Oxygen isotope systematics of chondrules in Rumuruti chondrites: Formation conditions and genetic link with ordinary chondrites

1Maxence Regnault,1Yves Marrocchi,1Maxime Piralla,1Johan Villeneuve,2Valentina Batanova,1Nicolas Schnuriger,3Emmanuel Jacquet
Meteoritics & Planetary Science (in Press) Link to Article [https://doi.org/10.1111/maps.13778]
1CRPG, UMR 7358, Université de Lorraine, CNRS, Vandœuvre-lès-Nancy, 54501 France
2ISTerre, UMR 5275, CNRS, Université Grenoble Alpes, Grenoble, 38000 France
3IMPMC, UMR 7590, CNRS & Muséum national d’Histoire naturelle, CP52, 57 rue Cuvier, Paris, 75005 France
Published by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons

Rumurutiites (R chondrites) are rare, highly oxidized chondrites belonging to the noncarbonaceous superclan and characterized by low chondrule abundances. Although textural and chemical features of Rumurutiite chondrules resemble those of ordinary chondrites (OCs), their formation conditions and potential genetic link remain debated. Here, we report high-resolution elemental X-ray mapping analyses and in situ O isotopic measurements of olivine grains from five chondrules and eight isolated olivine grains (IOGs) in the NWA 12482 R3 chondrite. The chondrules show chemical zonings similar to their counterparts in ordinary and carbonaceous chondrites (CCs), implying that gas–melt interaction processes between chondrule precursors and SiO- and Mg-rich gas were operative throughout the circumsolar disk. Our isotopic data show that R chondrules are isotopically similar to ordinary chondrules, although differences in their abundances of relict olivine grains and chondrule textural characteristics suggest different formation environments, with R chondrules being formed from 16O-poorer precursors. As with chondrules in OCs, the O isotopic characteristics of R chondrules and IOGs suggest limited transport between CC and noncarbonaceous reservoirs.

Unique igneous textures and shock metamorphism of the Northwest Africa 7203 angrite: Implications for crystallization processes and the evolutionary history of the angrite parent body

1Hideyuki Hayashi,2Takashi Mikouchi,3Nak Kyu Kim,3Changkun Park,4,5Yuji Sano,6,7Atsushi Takenouchi,6Akira Yamaguchi,8Hiroyuki Kagi,9Martin Bizzarro
Meteoritics & Planetary Science (in Press) Link to Article [https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/maps.13776]
1Department of Earth and Planetary Science, Graduate School of Science, The University of Tokyo, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, 113-0033 Japan
2The University Museum, The University of Tokyo, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, 113-0033 Japan
3Division of Earth Sciences, Korea Polar Research Institute (KOPRI), 26 Songdomirae-ro, Yeonsu-gu, Incheon, 21990 Korea
4Atmosphere and Ocean Research Institute (AORI), The University of Tokyo, 5-1-5 Kashiwanoha, Kashiwa-shi, Chiba, 277-8564 Japan
5Center for Advanced Marine Core Research, Kochi University, Monobe, Nankoku, Kochi, B200 783-8502 Japan
6Antarctic Meteorite Research Center, National Institute of Polar Research (NIPR), 10-3 Midori-cho, Tachikawa, Tokyo, 190-8518 Japan
7The Kyoto University Museum, Kyoto University, Yoshida-Honmachi, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto, 606-8501 Japan
8Geochemical Research Center, Graduate School of Science, The University of Tokyo, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, 113-0033 Japan
9Centre for Stars and Planet Formation, Globe Institute, University of Copenhagen, ØsterVoldgade 5-7, Copenhagen, DK-1350 Denmark
Published by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons

Northwest Africa (NWA) 7203 is a quenched angrite, showing mineralogical features typically not present in other quenched angrites. NWA 7203 exhibits textures whose grain size varies from fine grains (<10 μm) to coarse grains (~3 mm), while other quenched angrites show only single-sized textures. Fine-grained and coarse-grained lithologies have nearly the same bulk compositions. Cooling rates were estimated to be ~80 °C h−1 for fine-grained lithologies and ~1 °C h−1 for coarse-grained lithologies. Mg-rich olivines (~Fo64) were found only in fine-grained lithologies. Crystallization of NWA 7203 started in the fine-grained lithologies with Mg-rich olivine grains acting as seeds for crystallization. Coarse-grained lithologies were subsequently formed under conditions of slower cooling. NWA 7203 shows clear shock metamorphic textures unlike other quenched angrites except for NWA 1670. We confirm that the oxygen isotopic ratios of NWA 7203 plot on the angrite fractionation line within uncertainty. However, the obtained Pb-Pb age of NWA 7203 is 4543 ± 19 Ma, younger than the ages of other quenched angrites, which might be a result of disturbance by shock metamorphism. The finding of shock metamorphism of NWA 7203 suggests that some angrites might be derived from asteroids that remained large (>10 km in diameter) during the late heavy bombardment.

Complex diagnostics of ordinary chondrites Markovka, Polujamki, Sayh al Uhaymir 001, Dhofar 020, and Jiddat al Harasis 055 by X-ray techniques and Mössbauer spectroscopy

1Liubov V. Guda,1Antonina N. Kravtsova,2Stanislav P. Kubrin,1Alexander A. Guda,3Mikhail I. Mazuritskiy,1Andrei A. Tereshchenko,4Yuri V. Popov,1Alexander V. Soldatov
Meteoritics & Planetary Science (in Press) Link to Article [https://doi.org/10.1111/maps.13769]
1The Smart Materials Research Institute, Southern Federal University, A. Sladkova str. 178/24, Rostov-on-Don, 344090 Russia
2Research Institute of Physics, Southern Federal University, Stachki ave. 194, Rostov-on-Don, 344090 Russia
3Physics Faculty, Southern Federal University, Sorge str. 5, Rostov-on-Don, 344090 Russia
4Institute of Earth Sciences, Southern Federal University, Sorge str. 40, Rostov-on-Don, 344090 Russia
Published by arrangement with john Wiley & Sons

Micro X-ray fluorescence (XRF) analysis, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and Mössbauer and X-ray absorption near-edge structure (XANES) spectroscopies have been used to study the element and phase composition, and Fe and Ni oxidation states in ordinary chondrites. The meteorites have been initially classified as Markovka (H4 type), Polujamki (H4 type), Sayh al Uhaymir (SaU) 001 (L5 type), Dhofar (Dho) 020 (H4/5 type), and Jiddat al Harasis (JaH) 055 (L4-5 type). We have applied a set of spectroscopic methods to characterize and quantify the differences between samples. While the concentration of Fe in the meteorites is in agreement with the qualitative assignment of their types (L or H) made upon discovery, we observed extremely low Mg/Si and Al/Si values compared to the data published by Palme et al. (2014). Phase content of the meteorites has been studied by means of XRD, as well as by SEM and EDX. Mössbauer spectroscopy of Fe-containing phases has determined that Fe ions are present mainly in olivine and pyroxene phases in all studied samples. Goethite, hematite, and troilite phases were found in Markovka, Polujamki, and Sayh al Uhaymir 001, respectively. Markovka and Polujamki samples contained the largest concentration of Fe-Ni-Co metal grains. Fe and Ni K-XANES spectra were analyzed to estimate metal oxidation state in the chondrites and compared with the Mössbauer data. The multispectral data acquired in the present work are of importance for further understanding of meteoritic processes.

Understanding the textures of Apollo 11 high-Ti mare basalts: A quantitative petrographic approach

1,2,3Zhuqing Xue,3Donald F. Welsh,3Clive R. Neal,4Long Xiao
Meteoritics & Planetary Science (in Press) Link to Article [https://doi.org/10.1111/maps.13767]
1School of Marine Sciences, University of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049 China
2Center of Deep-Sea Research, Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao, 266071 China
3Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering and Earth Sciences, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, Indiana, 46556 USA
4School of Earth Sciences, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan, 430074 China
Published by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons

This paper represents a comprehensive crystal size distribution (CSD) study of ilmenite and plagioclase from 12 Apollo 11 basalts from four of the five compositional groups (Groups A, B1, B2, B3, and one unclassified basalt—Group “U” basalt 10062). Ilmenite was saturated in the magma at/before eruption, resulting in subsurface growth of phenocrysts (Group B1) and many small crystals upon eruption. Plagioclase always exhibits linear CSDs representing a single cooling regime in each sample, which is interpreted as crystallizing within isolated magma pockets late in the cooling of the erupted lava flow. Latent heat of crystallization and insulating effects of crystallized phases produced slower cooling and lower plagioclase nucleation densities. Exceptions are the Group B2 and B3 basalts, indicating relatively earlier crystallization of plagioclase on the lunar surface. Our study demonstrates that textures of the Apollo 11 basalts are a product of the interplay among cooling rate, bulk composition, and nucleation density during crystallization. Group A basalts have the highest cooling rates compared to the other Apollo 11 samples (except 10072,53), and were erupted through high effusion rates producing thick flows that underwent extended cooling that induced textural coarsening in both early crystallizing ilmenite and late-stage plagioclase. Group B1 lavas had the lowest effusion rates producing the thinnest flows. The Groups B2, B3, and U basalts are intermediate between these end members. Our approach can be used to define eruption environment, crystallization sequence, and cooling rate of samples collected on the Moon from non-bedrock sources.