¹Yves Marrocchi,¹Thomas Rigaudier,¹Maxime Piralla,¹Laurette Piani
Earth and Planetary Science Letters 611, 118151 Link to Article [https://doi.org/10.1016/j.epsl.2023.118151]
¹Université de Lorraine, CNRS, CRPG, UMR 7358, Nancy, France
Copyright Elsevier

The conditions and environments in which hydrated phases in unequilibrated meteorites formed remain debated. Among carbonaceous chondrites, Mighei-type chondrites (CMs) display a large range in the degree of aqueous alteration, and thus record different stages of hydration and alteration. Here, we report the bulk H, C, and N contents, H and C isotopic compositions, and thermogravimetric signatures of the most- and least-altered CMs known so far, Kolang and Asuka 12236, respectively. We also report in-situ SIMS measurements of the hydrogen isotopic compositions of water in both chondrites. Compared to other CMs, Asuka 12236 has the lowest bulk water content (3.3 wt.% H2O) and the most D-rich water and bulk isotopic compositions (δD = 180‰ and 280‰, respectively). Combined with literature data, our results show that phyllosilicate-bearing CMs altered to varying degrees accreted water-ice grains with similar isotopic compositions. These results demonstrate that the hydrogen isotopic variations in CM chondrites (i) are not controlled by secondary alteration processes and (ii) were mostly shaped by interactions between the protoplanetary disk and the molecular cloud that episodically fed the disk over several million years. The minimally altered CM chondrites Paris and Asuka 12236 display peculiar, D-rich, hydrogen isotopic compositions that imply the presence of another H-bearing component in addition to insoluble organic matter and phyllosilicates. This component is most likely the hydrated amorphous silicates that are ubiquitous in these chondrites. CM bulk H and O isotopic compositions are linearly correlated, implying that (i) amorphous silicates in CM matrices were already hydrated by disk processes before the onset of CM parent-body alteration, and (ii) the quest for a hypothetically water-free CM3 is illusory.