¹Maggie McAdam,²Cristina Thomas,²Lauren McGraw,³Andrew Rivkin,²Joshua Emery
Planetary Science Journal 5, 254 Open Access Link to Article [DOI 10.3847/PSJ/ad888d]
¹NASA Ames Research Center, PO Box 1, Moffett Field, CA 94035, USA
²Northern Arizona University, DAPS: Room 209, Building 19, Physical Sciences, 527 S. Beaver Street, Flagstaff, AZ 86011, USA
³Johns Hopkins University’s Applied Physics Laboratory, 11100 Johns Hopkins Road, Laurel, MD 20723, USA

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¹Du Zhimao,¹ Li Shaolin,¹Shan Xingmei,¹Lin Qing
Meteoritics & Planetary Science (in Press) Link to Article [https://doi.org/10.1111/maps.14291]
¹Shanghai Astronomy Museum (branch of Shanghai Science & Technology Museum), Shanghai, China
Published by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons

The Shanghai Astronomy Museum (SAM) has opened its meteorite collections to the planetary science community. Inaugurated in July 2021, SAM is recognized as the world’s largest astronomical museum and currently houses a collection of 97 meteorites weighing a total of 469 kg. These meteorites come from over 40 nations and encompass a diverse array of 37 different groups. Among them, 70 meteorites are displayed in the museum. The museum also features a series of interactive exhibition areas showcasing the internal structure of meteorites, engaging games introducing meteorite identification, and simulating the formation process of asteroid impact craters. This comprehensive range of offerings enables public access to extensive scientific knowledge about meteorites, making the museum a pivotal platform for disseminating meteoritics to the public.

¹K. I. Ridenhour,¹V. Reddy, A. Battle,¹D. Cantillo,²N. C. Pearson, ²J. A. Sanchez
Planetary Science Journal 5, 256 Open Access Link to Article [DOI 10.3847/PSJ/ad7116]
¹Lunar and Planetary Laboratory, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721, USA; kayceer@arizona.edu
²Planetary Sciences Institute, Tucson, AZ 85719, USA

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¹Michael S. Phillips,²Christian Tai Udovicic,³Jeffrey E. Moersch,³Udit Basu, ¹Christopher W. Hamilton
Planetary Science Journal 5, 258 Open Access Link to Article [DOI 10.3847/PSJ/ad81f8]
¹Lunar and Planetary Laboratory, The University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA
²Hawaii Institute of Geophysics and Planetology, The University of Hawaii at Manoa, Manoa, HI, USA
³Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, The University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN, USA

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¹Nicolas Bott,¹Michelle S. Thompson,²Mark J. Loeffler,³Kathleen E. Vander Kaaden,⁴Francis M. McCubbin
Planetary Science Journal 5, 248 Open Access Link to Article [DOI 10.3847/PSJ/ad8630]
¹Department of Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907, USA
²Northern Arizona University, Department of Astronomy and Planetary Science, Flagstaff, AZ 86011, USA
³NASA Headquarters, Mary W. Jackson Building, Washington, DC 20546, USA
⁴ARES, NASA Johnson Space Center, Houston, TX 77058, USA

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^1,2A. I. Sheen,^1,2K. T. Tait,¹V. E. Di Cecco,³B. R. Joy,²C. J. Bray
Meteoritics & Planetary Science (in Press) Open Access Link to Article [https://doi.org/10.1111/maps.14292]
¹Department of Natural History, Royal Ontario Museum, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
²Department of Earth Sciences, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
³Department of Geological Sciences and Geological Engineering, Queen’s University, Kingston, Ontario, Canada
Published by arrangement with John Wiley & Son

Petrogenetic models for the howardite–eucrite–diogenite (HED) clan of achondrites have been challenged by the lack of substantial plagioclase in the HED record, which is at odds with the chemical composition of diogenites. Northwest Africa (NWA) 15118, an anorthositic achondrite, displays strong isotopic affinities with HEDs and has been proposed as a lunar-style primary flotation crust of the Vestan magma ocean. Nevertheless, a geochemical link with known HEDs, particularly diogenites, remains to be demonstrated. We present major, minor, and trace element data for plagioclase and orthopyroxene in NWA 15118. Despite textural evidence for post-crystallization shock and thermal metamorphism, transect major and minor element data reveal that igneous crystallization trends are preserved. Normalized trace element data reveal depletion in Ti, Nb, Hf, Zr in plagioclase and corresponding enrichment in orthopyroxene. Orthopyroxene in NWA 15118 does not plot on the Y versus Ti array formed by diogenite orthopyroxenes, which have a higher Ti/Y ratio. The calculated melt composition in equilibrium with NWA 15118 plagioclase has lower Ti/Y, Ti/Yb, and La/Sm ratios than melts in equilibrium with diogenite orthopyroxenes; differences in the melt compositions cannot be accounted for by the choice of partition coefficients or by single-stage magmatic processes. Therefore, we argue that NWA 15118 and diogenites are not complementary cumulates that crystallized simultaneously from a global Vestan magma ocean. Furthermore, the modeled evolution curve of such a magma ocean does not produce the composition of NWA 15118 plagioclase equilibrium melts in Ti-Y-Yb space, indicating that NWA 15118 is unlikely to have been a primary flotation crust of a global magma ocean. Our findings suggest that the incompatible trace element composition of NWA 15118 likely reflects more complex, multistage magmatic processes and/or source heterogeneities than envisioned in geochemistry-based HED petrogenetic models proposed to date.

^1,2S. K. Bell,²K. H. Joy,^2,3M. Nottingham,²R. Tartèse,²R. H. Jones,⁴J. J. Kent,^5,6C. K. Shearer, the ANGSA science team
Meteoritics & Planetary Science (in Press) Open Access Link to Article [https://doi.org/10.1029/2024JE008359]
¹Stratum Reservoir AS, Sandnes, Norway
²Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK
³School of Geographical & Earth Sciences, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK
⁴GeoControl Systems Inc., Jacobs JETS Contract, NASA/JSC, Houston, TX, USA
⁵Department of Earth and Planetary Science, Institute of Meteoritics, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, USA
⁶Lunar and Planetary Institute, Houston, TX, USA
Published by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons

The Apollo 17 73001/73002 double drive tube, collected at the base of the South Massif in the Taurus-Littrow Valley, was opened in 2019 as part of the Apollo Next Generation Sample Analysis program (ANGSA). A series of continuous thin sections were prepared capturing the full length of the upper portion of the double drive tube (73002). The aim of this study was to use Quantitative Evaluation of Minerals by SCANing electron microscopy (QEMSCAN), to search for clasts of non-lunar meteoritic origin and to analyze the mineralogy and textures within the core. By highlighting mineral groups associated with meteoritic origins, we identified 232 clasts of interest. The elemental composition of 33 clasts was analyzed using electron microprobe analysis that revealed that all clasts were of lunar origin, suggesting that any meteoritic component in the regolith material we studied is not present in the form of lithic clasts. In the process of searching for meteorite fragments, we also identified a number of clast types including a group with highly magnesian olivine compositions (Fo92.2-96.5). We extracted raw pixel data to investigate changes in mineralogy with depth, used QEMSCAN processors to separate and group individual clasts based on mineralogy, and determined variations in particle size with depth. Our results show a decreasing abundance of glass and agglutinate clasts with depth, associated with a higher soil maturity in the upper portion of the core. The lack of stratigraphy and dominance of non-mare clasts is consistent with the landslide origin of the material from the South Massif.

¹Hugues Leroux, ¹Pierre-Marie Zanetta, ¹Corentin Le Guillou, ²Maya Marinova
Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta (in Press) Link to Article [https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gca.2024.11.028]
¹Univ. Lille, CNRS, INRAE, Centrale Lille, UMR 8207 – UMET – Unité Matériaux et Transformations, F-59000 Lille, France
²Univ. Lille, CNRS, INRAE, Centrale Lille, Univ. Artois, FR 2638-IMEC-Institut Michel-Eugène Chevreul, F-59000 Lille, France
Copyright Elsevier

The study of pristine chondrites provides insight into nebular processes that occurred prior to the accretion of small-sized parent bodies. The interchondrule matrix of the primitive chondrite Acfer 094 is characterized by the presence of submicron-sized anhydrous crystalline aggregates embedded in a silicate groundmass that is mostly amorphous. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDXS) were employed to investigate the matrix of Acfer 094 and its components.
The amorphous silicate groundmass is homogeneous in composition and exhibits a Mg depletion relative to the solar value. It embeds Fe-Ni nanosulfides, whose typical size is a few tens of nanometers. Nanometer-sized fibrous silicates are rare in the groundmass indicating a low degree of aqueous alteration. Submicron-sized Mg-rich crystalline silicates (olivine and pyroxene) occur either as isolated grains or as aggregates. These submicron-sized crystalline silicates occupy around 25 % of the matrix volume. The isolated grains display a wide range of shapes, from rounded to irregularly angular, and could have originated from the fragmentation of type I chondrules or from nebular condensation. The aggregates exhibit variable morphologies and grain sizes (typically a few tens of nm). They are chemically equilibrated, and likely formed by solid-state thermal annealing of amorphous precursors.
The Acfer 094 matrix contains a range of components that have undergone varying degrees of thermal modification. A significant proportion of a precursor material (i.e. nebular dust) resembling matrix is likely to have undergone one or more brief and intense thermal events, potentially associated with the process of chondrule formation. These events resulted in the formation of magnesium-rich anhydrous silicates (forsterite and enstatite) at high temperatures that were embedded in the matrix of Acfer 094 as isolated grains and crystalline aggregates.

¹Christopher D.K. Herd;²Chi Ma;¹Andrew J. Locock;¹Radhika Saini;³Erin L. Walton
American Mineralogist 109, 2142-2151 Open Access Link to Article [https://doi.org/10.2138/am-2023-9225]
¹Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta T6G 2R3, Canada
²Division of Geological and Planetary Sciences, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California 91125, U.S.A.
³Department of Physical Sciences, MacEwan University, City Centre Campus, 10700 104 Avenue, Edmonton, Alberta T5J 4S2, Canada
Copyright: The Mineralogical Society of America

Petrologic investigation of the El Ali IAB iron meteorite (Somalia) revealed three new minerals: elaliite [Fe82+Fe³⁺(PO₄)O₈, IMA 2022-087], elkinstantonite [Fe₄(PO₄)₂O, IMA 2022-088], and olsenite [KFe₄(PO₄)₃, IMA 2022-100]. The name elaliite recognizes the occurrence of this mineral within the El Ali meteorite, originally located at 4° 17′ 17″N, 44° 53′ 54″E. Elkinstantonite is named after Linda (Lindy) Elkins-Tanton (b. 1965), a planetary scientist and professor in the School of Earth and Space Exploration at Arizona State University. The name olsenite is in honor of Edward J. Olsen (1927–2020), the former Curator of Mineralogy and Meteorites at the Field Museum of Natural History in Chicago (1960–1991). The new minerals and their names have been approved by the Commission on New Minerals, Nomenclature and Classification of the International Mineralogical Association. The holotype specimens of elaliite, elkinstantonite, and olsenite consist of the polished block mount with accession number MET11814/2-1/EP1 deposited in the University of Alberta Meteorite Collection. Elaliite, elkinstantonite, and olsenite occur along with wüstite, troilite, sarcopside, and Ca-bearing graftonite within inclusions in the iron-nickel metal (kamacite, 9.4 wt% Ni) that makes up the bulk of the El Ali sample. The empirical formulas determined by electron probe microanalysis for elaliite, elkinstantonite, and olsenite are: (⁠Fe7.9432+Fe1.0203+Cr_0.010Ni_0.006Ca_0.004Mn_0.004)_Σ8.987(P_0.932Si_0.077S_0.005)_Σ1.014O₁₂, (⁠Fe3.9472+Mn_0.016Ni_0.003Ca_0.001Cr_0.001)_Σ3.968(P_1.986Si_0.014S_0.013)_Σ2.013O₉, and (K_0.820Na_0.135Ca_0.004)_Σ0.959(Fe_3.829 Mn_0.050)_Σ3.879(P_2.972S_0.058Si_0.017)_Σ3.047O₁₂, respectively. Electron backscatter diffraction was used to confirm the crystal structures of the three new minerals. Raman spectra for all three minerals are also presented.

¹J.V.Clark et al. (>10)
Journal of Geophysical Research (Planets)(in Press) Open Access Link to Article [https://doi.org/10.1029/2024JE008587]

¹Texas State University – Amentum JETSII Contract at NASA Johnson Space Center, Houston, TX, USA
Published by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons

The Curiosity rover explored the region between the orbitally defined phyllosilicate-bearing Glen Torridon trough and the overlying layered sulfate-bearing unit, called the “clay-sulfate transition region.” Samples were drilled from the top of the fluviolacustrine Glasgow member of the Carolyn Shoemaker formation (CSf) to the eolian Contigo member of the Mirador formation (MIf) to assess in situ mineralogical changes with stratigraphic position. The Sample Analysis at Mars-Evolved Gas Analysis (SAM-EGA) instrument analyzed drilled samples within this region to constrain their volatile chemistry and mineralogy. Evolved H2O consistent with nontronite was present in samples drilled in the Glasgow and Mercou members of the CSf but was generally absent in stratigraphically higher samples. SO2 peaks consistent with Fe sulfate were detected in all samples, and SO2 evolutions consistent with Mg sulfate were observed in most samples. CO2 and CO evolutions were variable between samples and suggest contributions from adsorbed CO2, carbonates, simple organic salts, and instrument background. The lack of NO and O2 in the data suggest that oxychlorines and nitrates were absent or sparse, and evolved HCl was consistent with the presence of chlorides in all samples. The combined rover data sets suggest that sediments in the upper CSf and MIf may represent similar source material and were deposited in lacustrine and eolian environments, respectively. Rocks were subsequently altered in briny solutions with variable chemical compositions that resulted in the precipitation of sulfates, carbonates, and chlorides. The results suggest that the clay-sulfate transition records progressively drier surface depositional environments and saline diagenetic fluid, potentially impacting habitability.