weathering of kamacite, especially in H chondrites. The summed intensities of the orthoenstatite (Oen) 511 and 421 peaks positively correlates with the metamorphic sequence from 3 to 6, while that of clinoenstatite (Cen) 22urn:x-wiley:10869379:media:maps13257:maps13257-math-0005 is inversely correlated. The shock stage positively correlates with the summed full width of half maximum values of the Oen 511 and 421 peaks and the FWHM of Ol 130 peak for each class. Significant amount of Oen (Pbca) transformed through Cen (C2/c) finally to Cen (P21/c) is stable at high pressure for shock stage S6 (Tenham and NWA 4719). The shock melted LL chondrite is characterized by the occurrence of Cen and abundant homogeneous olivine. The effects of both thermal and shock metamorphism are thus incorporated into the bulk X‐ray diffraction (XRD) data. The bulk XRD method is useful for determining the bulk mineralogy, resulting in the classification of ordinary chondrites. The method is also applicable to samples other than PTS.

Ancient geologic events on Mars revealed by zircons and apatites from the Martian regolith breccia NWA 7034

1,2,3Sen Hu,1,2,3Yangting Lin,1Jianchao Zhang,1Jialong Hao, 1Weifan Xing,1,2,3Ting Zhang,1,2,3Wei Yang,1Hitesh Changela
Meteoritics & Planetary Science (in Press) Link to Article [https://doi.org/10.1111/maps.13256]
1Key Laboratory of Earth and Planetary Physics, Institute of Geology and Geophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100029 China
2Institutes of Earth Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100029 China
3College of Earth and Planetary Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049 China
Published by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons

Zircons and apatites in clasts and matrix from the Martian breccia NWA 7034 are well documented, timing ancient geologic events on Mars. Furthermore, in this study, zircon trace elemental content, apatite volatile content, and apatite volatile isotopic compositions measured in situ could constrain the evolution of those geologic events. The U‐Pb dates of zircons in basalt, basaltic andesite, trachyandesite igneous clasts, and the matrix are similar (4.4 Ga) suggesting intense volcanism on ancient Mars. However, two metamict zircon grains found in the matrix have an upper intercept date of ~4465 Ma in crystalline, whereas amorphous areas have a lower intercept date of 1634 ± 93 Ma. The younger date is consistent with the date of apatites (1530 ± 65 Ma), suggesting a metamorphic event that completely reset the U‐Pb system in both the amorphous areas of zircon and all apatites. δD values in all apatites negatively correlate with water content in a two‐endmember mixing trend. The D (δD up to 2459‰) and 37Cl heavy core (3.8‰) of a large apatite grain suggest a D‐, 37Cl‐rich fluid during the metamorphic event ~1.6 Ga ago, consistent with the trace elements Y, Hf and Ti and P in zircons. The fluid was also therefore P‐rich. The D‐, 37Cl‐poor H2O‐rich rim (<313‰) suggests the degassing of water from the Martian Cl‐poor interior at a later time. This D‐, 37Cl‐poor Martian mantle reservoir could have derived from volcanic intrusions postdating the younger metamorphic event recorded in NWA 7034.

Fine‐grained material associated with a large sulfide returned from Comet 81P/Wild 2

1Z.Gainsforth et al. (>10)
Meteoritics & Planetary Science (in Press) Link to Article [https://doi.org/10.1111/maps.13265]
1Space Sciences Laboratory, University of California, Berkeley, California, 94720 USA
Published by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons

In a consortium analysis of a large particle captured from the coma of comet 81P/Wild 2 by the Stardust spacecraft, we report the discovery of a field of fine‐grained material (FGM) in contact with a large sulfide particle. The FGM was partially located in an embayment in the sulfide. As a consequence, some of the FGM appears to have been protected from damage during hypervelocity capture in aerogel. Some of the FGM particles are indistinguishable in their characteristics from common components of chondritic‐porous interplanetary dust particles, including glass with embedded metals and sulfides and equilibrated aggregates. The sulfide exhibits surprising Ni‐rich lamellae, which may indicate that this particle experienced a long‐duration heating event after its formation but before incorporation into Wild 2.