Characterization of Kemer L4 meteorite using Raman spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, magnetization measurements and Mössbauer spectroscopy

1Maksimova, A.A.,1Petrova, E.V.,1Chukin, A.V.,2Karabanalov, M.S.,3Nogueira, B.A.,3Fausto, R.,4Yesiltas, M.,5Felner, I.,1Oshtrakh, M.I.
Spectrochimica Acta – Part A: Molecular and Biomolecular Spectroscopy 242, 118723 Link to Article [DOI: 10.1016/j.saa.2020.118723]
1Institute of Physics and Technology, Ural Federal University, Ekaterinburg, 620002, Russian Federation
2Institute of Material Science and Metallurgy, Ural Federal University, Ekaterinburg, 620002, Russian Federation
3CQC, Department of Chemistry, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, 3004-535, Portugal
4Faculty of Aeronautics and Space Sciences, Kirklareli University, Kirklareli, Turkey
5Racah Institute of Physics, The Hebrew University, Jerusalem, Israel

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Heavy iron isotope composition of iron meteorites explained by core crystallization

1Peng Ni,2Nancy L. Chabot,2Caillin J. Ryan,1Anat Shahar
Nature Geoscience (in Press) Link to Article [DOI
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41561-020-0617-y]
1Earth and Planets Laboratory, Carnegie Institution for Science, Washington, DC, USA
2Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, MD, USA

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High‐resolution microstructural and compositional analyses of shock deformed apatite from the peak ring of the Chicxulub Impact Crater

1,2Morgan A. Cox et al. (>10)
Meteoritics & Planetary Science (in Press) Link to Article [https://doi.org/10.1111/maps.13541]
1Space Science and Technology Centre (SSTC), School of Earth and Planetary Science, Curtin University, Perth, Western Australia, 6102 Australia
2Lunar and Planetary Institute (LPI)—USRA, 3600 Bay Area Boulevard, Houston, Texas, 77058 USA
Published by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons

The mineral apatite, Ca5(PO4)3(F,Cl,OH), is a ubiquitous accessory mineral, with its volatile content and isotopic compositions used to interpret the evolution of H2O on planetary bodies. During hypervelocity impact, extreme pressures shock target rocks resulting in deformation of minerals; however, relatively few microstructural studies of apatite have been undertaken. Given its widespread distribution in the solar system, it is important to understand how apatite responds to progressive shock metamorphism. Here, we present detailed microstructural analyses of shock deformation in ~560 apatite grains throughout ~550 m of shocked granitoid rock from the peak ring of the Chicxulub impact structure, Mexico. A combination of high‐resolution backscattered electron (BSE) imaging, electron backscatter diffraction mapping, transmission Kikuchi diffraction mapping, and transmission electron microscopy is used to characterize deformation within apatite grains. Systematic, crystallographically controlled deformation bands are present within apatite, consistent with tilt boundaries that contain the (axis) and result from slip in <> (direction) on (plane) during shock deformation. Deformation bands contain complex subgrain domains, isolated dislocations, and low‐angle boundaries of ~1° to 2°. Planar fractures within apatite form conjugate sets that are oriented within either {, {, {, or . Complementary electron microprobe analyses (EPMA) of a subset of recrystallized and partially recrystallized apatite grains show that there is an apparent change in MgO content in shock‐recrystallized apatite compositions. This study shows that the response of apatite to shock deformation can be highly variable, and that application of a combined microstructural and chemical analysis workflow can reveal complex deformation histories in apatite grains, some of which result in changes to crystal structure and composition, which are important for understanding the genesis of apatite in both terrestrial and extraterrestrial environments.

Early accretion of planetesimals unraveled by the thermal evolution of the parent bodies of magmatic iron meteorites

1Edouard Kaminski,1Angela Limare,1 Balthasar Kenda,1Marc Chaussidon
Earth and Planetary Science 548, 116469 Link to Article [https://doi.org/10.1016/j.epsl.2020.116469]
1Université de Paris, Institut de Physique du Globe de Paris, CNRS, 1 rue Jussieu, F-75005 Paris, France
Copyright Elsevier

The timing of formation of 100-300 km size planetesimals in the protoplanetary disk remains largely unconstrained. Recent models show that gravitational collapse of boulders in overdense regions of a dusty accretion disk can overcome the meter-sized barrier and lead to rapid formation of planetesimals with size of several km that further grow by pebble accretion. Hf/W ages indicate that the first large planetesimals to form could be the parent bodies of magmatic iron meteorites. These ages have been so far used to constrain timing of accretion considering (i) instantaneous accretion, and (ii) purely conductive heat transfer in the planetesimal. To relax these hypotheses we model the thermal evolution of a planetesimal in course of accretion and we take into account the possibility of convection onset. Our model is further based on considering the possibility of a common thermal evolution for all the parent bodies of iron meteorites. Within that framework we show that the planetesimals could have grown following a universal accretion law starting at the very beginning of the history of the disk by a nearly instantaneous formation of 60 ± 30 km size nuclei, followed by a growth via pebble accretion at a much slower pace to reach final sizes of 150–300 km in about 3 Myr. In this universal scenario, complete melting and total differentiation are not bound to happen in the parent body due to the continuous accretion of cold pebbles. The model, though calibrated here on iron meteorites, is general and can in principle be applied to other types of planetesimals such as for instance the parent bodies of CV chondrites.

Petrological evidence for the existence and disruption of a 500 km-sized differentiated planetesimal of enstatite-chondritic parentage

1Dennis Harries,2Addi Bischoff
Earth and Planetary Science Letters 548, 116506 Link to Article [https://doi.org/10.1016/j.epsl.2020.116506]
1Institute für Geowissenschaften, Friedrich-Schiller-Universität Jena, Carl-Zeiss-Promenade 10, 07745 Jena, Germany
2Institut für Planetologie, Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster, Wilhelm-Klemm-Str. 10, 48149, Münster, Germany
Copyright Elsevier

Two samples of a unique achondritic lithology of the Almahata Sitta meteorite (MS-MU-019 and MS-MU-036) contain three coexisting pyroxene species: orthoenstatite, clinoenstatite and augite. The silicate assemblage appears to be the restite after extraction of melts of broadly basaltic and metal-sulfide composition from an enstatite chondrite protolith. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) provides evidence that clinoenstatite within the lithology formed from earlier protoenstatite. The absence of pigeonite despite the successful nucleation of augite and the persistence of orthoenstatite during cooling suggests that the sub-solidus formation of the three coexisting pyroxenes occurred at a pressure of about 0.1 GPa. Rapid cooling at >1 K/h below 1260°C is documented by the cessation of augite equilibration, preservation of the 3-pyroxene assemblage and a low volume fraction of nanoscale orthoenstatite lamellae formed during the transformation of protoenstatite to clinoenstatite. The pressure implies a diameter of roughly 500 km of the differentiated parent body, putting petrological constraints on the size of planetesimals that may have contributed to the accretion of the terrestrial planets including Earth. The high cooling rate indicates a catastrophic disruption of this large planetesimal early in its history. The lithology studied here underlines that planetesimals which existed in the inner Solar System were more diverse than previously thought, and included potentially large differentiated bodies with very FeO-poor, enstatite-dominated mantles. Remains of these bodies are poorly represented in meteorite collections, which points to efficient accretion in the inner Solar System or to removal and little re-distribution of material into the present-day asteroid belt.

Metal grains in lunar rocks as indicators of igneous and impact processes

1James M. D. Day
Meteoritics & Planetary Science (in Press) Link to Article [https://doi.org/10.1111/maps.13544]
1Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, California, 92093 USA
Published by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons

Anhedral metal grains of >micrometer size occur in many lunar rock types, including mare basalts, magnesian suite rocks (MGS), ferroan anorthosites (FAN), and impact melt rocks and breccias. Some metal grains are inherited from, or modified by, impactors striking the Moon into crustal materials. These grains have high Ni/Co resulting from the addition of chondritic or iron impactors. Metal grains in mare basalts, FAN, and MGS have Ni/Co ranging from >20 to <1, being generally distinct from impactor compositions. Nickel and Co behave as compatible elements in lunar melts, with parental melts having between ~40–50 ppm Co, ~40–60 ppm Ni, and Ni/Co ~1. These compositions suggest a bulk silicate Moon (BSM) with Ni some three times lower than in bulk silicate Earth. Modeling of Ni and Co during fractional crystallization of mafic mare basalt parental melts originating from a BSM source predicts high Ni/Co metals form during early olivine fractionation. The combined effects of pyroxene ± plagioclase crystallization and increasing but variable compatibility of Ni and Co during basaltic melt evolution can explain the generation of low Ni/Co metals in more differentiated mare basalts. High‐Ti mare basalts have metal with low Ni/Co, but the crystallization of ilmenite and armalcoite restricts the range of Ni and Co in metal. Collectively, these results are consistent with metal grains in mare basalts forming solely through endogenous processes. Measurement of metal grains represents a rapid way for determining endogenous (e.g., lunar interior melts) versus exogenous (e.g., impact contamination) processes acting on lunar samples. In turn, the presence of low Ni/Co metal grains in mare basalts supports their origin as uncontaminated partial melts originating from lunar mantle sources that may have experienced loss of Ni to a small lunar core.

Kinetics in thermal evolution of Raman spectra of chondritic organic matter to evaluate thermal history of their parent bodies

1Kento Kiryu,1Yoko Kebukawa,2Motoko Igisu,2Takazo Shibuya,3Michael E. Zolensky,1Kensei Kobayashi
Meteoritics & Planetary Science (in Press) Link to Article [https://doi.org/10.1111/maps.13548]
1Graduate School of Engineering Science, Yokohama National University, 79‐5 Tokiwadai, Hodogaya‐ku, Yokohama, 240‐8501 Japan
2Super‐cutting‐edge Grand and Advanced Research (Sugar) Program, Institute for Extra‐cutting‐edge Science and Technology Avant‐garde Research (X‐star), Japan Agency for Marine‐Earth Science and Technology (JAMSTEC), 2‐15 Natsushima‐cho, Yokosuka, 237‐0061 Japan
3Astromaterials Research and Exploration Science, NASA Johnson Space Center, 2101 NASA Parkway, Houston, Texas, 77058 USA
Published by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons

In order to establish kinetic expressions for Raman spectroscopic parameters of organic matter in chondritic meteorites with heating, a series of heating experiments (at 600–900 °C for 3–48 h) of the Murchison (CM2) meteorite was conducted. For comparison, several carbonaceous chondrites with various metamorphic degrees—Allende (CV3.2), Moss (CO3.6), Yamato (Y‐) 793321 (heated CM2), and Tagish Lake (ungrouped C2)—were also analyzed by the Raman spectrometer. Changes in the full width at half maximum of the D1 band (ΓD) of heated Murchison correlated well with temperature and time, and showed similar trends of chondrites with various metamorphic degrees. We obtained the kinetic expressions for the changes in ΓD by heating to estimate the time–temperature history of thermally metamorphosed type 3 chondrites and heated CM chondrites. Our results may also be useful for asteroids which are the targets of Hayabusa2 and OSIRIS‐REx missions.

Genetics, Age and Crystallization History of Group IIC Iron Meteorites

1Hope A.Tornabene,1Connor D.Hilton,1Katherine R.Bermingham,1Richard D.Ash,1Richard J.Walker
Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta (in Press) Link to Article [https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gca.2020.07.036]
1Department of Geology, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland, 20742, USA
Copyright Elsevie

The eight iron meteorites currently classified as belonging to the IIC group were characterized with respect to the compositions of 21 siderophile elements. Several of these meteorites were also characterized for mass independent isotopic compositions of Mo, Ru and W. Chemical and isotopic data for one, Wiley, indicate that it is not a IIC iron meteorite and should be reclassified as ungrouped. The remaining seven IIC iron meteorites exhibit broadly similar bulk chemical and isotopic characteristics, consistent with an origin from a common parent body. Variations in highly siderophile element (HSE) abundances among the members of the group can be well accounted for by a fractional crystallization model with all the meteorites crystallizing between ∼10 and ∼26% of the original melt, assuming initial S and P concentrations of 8 wt.% and 2 wt.%, respectively. Abundances of HSE estimated for the parental melt suggest a composition with chondritic relative abundances of HSE ∼6 times higher than in bulk carbonaceous chondrites, consistent with the IIC irons sampling a parent body core comprising ∼17% of the mass of the body.

Radiogenic 182W abundances of two group IIC irons, corrected for a nucleosynthetic component, indicate a metal-silicate segregation age of 3.2 ± 0.5 Myr subsequent to the formation of Calcium-Aluminum-rich Inclusions (CAI). When this age is coupled with thermal modeling, and assumptions about the Hf/W of precursor materials, a parent body accretion age of 1.4 ± 0.5 Myr (post-CAI) is obtained.

The IIC irons and Wiley have 100Ru mass independent “genetic” isotopic compositions that are identical to other irons with so-called carbonaceous chondrite (CC) type genetic affinities, but enrichments in 94,95,97Mo and 183W that indicate greater s-process deficits relative to most known CC iron meteorites. If the IIC irons and Wiley are of the CC type, this indicates variable s-process deficits within the CC reservoir, similar to the s-process variability within the NC reservoir observed for iron meteorites. Nucleosynthetic models indicate that Mo and 183W s-process variability should correlate with Ru isotopic variability, which is not observed. This may indicate the IIC irons and Wiley experienced selective thermal processing of nucleosynthetic carriers, or are genetically distinct from the CC and NC precursor materials.

 

 

Study of Reflectance Spectra of Micrometeorites with Porous Structure from the Novaya Zemlya Ice Sheet

1Busarev, V.V.,2Badyukov, D.D.,3Pronina, N.V.
Geochemistry International 58, 795-801 Link to Article [DOI: 10.1134/S0016702920070058]
1Moscow State University (MSU), Sternberg State Astronomical Institute, Moscow, 119992, Russian Federation
2Institute of Geochemistry and Analytical Chemistry, Russian Academy of Sciences (GEOKHI RAS), ul. Kosygina 19, Moscow, 119991, Russian Federation
3Moscow State University, Geological Faculty, Moscow, 119991, Russian Federation

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