¹Dian Ji, ¹Rajdeep Dasgupta
Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta (in Press) Link to Article [https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gca.2025.02.019]
¹Department of Earth, Environmental and Planetary Sciences, Rice University, Houston, TX 77005, United States of America
Copyright Elsevier

Assessing whether the lunar mantle retains sulfide, through episodes of magmatism, is important in tracking the origin and evolution of sulfur and other volatile and chalcophile elements on the Moon. To determine sulfur concentrations at sulfide saturation (SCSS) in the mantle conditions of young Chang’e-5 (CE-5) mare basalts, we conducted experiments with three possible CE-5 parental melt compositions and Fe ± Ni-S sulfide at 1.0–3.0 GPa and 1250–1550 °C. We doped excess Fe metal in a subset of experiments in order to generate sulfide of various metal/sulfur molar ratio (M/S; 1.0–2.1), and thus investigate the effect of sulfide composition on SCSS under different oxygen fugacities (fO2s). Our experimental results indicate that SCSS is sensitive to temperature, pressure, silicate melt, sulfide compositions, and fO2. Using our new and literature data, we developed a new thermodynamic SCSS model and utilized the model to calculate the SCSS for scenarios that the CE-5 parental melt is in equilibrium with pure FeS, high Fe/S ratio sulfide, as well as high M/S Ni-bearing sulfide. All results suggest predictive SCSS values are higher than the S concentration in CE-5 parental magma, indicating the CE-5 mantle residue was likely sulfide-absent, unless an extremely S-poor and Ni-rich, Fe-alloy was the chief S-bearing accessory phase. We further reconstruct the S abundance in the CE-5 mantle source. Compared with the mantle of Apollo mare basalts, the ∼ 2 Gyrs lunar mantle has much lower S abundances, suggesting sulfur extraction by mantle melting over the magmatic history of the Moon, or S distribution heterogeneity in the lunar interior.

¹Svetlana Demidova et al. (>10)
Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta (in Press) Link to Article [https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gca.2025.02.022]
¹Vernadsky Institute of Geochemistry and Analytical Chemistry, Russian Academy of Sciences, 119991 Kosygin Street, Moscow, Russia
Copyright Elsevier

Two types of mare basalt have been previously reported in the Luna-16 returned soil samples: dominant Intermediate-Ti basalts and minor Very-Low-Ti (VLT) basalts. The crystallization age of the main group of Intermediate-Ti basalts determined for 14 fragments by the Pb-Pb isochron approach is 3590.3 ± 9.4 Ma. Intermediate-Ti basalts are likely to represent the late episode of volcanism that occupies the largest part of the Mare Fecunditatis surface. The VLT group Pb-Pb isochron obtained from 3 fragments corresponds to an age 3919 ± 27 Ma. The VLT basalts may represent an initial underlying basaltic filling of Mare Fecunditatis, at least in some parts of the basin.

¹Bourdelle De Micas J. et al. (>10)
Astronomy and Astrophysics 693, L19 Open Access Link to Article [DOI 10.1051/0004-6361/202452498]
¹INAF, Osservatorio Astronomico di Roma, Via Frascati 33, Monte Porzio Catone, I-00078, Italy

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¹Tatsumi, Eri,²Vilas, Faith,^3,4De León, Julia,⁵Popescu, Marcel,¹Hasegawa, Sunao,⁶De Prá, Mario,^3,4Tinaut-Ruano, Fernando,^3,4Licandro, Javier
Astronomy and Astrophysics 693, A140 Open Access Link to Article [DOI 10.1051/0004-6361/202450662]
¹Institute of Space and Astronautical Science (ISAS), Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), Kanagawa, Sagamihara, Japan
²Planetary Science Institute (PSI), Tucson, AZ, United States
³Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias (IAC), University of La Laguna, Tenerife, La Laguna, Spain
⁴Department of Astrophysics, University of La Laguna, Tenerife, La Laguna, Spain
⁵Astronomical Institute of the Romanian Academy, 5 Cuţitul de Argint, Bucharest, 040557, Romania
⁶Florida Space Institute, University of Central Florida, Orland, CA, United States

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¹Matthew J. O. Svensson,¹Gordon R. Osinski,¹Fred J. Longstaffe,²Timothy A. Goudge,³Haley M. Sapers
Meteoritics & Planetary Science (in Press) Open Access Link to Article [https://doi.org/10.1111/maps.14330]
¹Department of Earth Sciences, The University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, Canada
²Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Jackson School of Geosciences, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas, USA
³Department Astronomy & Planetary Science, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, Arizona, USA
Published by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons

Impact-generated hydrothermal systems and postimpact crater lake systems are well-documented geological phenomena; however, evidence of hydrothermal venting into impact crater lake systems has rarely been reported. We investigated the well-preserved contact between hydrothermally altered impact melt-bearing breccia (outer/surficial suevite) and postimpact crater lake deposits sampled by the Wörnitzostheim drill core at the Ries impact structure, Germany. We logged the upper 32 m of core, describing sedimentary structures and general lithological and mineralogical variations. Mineralogy was studied in detail using X-ray diffraction, optical microscopy, backscattered electron imagery, secondary electron imagery, and wavelength-dispersive spectroscopy analyses. Twelve different units were identified in the logged section of drill core, which we broadly separated into four distinct groups: (1) marlstones and limestones, (2) sand/siltstones, (3) conglomerates, and (4) impact melt-bearing breccias. The sedimentary deposits (groups 1–3) likely represent a transition from a back-stepping alluvial fan to a transgressing, shallow lake shoreline. Secondary dolomite, smectitic clay minerals and clinoptilolite occur as void-filling phases in the conglomerates—the earliest sedimentary deposits of the Wörnitzostheim drill core. A potential temperature range of 50–130°C was estimated for these void-filling minerals based on previous mineral synthesis experiments, and the typical mineral assemblages reported for the principal sequence of hydrothermal mineralization in impact craters and argillic alteration. Early postimpact sedimentary deposits likely host limited hydrothermal mineralization, potentially indicating ideal conditions for some microbial life forms during initial crater lake formation.

¹Oliver Christ,²Anna Barbaro,^3,4Ludovic Ferrière,³Lidia Pittarello,¹M. Chiara Domeneghetti,²Frank E. Brenker,^1,5Fabrizio Nestola,¹Matteo Alvaro
Meteoritics & Planetary Science (in Press) Open Access Link to Article [https://doi.org/10.1111/maps.14326]
¹Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy
²Schwiete Cosmochemistry Laboratory, Department of Geoscience, Goethe-University Frankfurt, Frankfurt, Germany
³Natural History Museum Vienna, Vienna, Austria
⁴Natural History Museum Abu Dabi, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
⁵Section Alessandro Guastoni, Museum of Nature and Humankind, University of Padova, Padova, Italy
Published by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons

Iron meteorites, originating from the deepest parts of their parent bodies and separated during major break-up events, surprisingly rarely contain diamonds despite experiencing similar pressure–temperature conditions as diamond-bearing ureilites. In this study, graphite from three non-magmatic IAB iron meteorites Canyon Diablo, Campo del Cielo, and Yardymly was analyzed using micro-Raman spectroscopy, revealing the presence of the graphite G-band, the disorder-induced D-band, and occasionally the D′-band. Temperature estimates based on the G-band full width at half maximum (ranging from 1155 to 1339°C) are consistent with those found in ureilites. However, unlike in ureilites, no diamond bands were detected, as confirmed by μ-X-ray diffraction. The absence of diamonds is interpreted to be related to the thermal and mechanical properties of the iron meteorite matrix. Its high thermal diffusivity results in similar temperatures to ureilites, but its ductility dissipates shock-wave energy through plastic deformation, unlike the brittle ureilite matrix, which more effectively transmits the energy. Consequently, graphite in iron meteorites was heated but did not experience the high-pressure conditions required for diamond formation. Thus, we propose that impacts must either involve substantial energy or that graphite must be located close to the impact site, where it can experience high energies before these dissipate.

¹Jambon, Albert,²Bielińska, Gerta,²Kosiński, Maciej,²Wieczorek-Szmal, Magdalena,^3,5Miśta-Jakubowska, Ewelina,⁴Tarasiuk, Jacek,⁵Dzięgielewski, Karol
Journal of Archaelogical Science: Reports 62, 104982 Link to Article [DOI 10.1016/j.jasrep.2025.104982]
¹Université de la Côte d’Azur, Sorbonne Université, CNRS, OCA, IRD, Géoazur, Sophia-Antipolis, Valbonne, 06560, France
²Częstochowa Museum, Najświętszej Marii Panny 47, Częstochowa, 42-217, Poland
³National Centre for Nuclear Research, Sołtana 7, Otwock, 05-400, Poland
⁴Faculty of Physics and Applied Computer Science, AGH University of Krakow, Mickiewicza 30, Kraków, 30-059, Poland
⁵Institute of Archaeology, Jagiellonian University, ul. Gołębia 11, Kraków, 31-007, Poland

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¹Huang, Yongsong,¹Santos, Ewerton,¹Alexandre, Marcelo R.,²Heck, Philipp R.,¹Milliken, Ralph,³Glavin, Daniel P.,³Dworkin, Jason P.
Rapid Communications in Mass Spectrometry 39, e9979 Link to Article [DOI 10.1002/rcm.9979]
¹Department of Earth, Environmental and Planetary Sciences, Brown University, Providence, RI, United States
²Robert A. Pritzker Center for Meteoritics and Polar Studies, Negaunee Integrative Research Center, Field Museum of Natural History, Chicago, IL, United States ³Solar System Exploration Division, NASA Goddard Space Center, Greenbelt, MD, United States

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¹Takaaki Noguchi,¹Akira Miyake,²Hikaru Yabuta,³Yoko Kebukawa,⁴Hiroki Suga,⁵Makoto Tabata,⁶Kyoko Okudaira,⁷Akihiko Yamagishi,^8,9H. Yano
Meteoritics & Planetary Science (in Press) Link to Article [https://doi.org/10.1111/maps.14327]
¹Division of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan
²Department of Earth and Planetary Systems Science, Hiroshima University, Hiroshima, Japan
³Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Tokyo, Japan
⁴NanoTerasu Promotion Division, Japan Synchrotron Radiation Research Institute, Sendai, Miyagi, Japan
⁵Faculty of Science, Chiba University, Chiba, Japan
⁶Division of Information Systems and Aizu Research Center for Space Informatics (ARC-Space), Department of Computer Science and Engineering, University of Aizu, Fukushima, Japan
⁷Department of Life Sciences, Tokyo University of Pharmacy and Life Sciences, Tokyo, Japan
⁸Institute of Space and Astronautical Science, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, Sagamihara, Kanagawa, Japan
⁹Space and Astronautical Science, Graduate Institute for Advanced Studies, SOKENDAI, Sagamihara, Kanagawa, Japan
Published by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons

The Tanpopo experiment is Japan’s first astrobiology mission aboard the Japanese Experiment Module Exposed Facility on the International Space Station. The Tanpopo-1 mission exposed silica aerogel panels to low Earth orbit from 2015 to 2016 to capture micrometeoroids. We identified an impact track measuring approximately 8 mm long, which contained terminal grains in the silica aerogel panel oriented toward space. The impact track exhibited a bulbous cavity with two thin, straight tracks branching from it, each preserving a terminal grain at their ends. The terminal grains were extracted from the silica aerogel and analyzed using scanning transmission electron microscopy and scanning transmission X-ray microscopy to investigate their X-ray absorption near-edge structure (STXM-XANES). Both grains are Fe-bearing and relatively homogeneous orthopyroxene crystals (En88.4±0.4 and En88.2±1.8). The recovery of Fe-bearing low-Ca pyroxene aligns with previous studies of micrometeoroids captured in LEO. Micrometeoroids containing Fe-bearing olivine and low-Ca pyroxene are likely abundant in LEO.

¹Vladimir Svetsov,¹Valery Shuvalov,¹Dmitry Glazachev,¹Olga Popova,¹Natalia Artemieva,¹Elena Podobnaya,¹Valery Khazins
Meteoritics & Planetary Science (in Press) Link to Article [https://doi.org/10.1111/maps.14329]
¹Sadovsky Institute of Geosphere Dynamics, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia
Published by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons

We completed numerical simulations of a number of asteroid and comet impacts on Earth to predict related shock wave and thermal radiation effects and to estimate seismic effects, as well as ionospheric disturbances. Using interpolation of the results, we were able to estimate these effects for arbitrary impact parameters. In addition, we used previously developed models to estimate the size of the impact crater and ejecta thickness. Finally, we developed a user-friendly web-based calculator (https://asteroidhazard.pro/) that quickly estimates shock wave pressure and radiation exposure at a given location, as well as crater size and average ejecta layer thickness, if any, seismic magnitude, change in ionospheric density, and some other values. The input parameters of the calculator are the impactor diameter and density, its speed and inclination angle of the trajectory above the atmosphere, and the coordinates of the observer (the point on the ground where it is necessary to determine the impact consequences). This paper describes the methods of numerical simulations and techniques for approximating the results. We present a few examples of how to assess the impact hazard, in particular, overpressure and wind speed on the surface, thermal radiation, and seismic shaking after a crater-forming impact or an airburst in the atmosphere.