1Alexander N. Krot,2Tasha L. Dunn,3Michail I. Petaev,4Chi Ma,1Kazuhide Nagashima,5Jutta Zipfel
Meteoritics & Planetary Science (in Press) Link to Article [https://doi.org/10.1111/maps.14080]
1Hawai’i Institute of Geophysics and Planetology, School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology, University of Hawai’i at Mānoa, Honolulu, Hawaii, USA
2Department of Geology, Colby College, Waterville, Maine, USA
3Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
4Division of Geological and Planetary Sciences, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California, USA
5Senckenberg Gesellschaft für Naturforschung, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
Published by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons
We report on the primary and secondary mineralogies of three coarse-grained igneous calcium-aluminum-rich inclusions (CAIs) (Compact Type A [CTA], Type B [B], and forsterite-bearing type B [FoB]) from the Northwest Africa (NWA) 5343 (CK3.7) and NWA 4964 (CK3.8) carbonaceous chondrites, compare them with the mineralogy of igneous CAIs from the Allende (CV3.6) chondrite, and discuss the nature of the alteration processes that affected the CK and CV CAIs. The primary mineralogy and mineral chemistry of the CK3 CAIs studied are similar to those from Allende; however, primary melilite and anorthite are nearly completely absent. Although the secondary minerals identified in CK CAIs (Al-diopside, andradite, Cl-apatite, clintonite, forsterite, ferroan olivine, Fe,Ni-sulfides, grossular, ilmenite, magnetite, plagioclase, spinel, titanite, and wadalite) occur also in the Allende CAIs, there are several important differences: (i) In addition to melilite and anorthite, which are nearly completely replaced by secondary minerals, the alteration of CK CAIs also affected high-Ti pyroxenes (fassaite and grossmanite) characterized by high Ti3+/Ti4+ ratio and spinel. These pyroxenes are corroded and crosscut by veins of Fe- and Ti-bearing grossular, Fe-bearing Al,Ti-diopside, titanite, and ilmenite. Spinel is corroded by Fe-bearing Al-diopside and grossular. (ii) The secondary mineral assemblages of grossular + monticellite and grossular + wollastonite, commonly observed in the Allende CAIs, are absent; the Fe-bearing grossular + Fe-bearing Al-diopside ± Fe,Mg-spinel, Fe-bearing grossular + Fe,Mg-olivine ± Fe,Mg-spinel, and Ca,Na-plagioclase + Fe-bearing Al-diopside + Fe-bearing grossular assemblages are present instead. These mineral assemblages are often crosscut by veins of Fe-bearing Al-diopside, Fe,Mg-olivine, Fe,Mg-spinel, and Ca,Na-plagioclase. The coarse-grained secondary grossular and Al-diopside often show multilayered chemical zoning with distinct compositional boundaries between the layers; the abundances of Fe and Ti typically increase toward the grain edges. (iv) Sodium-rich secondary minerals, nepheline and sodalite, commonly observed in the peripheral portions of the Allende CAIs, are absent; Ca,Na-plagioclase is present instead. We conclude that coarse-grained igneous CAIs from CK3.7–3.8 s and Allende experienced an open-system multistage metasomatic alteration in the presence of an aqueous solution–infiltration metasomatism. This process resulted in localized mobilization of all major rock-forming elements: Si, Ca, Al, Ti, Mg, Fe, Mn, Na, K, and Cl. The metasomatic alteration of CK CAIs is more advanced and occurred under higher temperature and higher oxygen fugacity than that of the Allende CAIs.
), manganite (γ-Mn3+OOH), rhodochrosite (Mn2+CO3), and a trace amount of Mn4+O2 mineral. Jarosite
) is also found. Mn2+ dissolved from olivine contributes to the formation of Mn-precipitates. A weakly acidic-neutral fluid containing a trace amount of
altered the olivine, and Mn2+ was dissolved into the fluid. The fluid also reacted with plagioclase and probably induced dealkalization of plagioclase, causing a local strong alkaline environment. Plagioclase was altered to ferroan saponite-nontronite + amorphous SiO2 under alkaline conditions. Simultaneously, Mn2+/3+-precipitates were formed from the Mn2+-containing fluid in the interstices between the altered plagioclase grains under the strong alkaline reducing environment. These alterations occurred in the deep part of the nakhlite body, where they are isolated from Martian subsurface water, including strong oxidants. The formation of Mn2+/3+-precipitates may have been triggered by the melting of permafrost caused by an impact event around ∼633 Ma. Later, the nakhlite body was probably excavated by another impact, making it susceptible to water including strong oxidants. Pyrrhotite was dissolved and a highly acidic oxidizing fluid was formed, which would induce the formation of jarosite and the Mn4+O2 mineral between ∼633 Ma and ∼11 Ma.