^1,2Alexander A. NEMCHIN,³Marc D. NORMAN,⁴Martin J. WHITEHOUSE,⁵Evgenia SALIN,²Nicholas E. TIMMS,⁶Tao LONG,⁶Xiaochao CHE,⁷Renaud MERLE,²Fred JOURDAN,⁸Tao LUO
Meteoritics & Planetary Science (in Press) Open Access Link to Article [https://doi.org/10.1111/maps.70103]
¹School of Earth Sciences and Engineering, Nanjing University, Nanjing, China
²Space Science and Technology Centre, School of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Curtin University, Perth, Western Australia,Australia
³Research School of Earth Sciences, The Australian National University, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia
⁴Department of Geosciences, Swedish Museum of Natural History, Stockholm, Sweden
⁵Department of Geology and Mineralogy, ˚Abo Akademi University, Turku, Finland
⁶Beijing SHRIMP Center, Institute of Geology, Chinese Academy of Geological Sciences, Beijing, China
⁷Department of Earth Sciences, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
⁸State Key Laboratory of Geological Processes and Mineral Resources, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan, China
Published by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons

Rapidly quenched droplets of pyroclastically erupted lava are common in lunar regolith at landing sites proximal to the maria. Here, we document the U-Pb chronologies, major element, and trace element compositions of picritic glassy particles from Apollo 17 regolith sample 76501. These particles are dominated by high-Ti compositions similar to those of the established Apollo 17 orange and black pyroclastic deposits, but the textures of some beads indicate slower cooling and/or equilibration at lower temperatures. Using a new approach to calibrate SIMS U-Pb isotopic analysis of vitrophyric beads, we show that their U-Pb ages are consistent with a single or closely timed multiple eruptions ~50–100 Ma younger than the 3752 ± 9 to 3758 ± 12 Ma crystalline mare basalts collected at this site. A few picritic beads with very low-Ti compositions may be younger, but their ages are not well defined and can be ~3.3–3.6 Ga.

¹Sophie Benaroya,¹Christopher D. K. Herd,¹David T. Flannery,¹Nicolas Randazzo
Meteoritics & Planetary Science (in Press) Open Access Link to Article [https://doi.org/10.1111/maps.70104]
¹Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
²School of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
Published by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons

Mars Sample Return (MSR) is expected to transform planetary science by providingunprecedented access to pristine Martian material. Initial characterization in the samplereceiving facility (SRF) will rely on nondestructive techniques such as X-ray computedtomography (XCT) to document the condition, distribution, and internal features of sealedcore samples. To test XCT protocols in advance of MSR, we analyzed terrestrial analog corescollected during the Pilbara Sample Return campaign in Western Australia. Sedimentary andregolith samples were scanned at both whole-core and fragment scales to evaluate scan times,optimal energy conditions, and resolution limits. Our results demonstrate that XCT offerscritical insights into fragment size distributions, internal banding, porosity, and fracturenetworks before sample opening, information that is essential for subsampling and preservingastrobiologically relevant textures. Integration with Raman spectroscopy, optical microscopy,and EPMA confirmed that XCT reliably identifies high-attenuation (high-l) phases (e.g.,oxides, sulfides) but cannot distinguish between common silicates, underscoring the need formulti-modal characterization. We also demonstrate how XCT data sets can be used to tracksample mass, restore fragment orientation, and potentially reconstruct stratigraphic context.Updated sample mass estimates indicate that the MSR collection is sufficient to meetcommunity science objectives, with required masses (12–15 g per core) well below expectedreturns. These results highlight XCT as a cornerstone of SRF pre-basic characterization,providing both immediate triage value and a foundation for long-term digital curation.