magmatic activity on the iva parent body evidence from silicate bearing iron meteorites abstract four of the magmatic iva iron meteorites contain tridymite or clinobronzite orthobronzitetridymite which are quite unlike silicate assemblages in other iron meteorites the textures the bulk chemistry and the zoning preserved in the pyroxenes strongly suggest that they are igneous cumulates the pyroxenes have extremely low fe mn ratios less than 20 and low contents of rees and other incompatible elements these cumulates crystallized from magmas of unusual composition with some similarity to terrestrial boninites at the protobronzite tfdymite cotectic in the olivine plagioclase silica system a liquidus temperature in the range 1400 1350 c was inferred for the steinbach meteorite from the estimated distribution coefficient for cr in pyroxene dcrsolid liquid 0 66 the low levels of incompatible elements show that less than 1 of the residual liquid was trapped in the cumulates during cooling at subsolidus temperatures most of the protobronzite transformed to orthobronzite and the rest inverted to a fine inter growth of clino and orthobronzite in addition the igneous zoning of ca fe mg and mn was modified by diffusion whereas ti al and cr were not or only slightly affected the silica saturated magmas could not have evolved in an olivine rich mantle we assume that the magmas became incorporated in the metal core possibly due to solidification shrinkage of the metal we propose that the iva parent magmas were formed by high degrees of partial melting 40 of a chondritic precursor along the olivine pyroxene peritectic reaction curve in the olivine plagioclase silica system at low pressures the precursor may have been depleted in incompatible elements by a preceding melting episode the partial melts were then separated from the olivine residue and subsequently reduced to account for the low fe mn ratios and the unusually high si content

the ordovician chondrite from brunflo central sweden ii secondary minerals abstract brunflo is an altered h4 h5 stony meteorite that fell in calcareous mud on the continental shelf of the iapetus ocean about 460 470 ma b p except for relicts of chromite all the original minerals are replaced by calcite barite an illite type mineral and some minor to rare phases carbonate fluorapatite quartz titanium dioxide chalcopyrite three different members of the cobaltite gersdorffite series including a phase with a composition close to coni ass 2 rammelsbergite safflorite nickeline maucherite orcelite native nickel anomalous bornite galena pyrite sphalerite and two cu phases cu1 66s and cu4fes4 the secondary mineralogy varies rapidly at a mm scale indicating non equilibrium conditions during the alteration by the time the mud was cemented to limestone most of the original minerals might have been transformed to secondary phases during subsequent stages of diagenesis the temperature remained within the 0 50 c range for millions of years probably explaining the formation of the phases of unusual compositions a temperature rise to 200 300 c chiefly due to regional heating during the caledonian orogeny in silurian devonian time might have modified the secondary mineralogy

the cr renazzo type carbonaceous chondrite group and its implications abstract a petrologic geochemical and oxygen isotopic study of eight meteorites identified as cr renazzo type chondrites reveals that they have a set of similar properties that distinguishes them from other chondrite groups and confirms cr as a carbonaceous chondrite group characteristics of the cr group include 1 1 abundant large multilayered fe ni metal rich type i chondrules 2 2 abundant matrix and dark inclusions di that contain microchondrules microfragments and magnetite framboids and platelets 3 3 unique assemblages of serpentine and chlorite rich phyllosilicates and ca carbonates 4 4 ca carbonate rims on chondrules 5 5 abundant fe ni metal with a positive ni vs co trend and a solar ni co ratio 6 6 low abundance of refractory rich inclusions 7 7 amoeboid olivine aggregates aoa with mn rich and mn poor forsterite and 8 8 oxygen isotopic compositions that form a unique mixing line the cr chondrites are breccias consisting of two major components the large layered chondrules and the matrix dark inclusions al rais is an anomalous member in having a higher abundance of the dark inclusion component 70 vol and this accounts for its having a higher volatile content than other members of the group the conditions that prevailed during aqueous alteration of the cr chondrites differed from those of other hydrated chondrite groups and may be the result of a higher temperature environment than that for the ci and cm chondrites the cr chondrite components chondrules matrix dark inclusions etc experienced aqueous alteration to differing degrees prior to assembly of the host chondrites and dark inclusions represent a lithology that was altered by water to a greater degree than the rest of the meteorite the overall degree of hydration in cr chondrites varies among meteorites with al rais being the most hydrated the oxygen isotopic variation of the whole rocks chondrules and matrices may be related to degree of hydration indicating that cr chondrites interacted with a water rich component having heavy oxygen and that was the same as ci and cm water

the polymict eucrites the polymict eucrites are a suite of about 14 polymict achondritic meteorites that contain at least 90 vol of eucritic material and are found both in antarctica and elsewhere they are part of a continuum of polymict breccias that includes howardites and polymict diogenites rare gas data suggest that some are gas rich regolith breccias the clasts contained in polymict eucrites sample a variety of lithologies from their parent body and include eucritic clasts alkali enriched eucrites pyroxene cumulate eucrites two pyroxene mafic rocks possibly feldspar cumulate eucrites diogenites fayalitic lithologies and a variety of other mineral clasts the eucritic clasts are probably samples of near surface lithologies on the parent body but the presence of two pyroxene mafic rocks is considered to be evidence of magmatic activity at pressures in excess of 1 kbar in the parent body partial melt models may explain some of the diversity among the clasts but cumulus processes are believed to have been important if pressures greater than 1 kbar are confirmed then the basaltic achondrite parent body bap must have a diameter in excess of 200 km the variety of lithologies suggests that not all basaltic achondrites are samples of igneous rocks formed by single stage melting of a chondritic asteroid but are instead samples of an evolved and diverse crust produced by serial magmatism

the microstructure of semarkona and bishunpur abstract the ordinary chondrites semarkona and bishunpur appear to have experienced in situ hydrous alteration here we report the results of the first detailed tem examination of them which supports this conclusion in semarkona all but the most magnesian mafic minerals have been destroyed and primary sulphides most likely troilite have been partially altered to phyllosilicates and ni rich pyrrhotite in bishunpur alteration is confined to the production of smectite from an amorphous feldspathic material in the chondrule rims and interchondrule matrix during hydrous alteration of both meteorites the temperature probably did not exceed 260 c the equilibrium composition of the gas present during the alteration of semarkona was not solar but was dominated by h2o the formation of smectite does not require the presence of liquid water however evidence for the redistribution of elements such as ca zn and si over tens of microns or more implies that there was at least some transient grain boundary fluid present the alteration in semarkona and bishunpur is far from complete thermodynamic modelling suggests that more altered ordinary chondrites would be mineralogically similar to the cm and ci carbonaceous chondrites superficially the mineralogy mineral chemistry and bulk chemistry of semarkona matrix rims resemble those of some chondritic interplanetary dust particles cidps the ordinary chondrite parent bodies may therefore be a source of some cidps

carlisle lakes and allan hills 85151 members of a new chondrite grouplet carlisle lakes and allan hills 85151 alh85151 are members of a new grouplet of chondrites characterized by feo rich silicates olivine fa 38 41 mol unusual oxygen isotopic composition and abundant 35 vol recrystallized matrix material yamato 75302 is not as well characterized but is probably also a member of this grouplet siderophile elements in carlisle lakes and alh85151 are fractionated relative to ci chondrites refractory and common siderophiles are at 1 ci ga and as are lower 0 6 0 9 ci and au is very low 0 17 ci and 0 36 ci in carlisle lakes and alh85151 respectively the low au abundance may indicate that au resided mainly in fine grained metal particles that were suspended in the nebular gas during the time these chondrites agglomerated the oxidation state of chondrites may be controlled by the presence of oxidizing agents e g magnetite in agglomerated matrix material the high matrix abundance that characterizes this new grouplet may thus be responsible for the high oxidation state of these meteorites

origin of metallic fe ni in renazzo and related chondrites abstract the anomalous positive co ni correlation among metal grains from the renazzo and al rais chondrites reported in previous studies has two components 1 1 a chondrule trend that extends up to 120 145 mg g ni probably reflects the mixing of fe rich and fe poor nebular metal and 2 2 a weak extrachondrule trend that spans a ni range from 40 70 mg g reflects fe introduction during mild metamorphism to assess the formation of this metal we determined ni and co zoning profiles in metallic fe ni from different petrographic sites chondrule interiors chondrule margins chondrule rims and matrix in renazzo al rais and the related chondrite macalpine hills 87320 metal from chondrule interiors shows flat ni and co concentrations and profiles moderately large grain to grain compositional variations even within chondrules and generally high ni and co nickel concentrations extend above the kamacite stability limit etching such martensite shows high ni domains in some cases but observed ni concentrations do not exceed 190 mg g metal from chondrule margins adjacent to matrix shows convex inverted u shaped ni and co zoning profiles the highest ni and co concentrations are at grain centers although the mean central ni and co concentrations in margin grains are much lower than those in metal from chondrule interiors about half of the matrix metal shows flat co and ni profiles like those from chondrule interiors the remainder are convex the differences in mean co and ni contents between chondrules and extrachondrule materials may reflect differential sampling of nebular metal grains having compositions that varied with particle size we interpret the low co and ni contents at the edges of grains in chondrule margins to reflect dilution by fe produced by feo reduction the reduction seems not to have occurred in the nebula but rather during a brief period of parent body metamorphism reduction of fine grained feo produced metallic fe that plated onto nearby metal grains although diffusive exchange between pentlandite and metal could produce the observed ni gradient it is doubtful that it could produce the similar gradient of co metal from chondrule interiors was inaccessible during the reduction event and retained the flat profiles established during chondrule formation

geochemistry of meteorite rich marine limestone strata and fossil meteorites from the lower ordovician at kinnekulle sweden abstract thirteen fossil meteorites 1 5 9 cm have been found in lower ordovician orthoceratite limestone at kinnekulle sweden the meteorites were recovered from a 3 5 m thick quarried interval in the middle of a 30 m thick section of orthoceratite limestone the section formed in an epicontinental sea at very slow sedimentation rates 0 2 cm ka the limestones of the lower two thirds of the section are reddish brown except in the quarried interval where a conspicuous 1 m thick grey limestone bed occurs ten of the meteorites were found in a thin bed below the grey limestone one was found in the grey limestone and two in the red limestone above the meteorites are almost completely pseudomorphosed primarily by calcite and barite they were identified by their content of chromite grains and chondrule pseudomorphs the central part of one of the meteorites shows iridium 800 ppb gold 550 ppb and chromium 4400 ppm concentrations in typical chondritic abundances centimeter resolution profiles for iridium and eight other elements have been established through the quarried interval at a site at 4 km distant from the meteorite producing quarry in the reddish brown parts ir concentrations carbonate free basis lie typically in the range 300 400 ppt compared with 50 ppt ir in average shale in the grey limestone the ir concentrations are lower around 100 150 ppt iridium correlates with iron and appears to be related to sedimentation rate and or iron redox state rather than to any variations in the composition of the siliciclastic fraction with estimated sedimentation rates as above the excess ir flux to the sediment was 30 ng cm 2 ma which is a factor 2 3 higher than the present total ir flux and one order of magnitude higher than the extraterrestrial ir flux to the pacific sea floor our data cannot discriminate to what extent the ordovician ir enrichments are related to extraterrestrial matter or to precipitation of ir from seawater in recent deep sea sediments seawater derived ir enrichments are associated with mn oxides but no similar association occurs in the orthoceratite limestone the ten meteorites in the bed below the grey limestone reflect minimum meteorite accumulation rates of one meteorite per 150 m 2 and 175 ka probably the ten meteorites are related to a local strewn field rather than to background influx minimum accumulation rates calculated on three meteorite finds 20 g in the entire quarried interval give one meteorite per 570 m 2 and 1 17 ma which is one order of magnitude higher than present day large area averaged meteorite influx rates the probability is low that the small area 2 of the sea floor studied would happen to be one where an unusually high number of meteorites struck our results may reflect that meteorite and possibly also extraterrestrial ir influx rates were substantially higher than at the present during a period in the early ordovician enhanced influx rates could be related to an asteroid collision in space

sedimentary record of two geomagnetic excursions within the last 15 000 years in beijing china a fresh water sedimentary sequence from haidian in the beijing basin has been sampled in three parallel trenches up to 300 m apart for paleomagnetic study age control is provided by nine radiocarbon dates indicating an average accumulation rate of 45 cm ka a total of 683 specimens were measured for paleomagnetic directions two short excursions of field direction are recorded at closely comparable depths in all three cores occurring between 5 060 and 4 860 90a b p and 14 230 and 13 690 130 a b p interpolated ages the paleomagnetic records for the individual trenches were adjusted to a common depth scale using stratigraphic markers and then merged the record correlates quite well with a paleomagnetic record in beijing basin sediments 55 km to the southwest changgou section with regard to both the large excursions and also some of the smaller variations in direction the excursions appear to reflect real geomagnetic phenomena not artifacts of recording but the spatial extent regional or global of the anomalous geomagnetic signals is not known

the kaidun meteorite composition and origin of inclusions in the metal of an enstatite chondrite clast metal nodules are one of the major textural components of kaidun sample 01 3 06 eh3 4 in terms of structure the nodules are of three types 1 globular 2 zoned with a massive core and globular mantle and 3 nodules with no internal structure the size and composition of the globules in the nodules and grains of metal of the matrix are almost identical no greater than 20 m and ni 5 95 si 3 33 wt the nodules contain small usually 5 m inclusions of sio2 albitic glass enstatite roedderite and a mixture of sio2 and na2s2 this is the first reported occurrence of a simple sulfide of an alkaline metal in nature the formation of the inclusions appears to be related to condensation of material onto the surfaces of metal grains the nodules appear to have formed by aggregation of separate grains globules of metal with conservation of condensates on the grain surfaces as inclusions the inclusions probably condensed over a significant temperature range from 1400 to 600 k the aggregation of metal grains and formation of the nodules probably occurred simultaneously with condensation

carbonate compositions in cm and ci chondrites and implications for aqueous alteration abstract carbonate minerals in fourteen cm chondrites and two ci chondrites have been analyzed by electron microprobe to provide a better understanding of the aqueous processes that affected carbonaceous chondrite parent bodies calcites in cm chondrites and dolomites and magnesites in ci chondrites display the compositions expected of stable phases formed at low temperatures dolomites in cm chondrites identified here for the first time in five members of the group have small amounts of excess ca which may reflect metastable growth the distribution of fe between dolomite and coexisting serpentine differs in the two chondrite groups if the distributions reflect an approach to chemical equilibrium then the difference implies higher alteration temperatures for the ci group than the cm group in agreement with the results of previously published oxygen isotope thermometry and mineral solubility modeling of the alteration process dolomite fe contents are relatively uniform in the two chondrite groups dolomite mn contents by contrast vary widely the variations may reflect transport controlled coprecipitation of mn resulting from a heterogeneous distribution of the element in the anhydrous precursor material if this interpretation is correct then the altering fluids were essentially immobile while hydration reactions proceeded on the meteorite parent bodies the near closed system character of the alteration process long known from bulk chemical analyses of the meteorites is a direct consequence of the limited mobility of dissolved species

stratigraphy mineralogy and genesis of the bigadic borate deposits western turkey the bigadic borates are the largest colemanite and ulexite deposits in the world and the high grade colemanite and ulexite ores 30 and 29 b 2 o 3 respectively should supply a substantial proportion of the world9s needs for many years the bigadic deposits formed within neogene perennial saline lakes sediments located in a northeast southwest trending basin the volcano sedimentary sequence in the deposits consists of from bottom to top basement volcanics lower limestone lower tuff lower borate zone upper tuff upper borate zone and olivine basalt the borate deposits formed under arid conditions in perennial saline lakes fed by hydrothermal springs associated with local volcanic activity the deposits are interbedded with tuffs clay and limestones borate minerals formed in two zones separated by thick tuff beds that have been transformed to montmorillonite chlorite and zeolites mainly heulandite during diagenesis colemanite and ulexite predominate in both borate zones but other borates including howlite probertite and hydroboracite are present in the lower borate zone whereas inyoite meyerhofferite pandermite tertschite hydroboracite howlite tunellite and rivadavite are found in the upper borate zone calcite anydrite gypsum celestite k feldspar analcime heulandite clinoptilolite quartz opal ct montmorillonite chlorite and illite are also found in the deposit colemanite nodules in both borate zones probably formed directly from solution within unconsolidated sediments just below the sediment water interface and continued to grow as the sediments were compacted it is unlikely that the colemanite formed by dehydration of inyoite and or by replacement of ulexite after burial later generations of colemanite and ulexite are found in vugs and veins and as fibrous margins of early formed nodules other diagenetic changes include the partial replacement of colemanite by howlite and hydroboracite and ulexite by tunellite nodular shaped colemanite and ulexite minerals predominate in both borate zones colemanite and ulexite show alternating horizons and the transformation of one mineral to another has not been observed and the

impact melt products of chondritic material a large variety of objects in chondritic meteorites formed as a result of impact melting shock veins metal troilite mixtures metal and sulfide nodules melt pockets vugs agglutinates glassy and crystalline spherules and numerous types of melt rock clasts the type of object produced in an impact event is related to the interaction of the shock waves with the particular target rock impact melting has also affected large portions of several chondrite breccias many of these contain vugs and patches of silicate glass some workers have suggested that various iron meteorites including groups iab iiicd and iie as well as several ungrouped irons were formed from individual impact melt pools in chondritic regoliths the eagle station trio pallasites and several ungrouped meteorites bencubbin weatherford enon acapulco and allan hills a77081 may have formed from impact melted chondritic material it is also possible that the parent magmas of ureilites were derived from impact melted metal rich carbonaceous chondrite material

chassigny petrogenesis melt compositions intensive parameters and water contents of martian magmas abstract the snc meteorites are a class of eight basaltic achondrites that have extremely young crystallization ages 1 3 ga chassigny a unique snc meteorite is a dunite containing fo68 olivines and rare poikilitic ca pyroxenes it is one of the most primitive snc meteorites and thus is most likely to reveal information about the snc basalt source region this study presents a detailed examination of partially crystallized melt inclusions in cumulus olivine grains in chassigny these trapped melts are argued to be representative samples of the melt that existed when chassigny crystallized this melt has been modified however by interaction with the host olivine and by closed system crystallization the phases inside the melt inclusions include hydrous ti rich amphibole kaersutite biotite two pyroxenes and rhyolitic and alkali feldspar glasses all phases have been extensively analyzed with an electron microprobe the new mineralogical information is combined with a complementary experimental study of kaersutite melt equilibria this combined data set can be used to formulate a system of linear equations which can then be solved to determine the composition of the originally trapped melt this calculation reveals that the trapped melt was an feo rich and al2o3 poor basalt the melt composition is shown to be consistent with the crystallization sequence both inside the melt inclusions and in the rock matrix the major element chemistry of this liquid closely resembles terrestrial boninite lavas the new data also allow the intensive conditions temperature total pressure and water fugacity of chassigny crystallization to be estimated two pyroxene geothermometry indicates that equilibration temperatures were 1000 50 c although amphibole does not coexist with melt until t 960 c the trapped liquid initially contained 1 5 wt dissolved water crystallization of anhydrous phases caused water to buildup in the trapped melt prior to kaersutite crystallization the melt must have contained at least 4 wt dissolved water suggesting that a minimum of 1 5 kbar total pressure is required a maximum total pressure cannot be inferred but all available data are consistent with low pressure 5 kbar crystallization finally x h2o in the fluid in the melt inclusion is estimated to have been at least 0 8 in order to stabilize amphibole without plagioclase implying that the water fugacity was 1480 bars the existence of hydrous melts and conditions appropriate for amphibole crystallization suggest that evolved sio2 rich lavas exist on the chassigny parent body mars

alh85085 a unique volatile poor carbonaceous chondrite with possible implications for nebular fractionation processes abstract allan hills 85085 is a unique chondrite with affinities to the al rais renazzo clan of carbonaceous chondrites its constituents are less than 50 m in mean size chondrules and microchondrules of all textures are present nonporphyritic chondrules are unusually abundant the mean compositions of porphyritic nonporphyritic and barred olivine chondrules resemble those in ordinary chondrites except that they are depleted in volatile elements ca al rich inclusions are abundant and largely free of nebular alteration they comprise types similar to those in cm and co chondrites as well as unique types calcium dialuminate occurs in several inclusions metal silicate and sulfide compositions are close to those in cm co chondrites and al rais and renazzo c1 chondrite clasts and metal rich reduced clasts are present but opaque matrix is absent siderophile abundances in alh85085 are extremely high e g fe si 1 7 solar and volatiles are depleted e g na si 0 25 solar s si 0 03 solar nonvolatile lithophile abundances are similar to those in al rais renazzo and cm and co chondrites alh85085 agglomerated when temperatures in the nebula were near 1000 k in the same region where renazzo al rais and the ci chondrites formed agglomeration of high temperature material may thus be a mechanism by which the fractionation of refractory lithophiles occurred in the nebula chondrule formation must have occurred at high temperatures when clumps of precursors were small after agglomeration alh85085 was annealed and lightly shocked c1 and other clasts were subsequently incorporated during late stage brecciation

mineralogy of meteorite groups approximately 275 mineral species have been identified in meteorites reflecting diverse redox environments and in some cases unusual nebular formation conditions anhydrous ordinary carbonaceous and r chondrites contain major olivine pyroxene and plagioclase major opaque phases include metallic fe ni troilite and chromite primitive achondrites are mineralogically similar the highly reduced enstatite chondrites and achondrites contain major enstatite plagioclase free silica and kamacite as well as nitrides a silicide and ca mg mn na cr k and ti rich sulfides aqueously altered carbonaceous chondrites contain major amounts of hydrous phyllosilicates complex organic compounds magnetite various sulfates and sulfides and carbonates in addition to kamacite and taenite iron meteorites contain carbides elemental c nitrides phosphates phosphides chromite and sulfides silicate inclusions in iab iiicd and iie iron meteorites consist of mafic silicates plagioclase and various sulfides oxides and phosphates eucrites howardites and diogenites have basaltic to orthopyroxenitic compositions and consist of major pyroxene and calcic plagioclase and several accessory oxides ureilites are made up mainly of calcic chromian olivine and low ca clinopyroxene embedded in a carbonaceous matrix accessory phases include the c polymorphs graphite diamond lonsdaleite and chaoite as well as metallic fe ni troilite and halides angrites are achondrites rich in fassaitic pyroxene i e al ti diopside minor olivine with included magnesian kirschsteinite is also present martian meteorites comprise basalts lherzolites a dunite and an orthopyroxenite major phases include various pyroxenes and olivine minor to accessory phases include various sulfides magnetite chromite and ca phosphates lunar meteorites comprise mare basalts with major augite and calcic plagioclase and anorthositic breccias with major calcic plagioclase several meteoritic phases were formed by shock metamorphism martensite 2 fe ni has a distorted body centered cubic structure and formed by a shear transformation from taenite during shock reheating and rapid cooling the c polymorphs diamond lonsdaleite and chaoite formed by shock from graphite suessite formed in the north haig ureilite by reduction of fe and si possibly from olivine via reaction with carbonaceous matrix material ringwoodite the spinel form of mg fe 2sio4 and majorite a polymorph of mg fe sio3 with the garnet structure formed inside shock veins in highly shocked ordinary chondrites secondary minerals in meteorite finds that formed during terrestrial weathering include oxides and hydroxides formed directly from metallic fe ni by oxidation phosphates formed by the alteration of schreibersite and sulfates formed by alteration of troilite

middle ordovician chondrite in fossiliferous limestone from brunflo central sweden the few discoveries of fossil meteorites have been attributed1 to the ignorance about the appearance of meteorites among palaeontologists and other geologists who examine limestone quarries coal mines and other excavations in sedimentary rocks we now report the first find of a fossil stony meteorite in ordovician limestone the meteorite is a chondrite possibly an h chondrite and its terrestrial age is 463 myr the fine structural details of the chondrules are often extremely well preserved but the chemical composition and the mineralogy have changed dramatically chromite being the only primary mineral preserved the present major minerals are calcite barite a cr v phengite and a cobaltite group mineral