bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The formation of fluidized ejecta on Mars by granular flows
Authors: Wada Koji , Barnouin‐Jha Olivier S.
Published: January 2010

Abstract— A simple granular flow model is used to investigate some of the conditions under which ejecta may flow as a granular media. The purpose of this investigation is to provide some bounds as to when either volatiles or an atmosphere are required to explain the fluid‐like morphology of many Martian ejecta deposits. We consider the ejecta deposition process from when an ejecta curtain first strikes a target surface via ballistics and possibly flows thereafter. A new finding is that either hard‐smooth surfaces or slightly erodible surfaces allow ejecta to flow readily as a granular medium. Neither volatiles nor an atmosphere are required to initiate flow. A low friction coefficient between ejecta grains can also generate flow and would be analogous to adding volatiles to the ejecta. The presence of either a rough or a densely packed erodible surface does not permit easy ejecta flow. High friction coefficients between ejecta grain also prevent flow, while changes in the coefficient of restitution (a measure of how much energy is retained after collisions between particles) plays a minor role in the flow dynamics of ejecta. A hard smooth or a somewhat erodible surface could be generated by past fluvial activity on Mars, which can either indurate a surface, erode and smooth a surface, or generate sedimentary terrains that are fairly easy to erode. No ramparts or layered ejecta morphologies are generated by our model, but this may be because several simplifying assumptions are used in our model and should not be construed as proof that either volatiles or an atmosphere are required to form fluidized ejecta morphologies.
Effect of volatiles and target lithology on the generation and emplacement of impact crater fill and ejecta deposits on Mars
Authors: Osinski Gordon R.
Published: January 2010

Abstract— Impact cratering is an important geological process on Mars and the nature of Martian impact craters may provide important information as to the volatile content of the Martian crust. Terrestrial impact structures currently provide the only ground‐truth data as to the role of volatiles and an atmosphere on the impact‐cratering process. Recent advancements, based on studies of several well‐preserved terrestrial craters, have been made regarding the role and effect of volatiles on the impact‐cratering process. Combined field and laboratory studies reveal that impact melting is much more common in volatile‐rich targets than previously thought, so impact‐melt rocks, melt‐bearing breccias, and glasses should be common on Mars. Consideration of the terrestrial impact‐cratering record suggests that it is the presence or absence of subsurface volatiles and not the presence of an atmosphere that largely controls ejecta emplacement on Mars. Furthermore, recent studies at the Haughton and Ries impact structures reveal that there are two discrete episodes of ejecta deposition during the formation of complex impact craters that provide a mechanism for generating multiple layers of ejecta. It is apparent that the relative abundance of volatiles in the near‐surface region outside a transient cavity and in the target rocks within the transient cavity play a key role in controlling the amount of fluidization of Martian ejecta deposits. This study shows the value of using terrestrial analogues, in addition to observational data from robotic orbiters and landers, laboratory experiments, and numerical modeling to explore the Martian impact‐cratering record.
Titan's damp ground: Constraints on Titan surface thermal properties from the temperature evolution of the Huygens GCMS inlet
Authors: Lorenz Ralph D. , Niemann Hasso B. , Harpold Dan N. , Way Stanley H. , Zarnecki John C.
Published: January 2010

Abstract— A simple thermal model is developed to determine the temperature history of the inlet tube of the Huygens probe gas chromatograph mass spectrometer (GCMS) after its fortuitous emplacement on the surface of Saturn's moon Titan. The model parameters are adjusted to match the recorded temperature history of a nearby heater, taking into account heat losses by conduction to the rest of the probe and to Titan's cold atmosphere. The model suggests that after impact when forced convective cooling ceased, the inlet temperature rose from ˜110 K to an asymptotic value of only ˜145 K. This requires that the inlet was embedded in a surface that acted as an effective heat sink, most plausibly interpreted as wet or damp with liquid methane. The data appear inconsistent with a tar or dry, fine‐grained surface, and the inlet was not warm enough to devolatilize methane hydrate.
Geochemical identification of projectiles in impact rocks
Authors: Tagle Roald , Hecht Lutz
Published: January 2010

Abstract—The three major geochemical methods for impactor identification are evaluated with respect to their potential and limitations with regards to the precise detection and identification of meteoritic material in impactites. The identification of a projectile component in impactites can be achieved by determining certain isotopic and elemental ratios in contaminated impactites. The isotopic methods are based on Os and Cr isotopic ratios. Osmium isotopes are highly sensitive for the detection of minute amounts of extraterrestrial components of even <<0.05 wt% in impactites. However, this only holds true for target lithologies with almost no chemical signature of mantle material or young mantle‐derived mafic rocks. Furthermore, this method is not currently suitable for the precise identification of the projectile type. The Cr‐isotopic method requires the relatively highest projectile contamination (several wt%) in order to detect an extraterrestrial component, but may allow the identification of three different groups of extraterrestrial materials, ordinary chondrites, an enstatite chondrites, and differentiated achondrites. A significant advantage of this method is its independence of the target lithology and post‐impact alteration. The use of elemental ratios, including platinum group elements (PGE: Os, Ir, Ru, Pt, Rh, Pd), in combination with Ni and Cr represents a very powerful method for the detection and identification of projectiles in terrestrial and lunar impactites. For most projectile types, this method is almost independent of the target composition, especially if PGE ratios are considered. This holds true even in cases of terrestrial target lithologies with a high component of upper mantle material. The identification of the projectile is achieved by comparison of the “projectile elemental ratio” derived from the slope of the mixing line (target‐projectile) with the elemental ratio in the different types of possible projectiles (e.g., chondrites). However, this requires a set of impactite samples of various degree of projectile contamination.
New observations on shatter cones in the Vredefort impact structure, South Africa, and evaluation of current hypotheses for shatter cone formation
Authors: Wieland F. , Reimold W. U. , Gibson R. L.
Published: January 2010

Abstract— Shatter cones have been described from many meteorite impact structures and are widely regarded as a diagnostic macroscopic recognition feature for impact. However, the origin of this meso‐ to macroscopic striated fracture phenomenon has not yet been satisfactorily resolved, and the timing of shatter cone formation in the cratering process still remains enigmatic. Here, previous results from studies of shatter cones from the Vredefort impact structure and other impact structures are discussed in the light of new field observations made in the Vredefort Dome. Contrary to earlier claims, Vredefort cone fractures do not show uniform apex orientations at any given outcrop, nor do small cones show a pattern consistent with the previously postulated “master cone” concept. Simple back‐rotation of impact‐rotated strata to a horizontal pre‐impact position also does not lead to a uniform centripetal‐upward orientation of the cone apices. Striation patterns on the cone surfaces are variable, ranging from the typically diverging pattern branching off the cone apex to subparallel‐to‐parallel patterns on almost flat surfaces. Striation angles on shatter cones do not increase with distance from the center of the dome, as alleged in the literature. Instead, a range of striation angles is measured on individual shatter cones from a specific outcrop. New observations on small‐scale structures in the collar around the Vredefort Dome confirm the relationship of shatter cones with subparallel sets of curviplanar fractures (so‐called multipli‐striated joint sets, MSJS). Pervasive, meter‐scale tensile fractures cross‐cut shatter cones and appear to have formed after the closely spaced MSJ‐type fractures.

The results of this study indicate that none of the existing hypotheses for the formation of shatter cones are currently able to adequately explain all characteristics of this fracturing phenomenon. Therefore, we favor a combination of aspects of different hypotheses that includes the interaction of elastic waves, as supported by numerical modeling results and which reasonably explains the variety of shatter cone shapes, the range of striation geometries and angles, and the relationship of closely spaced fracture systems with the striated surfaces. In the light of the currently available theoretical basis for the formation of shatter cones, the results of this investigation lead to the conclusion that shatter cones are tensile fractures and might have formed during shock unloading, after the passage of the shock wave through the target rocks.
Petrographic studies of “fallout” suevite from outside the Bosumtwi impact structure, Ghana
Authors: BOAMAH Daniel , KOEBERL Christian
Published: January 2010

Abstract— Field studies and a shallow drilling program carried out in 1999 provided information about the thickness and distribution of suevite to the north of the Bosumtwi crater rim. Suevite occurrence there is known from an ˜1.5 km2 area; its thickness is ≤15 m. The present suevite distribution is likely the result of differential erosion and does not reflect the initial areal extent of continuous Bosumtwi ejecta deposits.

Here we discuss the petrographic characteristics of drill core samples of melt‐rich suevite. Macroscopic constituents of the suevites are melt bodies and crystalline and metasedimentary rock (granite, graywacke, phyllite, shale, schist, and possibly slate) clasts up to about 40 cm in size. Shock metamorphic effects in the clasts include multiple sets of planar deformation features (PDFs), diaplectic quartz and feldspar glasses, lechatelierite, and ballen quartz, besides biotite with kink bands. Basement rock clasts in the suevite represent all stages of shock metamorphism, ranging from samples without shock effects to completely shock‐melted material that is indicative of shock pressures up to ˜60 GPa.
Analysis and survival of amino acids in Martian regolith analogs
Authors: Garry James R. C. , ten Kate Inge Loes , Martins Zita , Nørnberg Per , Ehrenfreund Pascale
Published: January 2010

Abstract— We have investigated the native amino acid composition of two analogs of Martian soil, JSC Mars‐1 and Salten Skov. A Mars simulation chamber has been built and used to expose samples of these analogs to temperature and lighting conditions similar to those found at low latitudes on the Martian surface. The effects of the simulated conditions have been examined using high‐performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Exposure to energetic ultraviolet (UV) light in vacuum appears to cause a modest increase in the concentration of certain amino acids within the materials, which is interpreted as resulting from the degradation of microorganisms. The influence of low temperatures shows that the accretion of condensed water on the soils leads to the destruction of amino acids, supporting the idea that reactive chemical processes involving H2O are at work within the Martian soil. We discuss the influence of UV radiation, low temperatures, and gaseous CO2 on the intrinsic amino acid composition of Martian soil analogs and describe, with the help of a simple model, how these studies fit within the framework of life detection on Mars and the practical tasks of choosing and using Martian regolith analogs in planetary research.
Shock‐metamorphosed zircon in terrestrial impact craters
Authors: Wittmann A. , Kenkmann T. , Schmitt R. T. , Stöffler D.
Published: January 2010

Abstract— To ascertain the progressive stages of shock metamorphism of zircon, samples from three well‐studied impact craters were analyzed by optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and Raman spectroscopy in thin section and grain separates. These samples are comprised of well‐preserved, rapidly quenched impactites from the Ries crater, Germany, strongly annealed impactites from the Popigai crater, Siberia, and altered, variably quenched impactites from the Chicxulub crater, Mexico. The natural samples were compared with samples of experimentally shock‐metamorphosed zircon. Below 20 GPa, zircon exhibits no distinct shock features. Above 20 GPa, optically resolvable planar microstructures occur together with the high‐pressure polymorph reidite, which was only retained in the Ries samples. Decomposition of zircon to ZrO2 only occurs in shock stage IV melt fragments that were rapidly quenched. This is not only a result of post‐shock temperatures in excess of ˜1700 °C but could also be shock pressure‐induced, which is indicated by possible relics of a high‐pressure polymorph of ZrO2. However, ZrO2 was found to revert to zircon with a granular texture during devitrification of impact melts. Other granular textures represent recrystallized amorphous ZrSiO4 and reidite that reverted to zircon. This requires annealing temperatures >1100 °C. A systematic study of zircons from a continuous impactite sequence of the Chicxulub impact structure yields implications for the post‐shock temperature history of suevite‐like rocks until cooling below ˜600 °C.
The Sirente crater, Italy: Impact versus mud volcano origins
Authors: Stoppa Francesco
Published: January 2010

Abstract— The Sirente crater is a circular structure with a diameter of ˜80 m. The rim deposit is an inverse‐graded, matrix‐supported breccia. Sedimentological features of the rim deposit suggest that the crater is not related to an explosion or violent mechanical displacement. The structure and texture of the deposit exhibit a primary sedimentary character. The rim deposits do not contain artifacts and do not show evidence of reworking. A multistage formation is reconstructed for the rim growth and associated deposits. The geometry and sedimentology of the deposits indicate that they were produced by the extrusion and accumulation of mudflow deposits. The dominant ejection mechanism was low mud fountains and the transport medium was water. Petrographic and geochemical evidence does not indicate any physical or cryptic trace of an extraterrestrial body.

The most realistic agent that explains the observed effects is a rapid local emission of mud and/or water. Geological processes capable of producing these features include piping sinkholes or, more probably, “caldera”‐type mud volcanoes, which may result from underground water‐table perturbation and/or decompression of deep CO2/hydrocarbon gas reservoirs due to tectonic deformation or faulting activity during a seismic event. In both cases, the name “crater” for this geological form may be maintained, but there is no compelling evidence for an impact origin.

In this paper, the scientific literature on the Sirente crater is reconsidered in the light of new morphological, sedimentological, geochemical, and archaeological data. A new mechanism is proposed involving mud‐fountaining.
The formation of plessite in meteoritic metal
Authors: Goldstein J. I. , Michael J. R.
Published: January 2010

Abstract— Plessite is a mixture of body‐centered cubic (bcc) kamacite (α), face‐centered cubic (fcc) taenite (γ), and/or ordered FeNi‐tetrataenite (γ“) phases and is observed in the metal of iron, stony‐iron, and chondritic meteorites. The formation of plessite was studied by measuring the orientation of the bcc and fcc phases over large regions of plessite using electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) analysis in five ataxites, the Carlton IAB‐IIICD iron, and zoneless plessite metal in the Kernouve H6 chondrite.

The EBSD results show that there are a number of different orientations of the bcc kamacite phase in the plessite microstructure. These orientations reflect the reaction path γ (fcc)→α2 (bcc) in which the α2 phase forms during cooling below the martensite start temperature, Ms, on the close‐packed planes of the parent fcc phase according to one or more of the established orientation relationships (Kurdjumov‐Sachs, Nishiyama‐Wasserman, and Greninger‐Troiano) for the fcc to bcc transformation.

The EBSD results also show that the orientation of the taenite and/or tetrataenite regions at the interfaces of prior α2 (martensite) laths, is the same as that of the single crystal parent taenite γ phase of the meteorite. Therefore, the parent taenite γ was retained at the interfaces of martensite laths during cooling after the formation of martensite. The formation of plessite is described by the reaction γ→α2 + γ→α + γ. This reaction is inconsistent with the decomposition of martensite laths to form γ phase as described by the reaction γ→α2→α + γ, which is the classical mechanism proposed by previous investigators. The varying orientations of the fine exsolved taenite and/or tetrataenite within decomposed martensite laths, however, are a response to the decomposition of α2 (martensite) laths at low temperature and are formed by the reaction α2→α + γ.
The rate of small impacts on Earth
Authors: Bland Philip A. , Artemieva Natalya A.
Published: January 2010

Abstract— Asteroids tens to hundreds of meters in diameter constitute the most immediate impact hazard to human populations, yet the rate at which they arrive at Earth's surface is poorly known. Astronomic observations are still incomplete in this size range; impactors are subjected to disruption in Earth's atmosphere, and unlike the Moon, small craters on Earth are rapidly eroded. In this paper, we first model the atmospheric behavior of iron and stony bodies over the mass range 1–1012 kg (size range 6 cm‐1 km) taking into account deceleration, ablation, and fragmentation. Previous models in meteoritics deal with rather small masses (<105–106 kg) with the aim of interpreting registered fireballs in atmosphere, or with substantially larger objects without taking into account asteroid disruption to model cratering processes. A few earlier attempts to model terrestrial crater strewn fields did not take into account possible cascade fragmentation. We have performed large numbers of simulations in a wide mass range, using both the earlier “pancake” models and also the separated fragments model to develop a statistical picture of atmosphere‐bolide interaction for both iron and stony impactors with initial diameters up to ˜1 km. Second, using a compilation of data for the flux at the upper atmosphere, we have derived a cumulative size‐frequency distribution (SFD) for upper atmosphere impactors. This curve is a close fit to virtually all of the upper atmosphere data over 16 orders of magnitude. Third, we have applied our model results to scale the upper atmosphere curve to a flux at the Earth's surface, elucidating the impact rate of objects <1 km diameter on Earth.

We find that iron meteorites >5 times 104 kg (2.5 m) arrive at the Earth's surface approximately once every 50 years. Iron bodies a few meters in diameter (105–106 kg), which form craters ˜100 m in diameter, will strike the Earth's land area every 500 years. Larger bodies will form craters 0.5 km in diameter every 20,000 years, and craters 1 km in diameter will be formed on the Earth's land area every 50,000 years. Tunguska events (low‐level atmospheric disruption of stony bolides >108 kg) may occur every 500 years. Bodies capable of producing hazardous tsunami (˜200 m diameter projectiles) should strike the Earth's surface every ˜100,000 years. This data also allows us to assess the completeness of the terrestrial crater record for a given area over a given time interval.
Fabric analysis of Allende matrix using EBSD
Authors: Watt Lauren E. , Bland Phil A. , Prior Dave J. , Russell Sara S.
Published: January 2010

Abstract— Fabric analysis of the interstitial matrix material in primitive meteorites offers a novel window on asteroid formation and evolution. Electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) has allowed fabrics in these fine‐grained materials to be visualized in detail for the first time. Our data reveal that Allende, a CV3 chondrite, possesses a uniform, planar, short‐axis alignment fabric that is pervasive on a broad scale and is probably the result of deformational shortening related to impact or gravitational compaction. Interference between this matrix fabric and the larger, more rigid components, such as dark inclusions (DIs) and calcium‐aluminium‐rich inclusions (CAIs), has lead to the development of locally oriented and intensified matrix fabrics. In addition, DIs possess fabrics that are conformable with the broader matrix fabric. These results suggest that DIs were in situ prior to the deformational shortening event responsible for these fabrics, thus providing an argument against dark inclusions being fragments from another lithified part of the asteroid (Kojima and Tomeoka 1996; Fruland et al. 1978). Moreover, both DIs and Allende matrix are highly porous (˜25%) (Corrigan et al. 1997). Mobilizing a highly porous DI during impact‐induced brecciation without imposing a fabric and incorporating it into a highly porous matrix without significantly compacting these materials is improbable. We favor a model that involves Allende DIs, CAIs, and matrix accreting together and experiencing the same deformation events.
Terrestrial ages, pairing, and concentration mechanism of Antarctic chondrites from Frontier Mountain, Northern Victoria Land
Authors: Welten K. C. , Nishiizumi K. , Caffee M. W. , Hillegonds D. J. , Johnson J. A. , Jull A. J. T. , Wieler R. , Folco L.
Published: January 2010

Abstract— We report concentrations of cosmogenic 10Be, 26Al, 36Cl, and 41Ca in the metal phase of 26 ordinary chondrites from Frontier Mountain (FRO), Antarctica, as well as cosmogenic 14C in eight and noble gases in four bulk samples. Thirteen out of 14 selected H chondrites belong to two previously identified pairing groups, FRO 90001 and FRO 90174, with terrestrial ages of ˜40 and ˜100 kyr, respectively. The FRO 90174 shower is a heterogeneous H3–6 chondrite breccia that probably includes more than 300 individual fragments, explaining the high H/L chondrite ratio (3.8) at Frontier Mountain. The geographic distribution of 19 fragments of this shower constrains ice fluctuations over the past 50–100 kyr to less than ˜40 m, supporting the stability of the meteorite trap over the last glacial cycle. The second H‐chondrite pairing group, FRO 90001, is much smaller and its geographic distribution is mainly controlled by wind‐transport. Most L‐chondrites are younger than 50 kyr, except for the FRO 93009/01172 pair, which has a terrestrial age of ˜500 kyr. These two old L chondrites represent the only surviving members of a large shower with a similar preatmospheric radius (˜80 cm) as the FRO 90174 shower. The find locations of these two paired L‐chondrite fragments on opposite sides of Frontier Mountain confirm the general glaciological model in which the two ice flows passing both ends of the mountain are derived from the same source area on the plateau. The 50 FRO meteorites analyzed so far represent 21 different falls. The terrestrial ages range from 6 kyr to 500 kyr, supporting the earlier proposed concentration mechanism.
Bulk mineralogical changes of hydrous micrometeorites during heating in the upper atmosphere at temperatures below 1000 °C
Authors: Nozaki Wataru , Nakamura Tomoki , Noguchi Takaaki
Published: January 2010

Abstract— Small particles 200 μm in diameter from the hydrous carbonaceous chondrites Orgueil CI, Murchison CM2, and Tagish Lake were experimentally heated for short durations at subsolidus temperatures under controlled ambient pressures in order to examine the bulk mineralogical changes of hydrous micrometeorites during atmospheric entry. The three primitive meteorites consist mainly of various phyllosilicates and carbonates that are subject to decomposition at low temperatures, and thus the brief heating up to 1000 °C drastically changed the mineralogy. Changes included shrinkage of interlayer spacing of saponite due to loss of molecular water at 400–600 °C, serpentine and saponite decomposition to amorphous phases at 600 and 700 °C, respectively, decomposition of Mg‐Fe carbonate at 600 °C, recrystallization of secondary olivine and Fe oxide or metal at 700–800 °C, and recrystallization of secondary low‐Ca pyroxene at 800 °C. The ambient atmospheric pressures controlled species of secondary Fe phase: taenite at pressures lower than 10−2 torr, magnesiowüstite from 10−3 to 10−1 torr, and magnetite from 10−2 to 1 torr. The abundance of secondary low‐Ca pyroxene increases in the order of Murchison, Orgueil, and Tagish Lake, and the order corresponds to saponite abundance in samples prior to heating. Mineralogy of the three unmelted micrometeorites F96CI024, kw740052, and kw740054 were investigated in detail in order to estimate heating conditions. The results showed that they might have come from different parental objects, carbonaterich Tagish Lake type, carbonate‐poor Tagish Lake or CI type, and CM type, respectively, and experienced different peak temperatures, 600, 700, and 800˜900 °C, respectively, at 60–80 km altitude upon atmospheric entry.
The Benguerir meteorite: Report and description of a new Moroccan fall
Authors: AOUDJEHANE Hasnaa CHENNAOUI , JAMBON Albert , DENISE Michèle BOUROT , ROCHETTE Pierre
Published: January 2010

Abstract— A meteorite fall was witnessed on November 22, 2004, at 11:45 A.M. (GMT) near the city of Benguerir, Morocco. This is one of the first falls from Morocco to be scientifically described. The total mass of the fall is estimated to be at least 40 and 80 kg. Three impact locations have been identified, two of them in soft ploughed ground and a third on a granite surface, which was apparently broken by the impact. The weight of complete pieces range between approximately 100 g and 10 kg. We have classified the stone as an LL6 ordinary chondrite, based on mineralogy and petrology, with shock grade S3 and alteration W0. The dark fusion crust is perfectly fresh, and a number of samples were collected shortly after the fall by local residents and authorities before rainfall, which occurred a few days later. We show that the magnetic susceptibility of Benguerir is homogeneously high, indicating a constant metal content despite brecciation, in the high range for LL6. The LL6 classification can also be confirmed magnetically, with a specific signature similar to other measured LL6 falls.
The fall of Hoima, an H6 chondrite from Uganda
Authors: GRESHAKE Ansgar , REIMOLD Wolf Uwe , TUHUMWIRE Joshua T. , BAGUMA Zachary , DE VILLIERS Michael E.
Published: January 2010

Abstract— The Hoima meteorite fell on March 30, 2003, in the Hoima district near Butema, Uganda. According to its mineralogy, texture, and mineral chemical characteristics, Hoima is classified as a brecciated H6 ordinary chondrite of shock stage S2 and weathering grade W0. After the meteorites Maziba, Soroti, Awere, and Mbale, Hoima represents the fifth meteorite recorded from Uganda.
On the structure of mare basalt lava flows from textural analysis of the LaPaz Icefield and Northwest Africa 032 lunar meteorites
Authors: DAY James M. D. , TAYLOR Lawrence A.
Published: January 2010

Abstract— Quantitative textural data for Northwest Africa (NWA) 032 and the LaPaz (LAP) mare basalt meteorites (LAP 02205, LAP 02224, LAP 02226, and LAP 02436) prvide constraints on their crystallization and mineral growth histories. In conjunction with whole‐rock and mineral chemistry, textural analysis provides powerful evidence for meteorite pairing. Petrographic observations and crystal size distribution (CSD) measurements of NWA 032 indicate a mixed population of slowly cooled phenocrysts and faster cooled matrix. LaPaz basalt crystal populations are consistent with a single phase of nucleation and growth. Spatial distribution patterns (SDP) of minerals in the meteorites highlight the importance of clumping and formation of clustered crystal frameworks in their melts, succeeded by continued nucleation and growth of crystals. This process resulted in increasingly poor sorting, during competition for growth, as the melt crystallized. Based on CSD and SDP data, we suggest a potential lava flow geometry model to explain the different crystal populations for NWA 032 and the LaPaz basalts. This model involves crystallization of early formed phenocrysts at hypabyssal depths in the lunar crust, followed by eruption and flow differentiation on the lunar surface. Lava flow differentiation would allow for formation of a cumulate base and facilitate variable cooling within the stratigraphy, explaining the varied textures and modal mineralogies of mare basalt meteorites. The model may also provide insight into the relative relationships of some Apollo mare basalt suites, shallow‐level crystal fractionation processes, and the nature of mare basalt volcanism over lunar history.
Heating effects of the matrix of experimentally shocked Murchison CM chondrite: Comparison with micrometeorites
Authors: TOMIOKA Naotaka , TOMEOKA Kazushige , NAKAMURA‐MESSENGER Keiko , SEKINE Toshimori
Published: January 2010

Abstract— Micrometeorites have been significantly altered or melted by heating, which has been mainly ascribed to aerodynamic drag during atmospheric entry. However, if a major fraction of micrometeorites are produced by impacts on porous asteroids, they may have experienced shock heating before contact with the Earth's atmosphere (Tomeoka et al. 2003). A transmission electron microscope (TEM) study of the matrix of Murchison CM chondrite experimentally shocked at pressures of 10–49 GPa shows that its mineralogy and texture change dramatically, mainly due to shock heating, with the progressive shock pressures. Tochilinite is completely decomposed to an amorphous material at 10 GPa. Fe‐Mg serpentine is partially decomposed and decreases in amount with increasing pressure from 10 to 30 GPa and is completely decomposed at 36 GPa. At 49 GPa, the matrix is extensively melted and consists mostly of aggregates of equigranular grains of Fe‐rich olivine and less abundant low‐Ca pyroxene embedded in Si‐rich glass. The mineralogy and texture of the shocked samples are similar to those of some types of micrometeorites. In particular, the samples shocked at 10 and 21 GPa are similar to the phyllosilicate (serpentine)‐rich micrometeorites, and the sample shocked at 49 GPa is similar to the olivine‐rich micrometeorites. The shock heating effects also resemble the effects of pulse‐heating experiments on the CI and CM chondrite matrices that were conducted to simulate atmospheric entry heating. We suggest that micrometeorites derived from porous asteroids are likely to go through both shock and atmospheric‐entry heating processes.
Hydrothermal alteration experiments of enstatite: Implications for aqueous alteration of carbonaceous chondrites
Authors: OHNISHI Ichiro , TOMEOKA Kazushige
Published: January 2010

Abstract— Enstatite is one of the major constituent minerals in carbonaceous chondrites. Hydrothermal alteration experiments (26 in total) of enstatite were carried out at pH 0, 6, 7, 12, 13, and 14, at temperatures of 100, 200, and 300 °C, and for run durations of 24, 72, 168, and 336 h in order to provide constraints on the aqueous‐alteration conditions of the meteorites. The recovered samples were studied in detail by using powder X‐ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM).

Under acidic and mildly acidic conditions (pH 0, 6), no significant alteration occurred, whereas under neutral to alkaline conditions (pH 7–14), serpentine and saponite formed in various proportions by replacing enstatite. At 300 °C for 168 h, serpentine formed under neutral to moderately alkaline conditions (pH 7, 12), and serpentine and saponite formed as unit cell‐scale coherent intergrowths under highly alkaline conditions (pH 13, 14). The amounts of phyllosilicates have a tendency to increase with increasing pH, temperature, and run duration. There is also a tendency for saponite to form at higher pH and temperature and under longer run‐durations than serpentine.

The results indicate that alteration of enstatite is strongly dependent on the experimental conditions, especially pH. They suggest that CM chondrites experienced aqueous alteration under neutral to alkaline conditions, whereas CV and CI chondrites experienced aqueous alteration under more alkaline conditions. The results also suggest that aqueous alteration in CI chondrites occurred at higher temperatures than in CM chondrites, and aqueous alteration in CV chondrites occurred at even higher temperatures than in CI chondrites.
Numerical modeling of impact‐induced hydrothermal activity at the Chicxulub crater
Authors: ABRAMOV Oleg , KRING David A.
Published: January 2010

Abstract— Large impact events like the one that formed the Chicxulub crater deliver significant amounts of heat that subsequently drive hydrothermal activity. We report on numerical modeling of Chicxulub crater cooling with and without the presence of water. The model inputs are constrained by data from borehole samples and seismic, magnetic, and gravity surveys. Model results indicate that initial hydrothermal activity was concentrated beneath the annular trough as well as in the permeable breccias overlying the melt. As the system evolved, the melt gradually cooled and became permeable, shifting the bulk of the hydrothermal activity to the center of the crater. The temperatures and fluxes of fluid and vapor derived from the model are consistent with alteration patterns observed in the available borehole samples. The lifetime of the hydrothermal system ranges from 1.5 to 2.3 Myr depending on assumed permeability. The long lifetimes are due to conduction being the dominant mechanism of heat transport in most of the crater, and significant amounts of heat being delivered to the near‐surface by hydrothermal upwellings. The long duration of the hydrothermal system at Chicxulub should have provided ample time for colonization by thermophiles and/or hyperthermophiles. Because habitable conditions should have persisted for longer time in the central regions of the crater than on the periphery, a search for prospective biomarkers is most likely to be fruitful in samples from that region.
Olivine‐dominated asteroids and meteorites: Distinguishing nebular and igneous histories
Authors: SUNSHINE Jessica M. , BUS Schelte J. , CORRIGAN Catherine M. , McCOY Timothy J. , BURBINE Thomas H.
Published: January 2010

Abstract— Melting models indicate that the composition and abundance of olivine systematically co‐vary and are therefore excellent petrologic indicators. However, heliocentric distance, and thus surface temperature, has a significant effect on the spectra of olivine‐rich asteroids. We show that composition and temperature complexly interact spectrally, and must be simultaneously taken into account in order to infer olivine composition accurately. We find that most (7/9) of the olivine‐dominated asteroids are magnesian and thus likely sampled mantles differentiated from ordinary chondrite sources (e.g., pallasites). However, two other olivine‐rich asteroids (289 Nenetta and 246 Asporina) are found to be more ferroan. Melting models show that partial melting cannot produce olivine‐rich residues that are more ferroan than the chondrite precursor from which they formed. Thus, even moderately ferroan olivine must have non‐ordinary chondrite origins, and therefore likely originate from oxidized R chondrites or melts thereof, which reflect variations in nebular composition within the asteroid belt. This is consistent with the meteoritic record in which R chondrites and brachinites are rare relative to pallasites.
Petrology of the Miller Range 03346 nakhlite in comparison with the Yamato‐000593 nakhlite
Authors: IMAE N. , IKEDA Y.
Published: January 2010

Abstract— We petrologically examined the Miller Range (MIL) 03346 nakhlite. The main‐phase modal abundances are 67.7 vol% augite, 0.8 vol% olivine, and 31.5 vol% mesostasis. Among all known nakhlites, MIL 03346's modal abundance of olivine is the smallest and of mesostasis is the largest. Augite occurs as cumulus phenocrysts having a homogeneous core composition (En36–38Fs24–22Wo40), which is identical with other nakhlites. They accompany thin ferroan rims divided into inner and outer rims with a compositional gap at the boundary between the two rims. Olivine grains have magnesian cores (Fa ≥ 55) and show normal zoning toward ferroan rims (Fa ≤ 84). Mesostasis consists mostly of glass (26.0 vol%) with minor skeletal fayalites, skeletal titanomagnetites, acicular phosphate, massive cristobalite, and sulfides. We conclude that MIL 03346 is the most rapidly cooled nakhlite among all known nakhlites based on the petrography.

We obtain the intercumulus melt composition for MIL 03346 from the mass balance calculation using the modal abundances and discuss the crystallization sequence of MIL 03346 in comparison with that of Yamato (Y‐) 000593. Although magnesian olivines of Y‐000593 are phenocrystic, magnesian olivine grains of MIL 03346 seem to have texturally crystallized from the intercumulus melt. After the MIL 03346 magma intruded upward to the Martian surficial zone, the magnesian olivine crystallized, and then the ferroan inner rim formed on phenocrystic core augite. The outer rim of phenocrystic augites formed after the crystallization of skeletal fayalites and skeletal titanomagnetites, resulting in a compositional gap between the inner and outer rims. Finally, glassy mesostasis formed from the residual melt. This crystallization sequence of MIL 03346 is different from those of other nakhlites, including Y‐000593.
Results from the Greenland Search for Meteorites expedition
Authors: Haack Henning , Schutt John , Meibom Anders , Harvey Ralph
Published: January 2010

Abstract— Following discoveries of blue ice areas in Greenland resembling meteorite‐bearing blue ice fields in Antarctica, a surface search of several of the most promising sites was carried out in August 2003. The ice fields are located in Kong Christian X Land, in northeastern Greenland around 74°N at elevations between 2100 and 2400 m. No meteorites were found in any of the localities that were searched. Evidence of occasional significant melting (filled crevasses and melt sheets) suggest that summer temperatures are sometimes high enough that dark rocks, like meteorites, can melt through the upper layers of ice. Small terrestrial rocks and cryogenite were found down to 50 cm below the ice surface. Meter‐sized terrestrial rocks were found on top of the ice downstream from nunataks. These rocks shade the ice below, and since they were apparently too massive to warm up during warm days, they remained at the surface as the surrounding ice ablated away. Our findings strongly suggest that Greenland is currently unlikely to harbor significant meteorite concentrations on blue ice fields.
Characterization of the lithological contact in the shergottite EETA79001—A record of igneous differentiation processes on Mars
Authors: Van Niekerk Deon , Goodrich Cyrena Anne , Taylor G. Jeffrey , Keil Klaus
Published: January 2010

Abstract— Elephant Moraine (EET) A79001 is the only Martian meteorite that consists of both an olivine‐phyric shergottite (lithology A) and a basaltic shergottite (lithology B). The presence of these lithologies in one rock has previously been ascribed to mixing processes (either magmatic or impact‐induced). Here we present data regarding phase changes across the contact between the lithologies. These data show that the contact is gradational and suggest that it is a primary igneous feature consistent with crystallization of a single cooling magma. We present a model to establish a petrogenetic connection between an olivine‐phyric and a basaltic shergottite through differentiation.

The model involves the shallow or surface emplacement of a magma that contained pre‐eruptive solids (phenocrysts and minor xenocrysts). Subsequent differentiation via crystal settling and in situ crystallization (Langmuir 1989) resulted in a layered sequence of lithology A overlain by lithology B, with gradations in modal abundance of maskelynite (increasing from A to B) and pigeonite/maskelynite (decreasing from A to B), and a gradational change in pattern of pyroxene zonation (zones of magnesian augite separating magnesian and ferroan pigeonite appear and thicken into B) across the contact. A pigeonite phenocryst‐bearing zone near the contact in lithology B appears to be intermediate between lithology A and the bulk of lithology B (which resembles basaltic shergottite Queen Alexandra Range [QUE] 94201). Re‐examination of Sr isotopic compositions in lithology A and across the contact is required to test and constrain the model.
Petrographic classification of Middle Ordovician fossil meteorites from Sweden
Authors: Bridges J. C. , Schmitz B. , Hutchison R. , Greenwood R. C. , Tassinari M. , Franchi I. A.
Published: January 2010

Abstract— The maximum diameter of chromite (FeCr2O4) grains within L chondrites reflects the petrographic type of the sample. On the basis of our measurements of nine recent L chondrites, L3 chromite Dmax = 34–50 μm, L4 = 87–150 μm, L5 = 76–158 μm, and L6 = 253–638 μm. This variation reflects the crystallization of the chromite grains during parent body thermal metamorphism. We use this calibration to classify six fossil meteorites from the Middle Ordovician in Sweden as type 3 (or 4) to 6. The high flux of L chondrites at 470 Ma contained a range of petrographic types and may have had a higher proportion of lower petrographic type meteorites than are found in recent L chondrite falls. The fossil meteorites have in places preserved recognizable chondrule textures, including porphyritic olivine, barred olivine, and radiating pyroxene. A large relict clast and fusion crust have also been tentatively identified in one fossil meteorite. Apart from chromite, all of the original meteorite minerals have been replaced by carbonate (and sheet silicate and sulfate) during diagenesis within the limestone host. The preservation of chondrule definition has allowed us to measure the mean diameters of relict chondrules. The range (0.4–0.6 mm) is consistent with measurements made in the same way on recent L chondrites.
Global mapping of the degree of space weathering on asteroid 25143 Itokawa by Hayabusa/AMICA observations
Authors: Ishiguro Masateru , Hiroi Takahiro , Tholen David J. , Sasaki Sho , Ueda Yuji , Nimura Tokuhiro , Abe Masanao , Clark Beth E. , Yamamoto Aya , Yoshida Fumi , Nakamura Ryosuke , Hirata Naru , Miyamoto Hideaki , Yokota Yasuhiro , Hashimoto Tatsuaki , Kubota Takashi , Nakamura Akiko M. , Gaskell Robert W. , Saito Jun
Published: January 2010

Abstract— We obtained color images of near‐Earth asteroid 25143 Itokawa by the Hayabusa multiband imaging camera to characterize the regional color properties. Images were obtained for the whole disk from the gate position (GP) and home position (HP) at a spatial resolution of 0.8–3.7 m/pixel. Whole‐disk spectra are adjusted to the telescopic data obtained by the University of Hawai'i's 88‐inch telescope using the Eight Color Asteroid Survey (ECAS) system. The disk‐resolved measurements show large variations in the three visible channels. We present a map of an index related to the degree of space weathering, which has been newly developed based on laboratory measurements. We find large variations in the degree of space weathering on Itokawa. Fresh materials are observed in regions of steep slopes and craters, whereas mature materials are ubiquitously distributed. This result suggests that pristine ordinary chondrite‐like materials have been exposed through weathered layers by excavation. By also examining close‐up images obtained during touchdown rehearsal, we find that most rocks in Itokawa's rough terrains are weathered. Instead of a regolith blanket, the surface of this small asteroid is covered with weathered rocks and gravels.
Trace element concentrations in the Mexico‐Belize ejecta layer: A link between the Chicxulub impact and the global Cretaceous‐Paleogene boundary
Authors: Wigforss‐Lange Jane , Vajda Vivi , Ocampo Adriana
Published: January 2010

Abstract— Four exposures of Chicxulub impact ejecta along the Mexico‐Belize border have been sampled and analyzed for major and trace element abundances.

The ejecta deposits consist of a lower spheroid bed, containing clay and dolomite spheroids, and an upper diamictite bed with boulders and clasts of limestone and dolomite. The matrix of both beds is composed of clay and micritic dolomite. The rare earth element (REE) compositions in the matrix of both units show strong similarities in concentrations and pattern. Furthermore, the Zr/TiO2 scatter plot shows a linear correlation indicating one source. These results indicate that the basal spheroid bed has the same source and was generated during the same event as the overlying diamictite bed, which lends support to a single‐impact scenario for the Albion Formation ejecta deposits.

The elevated concentrations of non‐meteoritic elements such as Sb, As, U, and Zn in the matrix of the lower spheroid bed are regarded to have been derived from the sedimentary target rocks at the Chicxulub impact site. The positive Eu and Ce anomalies in clay concretion and in the matrix of the lower part of the spheroid bed in Albion Island quarry is probably related to processes involved in the impact, such as high temperature and oxidizing conditions.

Analogous trace element anomalies have been reported from the distal Cretaceous‐Paleogene (K/T) boundary clay layer at different sites. Thus, the trace element signals, reported herein, are regarded to support a genetic link between the Chicxulub impact, the ejecta deposits along the Mexico‐Belize border, and the global K/T boundary layer.
New records of Ediacaran Acraman ejecta in drillholes from the Stuart Shelf and Officer Basin, South Australia
Authors: Hill Andrew C. , Haines Peter W. , Grey Kathleen , Willman Sebastian
Published: January 2010

Abstract— New occurrences of the Acraman impact ejecta layer were recently discovered in two South Australian drillholes, SCYW‐79 1a (Stuart Shelf) and Munta 1 (Officer Basin) using lithostratigraphy, acritarch biostratigraphy, carbon isotope stratigraphy, and biomarker anomalies to predict the stratigraphic position. The ejecta layer is conspicuous because it consists of pink, sandsized, angular fragments of volcanic rock distributed along the bedding plane surface of green marine siltstone. In SCYW‐79 1a it forms a layer 5 mm thick; in Munta 1 the ejecta layer is thin and discontinuous because of its distance (˜550 km) from the impact structure. Palynological, biomarker, and carbon isotope anomalies can now be shown to coincide with the ejecta layer in SCYW‐79 1a and Munta 1 suggesting the Acraman impact event may have had far reaching influences on the rapidly evolving Ediacaran biological and geochemical cycles.