¹Johan Villeneuve,¹Yves Marrocchi,²Emmanuel Jacquet
Earth and Planetary Science Letters 116318 Link to Article [https://doi.org/10.1016/j.epsl.2020.116318]
¹CRPG, CNRS, Université de Lorraine, UMR 7358, Vandœuvre-lès-Nancy, 54501, France
²Institut de Minéralogie, de Physique des Matériaux et de Cosmochimie (IMPMC), Muséum national d’Histoire naturelle, Sorbonne Université, CNRS, CP52, 57 rue Cuvier, 75005 Paris, France
Copyright Elsevier

We determined the silicon isotopic compositions of silicates (olivine and low-Ca pyroxene) in type I and type II chondrules of the carbonaceous chondrites Allende, Kaba, NWA (Northwest Africa) 5958, and MIL (Miller Range) 07342. Type I chondrule silicates show large, mass-dependent Si isotopic fractionations, with Si values ranging from −7‰ to +2.6‰, whereas the Si values of type II chondrule silicates are close to zero and vary by less than 2‰. When present, Mg-rich relict olivine grains in type II chondrules show larger Si variations than their FeO-rich counterparts. In type I chondrules, low-Ca pyroxenes yield systematically lighter Si values than Mg-rich olivines. Our results show that type I chondrules are complex objects whose Si isotopic compositions derived from their precursors and SiO-rich gas-melt interactions. This corroborates that type I chondrules are nebular products that formed under open-system conditions. Our data also suggest that at least some type II chondrules derived from their type I counterparts. Overall, this demonstrates that recycling was common during the evolution of the protoplanetary disk.

^1,2Hauke Vollstaedt,^1,2Klaus Mezger,^3,2IngoLeya
Earth and Planetary Science Letters 116289 Link to Article [https://doi.org/10.1016/j.epsl.2020.116289]
¹Institute of Geological Sciences, University of Bern, Baltzerstrasse 1+3, 3012 Bern, Switzerland
²Center for Space and Habitability, University of Bern, Sidlerstrasse 5, 3012 Bern, Switzerland
³Physics Institute, University of Bern, Sidlerstrasse 5, 3012 Bern, Switzerland
Copyright Elsevier

The Moon and Earth share similar relative abundances and isotope compositions of refractory lithophile elements, indicating that the Moon formed from a silicate reservoir that is chemically indistinguishable from the Earth’s primitive silicate mantle. In contrast, most volatile elements are depleted in lunar mare basalts compared to Earth’s mantle and differ in their isotope composition. However, the depletion of volatile elements is not a simple function of their condensation temperature, indicating multiple mechanisms that established the lunar volatile element budget. Specifically, the chalcophile elements S, Se and Te are not depleted in lunar basalts compared to their terrestrial counterparts. In this study, the abundances and stable isotope compositions of the volatile and chalcophile element Se measured in three lunar mare basalts and seven soils are used to refine the processes that caused volatile element depletion on the Moon. The Se isotope composition of two lunar mare basalts (Se = 1.08 and 0.8‰) is significantly heavier compared to chondrites (−0.20 ± 0.26‰; 2 s.d.) and terrestrial basalts (0.29 ± 0.24‰; 2 s.d.). The offset in the Se isotope composition is attributed to a volatility controlled loss of Se from the Moon. The lack of chalcophile element depletion in lunar mare basalts is then explained by sulphide segregation in the Earth’s mantle after the Moon forming impact followed by a late veneer of chondritic material to the Earth. Seven lunar soils were found to have chondritic S/Se ratios, but have Se values that are 6 to 13‰ heavier compared to mare basalts. This fractionation is likely the result of coupled and repeating processes of meteoritic material addition and concomitant partial evaporation. Results from numerical modelling indicate that isotope fractionation in lunar soils is due to partial evaporation of FeSe and FeS with evaporative loss of about 20% for both Se and S.

¹Jens Barosch,^2,3,4Denton S.Ebel,^1,5Dominik C.Hezel,²Samuel Alpert,⁶Herbert Palme
Earth and Planetary Science Letters 542, 115286 Link to Article [https://doi.org/10.1016/j.epsl.2020.116286]
¹University of Cologne, Department of Geology and Mineralogy, Zülpicher Str. 49b, 50674 Köln, Germany
²American Museum of Natural History, Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, NY 10024, New York, USA
³Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
⁴Graduate School and Graduate Center of the City University of New York, NY, USA
⁵Natural History Museum, Department of Mineralogy, Cromwell Road, SW7 5BD, London, UK
⁶Forschungsinstitut und Naturmuseum Senckenberg, Senckenberganlage 25, D-60325, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
Copyright Elsevier

The study of chondritic meteorites and their components allows us to understand processes and conditions in the protoplanetary disk. Chondrites with high and about equal proportions of chondrules and matrix are ideal candidates to not only study the formation conditions of chondrules, but also the relationship between these two major components. An important question is whether these formed in the same or in separate reservoirs in the protoplanetary disk. So far, such studies have been mainly restricted to carbonaceous chondrites. We here expand these studies to the K (Kakangari-like) chondrite grouplet. These have various distinctive properties, but the abundance of major components – chondrules and matrix – is similar to other primitive meteorites. We obtained a comprehensive petrographic and chemical dataset of Kakangari and Lewis Cliff 87232 chondrules and matrix. Chondrules in Kakangari show a large compositional scatter, supporting material addition to chondrules during their formation. Contrary to almost all other chondrite groups, the majority of Kakangari chondrules are not mineralogically zoned. However, Kakangari chondrules were likely initially zoned, but then lost this zonation during chondrule remelting and fragmentation. Average compositions of bulk chondrules, matrix and bulk Kakangari are identical and approximately solar for Mg/Si. This might indicate the formation of chondrules and matrix from a common reservoir and would agree with findings from carbonaceous and Rumuruti chondrites: chondrules and matrix in most chondrite groups were not transported through the protoplanetary disk and then mixed together. Rather, these major components are genetically related to each other and formed in the same reservoir.