bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Experimental and petrological constraints on lunar differentiation from the Apollo 15 green picritic glasses
Authors: Elkins‐Tanton Linda T. , Chatterjee Nilanjan , Grove Timothy L.
Published: January 2010

Abstract— Phase equilibrium experiments on the most magnesian Apollo 15C green picritic glass composition indicate a multiple saturation point with olivine and orthopyroxene at 1520°C and 1.3 GPa (about 260 km depth in the moon). This composition has the highest Mg# of any lunar picritic glass and the shallowest multiple saturation point. Experiments on an Apollo 15A composition indicate a multiple saturation point with olivine and orthopyroxene at 1520°C and 2.2 GPa (about 440 km depth in the moon). The importance of the distinctive compositional trends of the Apollo 15 groups A, B, and C picritic glasses merits the reanalysis of NASA slide 15426,72 with modern electron microprobe techniques. We confirm the compositional trends reported by Delano (1979, 1986) in the major element oxides SiO2, TiO2, Al2O3, Cr2O3, FeO, MnO, MgO, and CaO, and we also obtained data for the trace elements P2O5, K2O, Na2O, NiO, S, Cu, Cl, Zn, and F.

Petrogenetic modeling demonstrates that the Apollo 15 A‐B‐C glass trends could not have been formed by fractional crystallization or any continuous assimilation/fractional crystallization (AFC) process. The B and C glass compositional trends could not have been formed by batch or incremental melting of an olivine + orthopyroxene source or any other homogeneous source, though the A glasses may have been formed by congruent melting over a small pressure range at depth. The B compositional trend is well modeled by starting with an intermediate A composition and assimilating a shallower, melted cumulate, and the C compositional trend is well modeled by a second assimilation event. The assimilation process envisioned is one in which heat and mass transfer were separated in space and time. In an initial intrusive event, a picritic magma crystallized and provided heat to melt magma ocean cumulates. In a later replenishment event, the picritic magma incrementally mixed with the melted cumulate (creating the compositional trends in the green glass data set), ascended to the lunar surface, and erupted as a fire fountain. A barometer created from multiple saturation points provides a depth estimate of other glasses in the A‐B‐C trend and of the depths of assimilation. This barometer demonstrates that the Apollo 15 A‐B‐C trend originated over a depth range of ˜460 km to ˜260 km within the moon.
Importance of the accretion process in asteroid thermal evolution: 6 Hebe as an example
Authors: Ghosh Amitabha , Weidenschilling Stuart J. , McSween Harry Y.
Published: January 2010

Abstract— Widespread evidence exists for heating that caused melting, thermal metamorphism, and aqueous alteration in meteorite parent bodies. Previous simulations of asteroid heat transfer have assumed that accretion was instantaneous. For the first time, we present a thermal model that assumes a realistic (incremental) accretion scenario and takes into account the heat budget produced by decay of 26Al during the accretion process. By modeling 6 Hebe (assumed to be the H chondrite parent body), we show that, in contrast to results from instantaneous accretion models, an asteroid may reach its peak temperature during accretion, the time at which different depth zones within the asteroid attain peak metamorphic temperatures may increase from the center to the surface, and the volume of high‐grade material in the interior may be significantly less than that of unmetamorphosed material surrounding the metamorphic core. We show that different times of initiation and duration of accretion produce a spectrum of evolutionary possibilities, and thereby, highlight the importance of the accretion process in shaping an asteroid's thermal history. Incremental accretion models provide a means of linking theoretical models of accretion to measurable quantities (peak temperatures, cooling rates, radioisotope closure times) in meteorites that were determined by their thermal histories.
Metamorphic grade of organic matter in six unequilibrated ordinary chondrites
Authors: Quirico Eric , Raynal Pierre‐Ivan , Bourot‐Denise Michèle
Published: January 2010

Abstract— The thermal metamorphism grade of organic matter (OM) trapped in 6 unequilibrated ordinary chondrites (UOCs) (Semarkona [LL 3.0], Bishunpur [L/LL 3.1], Krymka [LL 3.1], Chainpur [LL 3.4], Inman [L/LL 3.4], and Tieschitz [H/L 3.6]) has been investigated with Raman spectroscopy in the region of the first‐order carbon bands. The carbonaceous chondrite Renazzo (CR2) was also investigated and used as a reference object for comparison, owing to the fact that previous studies pointed to the OM in this meteorite as being the most pristine among all chondrites. The results show that the OM thermal metamorphic grade: 1) follows the hierarchy Renazzo << Semarkona << other UOCs; 2) is well correlated to the petrographic type of the studied objects; and 3) is also well correlated with the isotopic enrichment δ15N. These results are strikingly consistent with earlier cosmochemical studies, in particular, the scenario proposed by Alexander et al. (1998). Thermal metamorphism in the parent body appears as the main evolution process of OM in UOCs, demonstrating that nebular heating was extremely weak and that OM burial results in the destabilization of an initial isotopic composition with high δD and δ15N. Furthermore, the clear discrimination between Renazzo, Semarkona, and other UOCs shows: 1) Semarkona is a very peculiar UOC—by far the most pristine; and 2) Raman spectroscopy is a valid and valuable tool for deriving petrographic sub‐types (especially the low ones) that should be used in the future to complement current techniques. We compare our results with other current techniques, namely, induced thermo‐luminescence and opaques petrography. Other results have been obtained. First, humic coals are not strictly valid standard materials for meteoritic OM but are helpful in the study of evolutionary trends due to thermal metamorphism. Second, terrestrial weathering has a huge effect on OM structure, particularly in Inman, which is a find. Finally, the earlier statement that fine‐grained chondrule rims and matrix in Semarkona could be the source of smectite‐rich IDPs is not valid, given the different degree of structural order of their OM.
Lunar mare volcanism in the eastern nearside region derived from Clementine UV/VIS data
Authors: KODAMA Shinsuke , YAMAGUCHI Yasushi
Published: January 2010

Abstract— Clementine UV/VIS multi‐spectral data were used to map mare deposits in the eastern lunar nearside region (Mare Tranquillitatis, Mare Fecunditatis, Mare Serenitatis, Mare Crisium, Mare Nectaris) to understand the volcanic history of this region. An array of Clementine and Clementine‐derived data were used to classify mare basalts; these include: 750 nm albedo, UV/VIS ratio, 1 μm absorption signatures, and Clementine derived FeO and TiO2 contents. We have successfully identified several new geological units and have determined their spectral characteristics. For example, the relatively younger low‐Ti basalts were recognized in the eastern part of Mare Tranquillitatis. The central low‐Ti basalts in Mare Serenitatis, which had been classed as mISP, were divided into 2 groups. In Mare Nectaris, 2 types of mare basalts were identified, while only 1 group was recognized in the previous study. The stratigraphy constructed from the spectral analysis indicates that the mare deposits tend to become younger in the northern maria, including Serenitatis and Crisium, and older in the southern maria, including Tranquillitatis, Fecunditatis, and Nectaris. According to the relationship between the titanium contents of the mare units and their stratigraphy, the titanium content decreases with time in the early stage but increases toward the end of volcanism in the Serenitatis and Crisium region, while it increases with time but finally decreases in the Tranquillitatis and Fecunditatis region. In connection with the distribution of mare basalts, a large amount of high‐Ti mare basalts are found in Mare Tranquillitatis, especially in the western part, while other maria are covered by low‐Ti basalts. The iron contents show a similar distribution to that of titanium.
Spade: An H chondrite impact‐melt breccia that experienced post‐shock annealing
Authors: RUBIN Alan E. , JONES Rhian H.
Published: January 2010

Abstract— The low modal abundances of relict chondrules (1.8 vol%) and of coarse (i.e., ≥200 μm‐size) isolated mafic silicate grains (1.8 vol%) in Spade relative to mean H6 chondrites (11.4 and 9.8 vol%, respectively) show Spade to be a rock that has experienced a significant degree of melting. Various petrographic features (e.g., chromite‐plagioclase assemblages, chromite veinlets, silicate darkening) indicate that melting was caused by shock. Plagioclase was melted during the shock event and flowed so that it partially to completely surrounded nearby mafic silicate grains. During crystallization, plagioclase developed igneous zoning. Low‐Ca pyroxene that crystallized from the melt (or equilibrated with the melt at high temperatures) acquired relatively high amounts of CaO. Metallic Fe‐Ni cooled rapidly below the Fe‐Ni solvus and transformed into martensite. Subsequent reheating of the rock caused transformation of martensite into abundant duplex plessite.

Ambiguities exist in the shock stage assignment of Spade. The extensive silicate darkening, the occurrence of chromite‐plagioclase assemblages, and the impact‐melted characteristics of Spade are consistent with shock stage S6. Low shock (stage S2) is indicated by the undulose extinction and lack of planar fractures in olivine. This suggests that Spade reached a maximum prior shock level equivalent to stage S6 and then experienced post‐shock annealing (probably to stage S1). These events were followed by a less intense impact that produced the undulose extinction in the olivine, characteristic of shock stage S2. Annealing could have occurred if Spade were emplaced near impact melts beneath the crater floor or deposited in close proximity to hot debris within an ejecta blanket. Spade firmly establishes the case for post‐shock annealing. This may have been a common process on OC asteroids.
Impact‐induced frictional melting in ordinary chondrites: A mechanism for deformation, darkening, and vein formation
Authors: VAN DER BOGERT C. H. , SCHULTZ P. H. , SPRAY J. G.
Published: January 2010

Abstract— High speed friction experiments have been performed on the ordinary chondrites El Hammami (H5, S2) and Sahara 97001 (L6, S3) using an axial friction‐welding apparatus. Each sample was subjected to a strain rate of 103 to 104 s−1, which generated 250 to 500 μm‐deep darkened zones on each sample cube. Thin section analyses reveal that the darkened areas are composed of silicate glass and mineral fragments intermingled with dispersed submicron‐size FeNi and FeS blebs. Fracturing of mineral grains and the formation of tiny metallic veins define the extent of deformation beyond the darkened shear zone. These features are not present in the original meteorites. The shear zones and tiny veins are quite similar to certain vein systems seen in naturally deformed ordinary chondrites. The experiments show that shock deformation is not required for the formation of melt veins and darkening in ordinary chondrites. Therefore, the presence of melt veins and darkening does not imply that an ordinary chondrite has undergone severe shock deformation. In fact, high strain rate deformation and frictional melting are especially important for the formation of veins at low shock pressures.
Numerical modeling of impact heating and cooling of the Vredefort impact structure
Authors: TURTLE Elizabeth P. , PIERAZZO Elisabetta , O'BRIEN David P.
Published: January 2010

Abstract— Large meteorite impacts, such as the one that created the Vredefort structure in South Africa˜2 Ga ago, result in significant heating of the target. The temperatures achieved in these events have important implications for post‐impact metamorphism as well as for the development of hydrothermal systems. To investigate the post‐impact thermal evolution and the size of the Vredefort structure, we have analyzed impact‐induced shock heating in numerical simulations of terrestrial impacts by projectiles of a range of sizes thought to be appropriate for creating the Vredefort structure. When compared with the extent of estimated thermal shock metamorphism observed at different locations around Vredefort, our model results support our earlier estimates that the original crater was 120–160 km in diameter, based on comparison of predicted to observed locations of shock features. The simulations demonstrate that only limited shock heating of the target occurs outside the final crater and that the cooling time was at least 0.3 Myr but no more than 30 Myr.
A primitive dark inclusion with radiation‐damaged silicates in the Ningqiang carbonaceous chondrite
Authors: ZOLENSKY Michael , NAKAMURA Keiko , WEISBERG Michael K. , PRINZ Martin , NAKAMURA Tomoki , OHSUMI Kazumasa , SAITOW Akihiro , MUKAI Masae , GOUNELLE Matthieu
Published: January 2010

Abstract— A petrologic and TEM study of a remarkable dark inclusion (DI) in the Ningqiang CV3 chondrite reveals that it is a mixture of highly primitive solar nebula materials. The DI contains two lithologies. The first, lithology A, contains micron‐sized olivine and pyroxene grains rimmed by amorphous materials with compositions similar to the underlying crystalline grains. The second, lithology B, appears to preserve the mineralogy of lithology A before formation of the amorphous rims. Overall, the Ningqiang DI appears to record the following processes: 1) formation (condensation and Fe‐enrichment) of olivine crystals in the nebula with compositions of Fo42–62; 2) irradiation, resulting in amorphitization of the olivine and pyroxene to varying degrees; 3) partial annealing, resulting in formation of fairly large, euhedral olivine and pyroxene grains with remnant amorphous sharply‐bounded rims; 4) in some cases, prolonged annealing, resulting in the formation of microcrystalline olivine or pyroxene rims. The latter annealing would have been a natural consequence of irradiation near the critical temperature for olivine; and 5) mixture of the above materials (lithology A) with nebular condensate high‐Ca pyroxene and olivine, which escaped nebular processing, to become lithology B. We suggest that the amorphous rims in lithology A formed in an energetic solar event such as a bi‐polar outflow or FU‐orionis flare.
Hydrothermal alteration at the Lonar Lake impact structure, India: Implications for impact cratering on Mars
Authors: HAGERTY Justin J. , NEWSOM Horton E.
Published: January 2010

Abstract— The 50,000 year old, 1.8 km diameter Lonar crater is one of only two known terrestrial craters to be emplaced in basaltic target rock (the 65 million year old Deccan Traps). The composition of the Lonar basalts is similar to martian basaltic meteorites, which establishes Lonar as an excellent analogue for similarly sized craters on the surface of Mars. Samples from cores drilled into the Lonar crater floor show that there are basaltic impact breccias that have been altered by post‐impact hydrothermal processes to produce an assemblage of secondary alteration minerals. Microprobe data and X‐ray diffraction analyses show that the alteration mineral assemblage consists primarily of saponite, with minor celadonite, and carbonate. Thermodynamic modeling and terrestrial volcanic analogues were used to demonstrate that these clay minerals formed at temperatures between 130°C and 200°C. By comparing the Lonar alteration assemblage with alteration at other terrestrial craters, we conclude that the Lonar crater represents a lower size limit for impact‐induced hydrothermal activity. Based on these results, we suggest that similarly sized craters on Mars have the potential to form hydrothermal systems, as long as liquid water was present on or near the martian surface. Furthermore, the Fe‐rich alteration minerals produced by post‐impact hydrothermal processes could contribute to the minor iron enrichment associated with the formation of the martian soil.
Depletion of sulfur on the surface of asteroids and the moon
Authors: KILLEN R. M.
Published: January 2010

Abstract— Data from the X‐ray and γ‐ray spectrometers onboard the Near Earth Asteroid Rendezvous (NEAR) spacecraft were used to constrain the chemical and mineralogical composition of asteroid 433 Eros (McCoy et al. 2001). The bulk composition appears to be consistent with that of L to H chondrites (Nittler et al. 2001). However, there appeared to be a marked depletion relative to ordinary chondritic composition in the S/Si ratio (0.014 ± 0.017). We investigate space weathering mechanisms to determine the extent to which sulfur can be preferentially lost from the surface regolith. The two processes considered are impact vaporization by the interplanetary meteoroid population and ion sputtering by the solar wind. Using impact data for Al projectiles onto enstatite, we find that the vaporization rate for troilite (FeS) is nine times as fast as that for the bulk of the regolith. If 20% of the iron is in the form of troilite, then the net vaporization rate, normalized to bulk composition, is 2.8 times faster for sulfur than for iron. Sputtering is equally efficient at removing sulfur as impact vaporization.
Cloud Creek structure, central Wyoming, USA: Impact origin confirmed
Authors: STONE Donald S. , THERRIAULT Ann M.
Published: January 2010

Abstract— The circular Cloud Creek structure in central Wyoming, USA is buried beneath ˜1200 m of Mesozoic sedimentary rocks and has a current diameter of ˜7 km. The morphology/morphometry of the structure, as defined by borehole, seismic, and gravity data, is similar to that of other buried terrestrial complex impact structures in sedimentary target rocks, e.g., Red Wing Creek in North Dakota, USA. The structure has a fault‐bordered central peak with minimum diameter of ˜1.4 km, composed predominantly of Paleozoic carbonates thickened by thrust faulting and brecciation, and is elevated some 520 m above equivalent strata beyond the outer rim of the structure. There is a ˜1.6 km wide annular trough sloping away from the central peak (maximum structural relief, 300 m) and terminated by a detached, fault‐bounded, rim anticline. The youngest rocks within the structure are Late Triassic (Norian?) clastics and these are overlain unconformably by post‐impact Middle Jurassic (Bathonian?) sandstones and shales. Thus, the formation of the Cloud Creek structure is dated chronostratigraphicly as ˜190 ± 20 Ma.

Reported here for the first time are measurements of planar deformation features (PDFs) in shocked quartz grains in thin sections made from drill cuttings recovered in a borehole drilled at the southern perimeter of the central peak. Other, less definitive microstructures consistent with impact occur in samples collected from boreholes drilled into the central peak and rim anticline. The shock‐metamorphic evidence confirms an impact origin for the Cloud Creek structure.
Transmission electron microscopy of minerals in the martian meteorite Allan Hills 84001
Authors: BARBER David J. , SCOTT Edward R. D.
Published: January 2010

Abstract— We have studied carbonate and associated oxides and glasses in a demountable section of Allan Hills 84001 (ALH 84001) using optical, scanning, and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) to elucidate their origins and the shock history of the rock. Massive, fracture‐zone, and fracture‐filling carbonates in typical locations were characterized by TEM, X‐ray microanalysis, and electron diffraction in a comprehensive study that preserved textural and spatial relationships. Orthopyroxene is highly deformed, fractured, partially comminuted, and essentially unrecovered. Lamellae of diaplectic glass and other features indicate shock pressures >30 GPa. Bridging acicular crystals and foamy glass at contacts of orthopyroxene fragments indicate localized melting and vaporization of orthopyroxene. Carbonate crystals are >5 mm in size, untwinned, and very largely exhibit the R3c calcite structure. Evidence of plastic deformation is generally found mildly only in fracture‐zone and fracture‐filling carbonates, even adjacent to highly deformed orthopyroxene, and appears to have been caused by low‐stress effects including differential shrinkage. High dislocation densities like those observed in moderately shocked calcite are absent. Carbonate contains impactderived glasses of plagioclase, silica, and orthopyroxene composition indicating brief localized impact heating. Stringers and lenses of orthopyroxene glass in fracture‐filling carbonate imply flow of carbonates and crystallization during an impact. Periclase (MgO) occurs in magnesite as 30–50 nm crystals adjacent to voids and negative crystals and as ˜1 μm patches of 3 nm crystals showing weak preferred orientation consistent with (111)MgO//(0001)carb, as observed in the thermal decomposition of CaCO3 to CaO. Magnetite crystals that are epitaxially oriented at voids, negative crystals, and microfractures clearly formed in situ. Fully embedded, faceted magnetites are topotactically oriented, in general with (111)mag//(0001)carb, so that their oxygen layers are aligned. In optically opaque rims, magnetites are more irregularly shaped and, except for the smallest crystals, poorly aligned. All magnetite and periclase crystals probably formed by exsolution from slightly non‐stoichiometric, CO2‐poor carbonate following impact‐induced thermal decomposition. Any magnetites that existed in the rock before shock heating could not have preserved evidence for biogenic activity.
Magnetite in ALH 84001: An origin by shock‐induced thermal decomposition of iron carbonate
Authors: BREARLEY Adrian J.
Published: January 2010

Abstract— In martian orthopyroxenite ALH 84001, pockets of feldspathic glass frequently contain carbonate masses that have been disrupted and dispersed within feldspathic shock melt as a result of impact(s). Transmission electron microscope studies of carbonate fragments embedded within feldspathic glass show that the fragments contain myriad, nanometer‐sized magnetite particles with cuboid, irregular, and teardrop morphologies, frequently associated with voids. The fragments of carbonate must have been incorporated into the melt at temperatures of ˜900°C, well above the upper thermal stability of siderite (FeCO3), which decomposes to produce magnetite and CO2 below ˜450°C. These observations suggest that most, if not all, of the fine‐grained magnetite associated with Fe‐bearing carbonate in ALH 84001 could have been formed as result of the thermal decomposition of the siderite (FeCO3) component of the carbonate and is not due to biological activity.
40Ar/39Ar laser probe dating of the Central European tektite‐producing impact event
Authors: LAURENZI Marinella A. , BIGAZZI Giulio , BALESTRIERI Maria Laura , BOUŠKA Vladimìr
Published: January 2010

Abstract— A new 40Ar/39Ar data set is presented for tektites from the Central European strewn field (moldavites). This is the only strewn field that is entirely situated in a continental environment and still characterized by scattered ages (14–15.3 Myr). The main objectives of the study were to define more precisely the moldavite formation age and provide a good calibration for a glass standard proposed for fission‐track dating.

The laser total fusion ages obtained on chips from 7 individual specimens from the Southern Bohemian and Moravian subfields are restricted to a narrow interval of time, with an average of 14.34 ± 0.08 Myr relative to the 27.95 ± 0.09 Myr of the Fish Canyon Tuff biotite. This result gives a more precise age not only for the tektite field but also for its producing impact. If the genetic link between the moldavites and the Nördlinger Ries impact crater is maintained, then this new age has to be considered a reliable estimate for the Ries crater also.

This new value places the formation of Central European tektites within the Lower Serravallian period in the latest geologic timescales. Evidence of their impact products, such as glass spherules or shocked minerals, can, therefore, be sought in sedimentary marine formations in a more precisely defined age interval.
Large‐ion lithophile element fractionation during the early differentiation of Mars and the composition of the martian primitive mantle
Authors: MCLENNAN Scott M.
Published: January 2010

Abstract— Basaltic shergottites display a systematic decrease in K/Th, K/U, and K/La ratios with increasing K content. These trends are interpreted as mixing lines between relatively young martian magmas derived from highly depleted mantle sources and an ancient large‐ion lithophile (LIL) element‐enriched crustal component. One implication of this is that a substantial fractionation of these ratios occurs during the early crustal differentiation on Mars. Isotopic evidence from SNC meteorites and compositional data from Pathfinder and orbital gamma ray spectroscopy suggest that in excess of 50% of the LIL element complement of Mars resides in the crustal reservoir. If so, the primitive mantle of Mars is significantly more volatile‐depleted (i.e., lower K/Th, K/U, K/La) than previously thought but probably (though not necessarily) still less volatile‐depleted than the primitive mantle of the Earth. The La/Th ratios of virtually all SNC meteorites are subchondritic, including those with the most severe LREE‐depletion. Extrapolation of the basaltic shergottite trend suggests that both the depleted mantle end member and the enriched crustal end member have subchondritic La/Th ratios. This is in contrast with the Earth where basalts from LIL element‐depleted sources such as MORB have superchondritic La/Th ratios, complementary to the subchondritic ratios of the continental crust. Accordingly, assuming that the refractory elements are in chondritic proportions for the Mars primitive mantle, an additional major geochemical reservoir must exist on Mars that may not yet have been sampled.
Petrology of the Baszkówka L5 chondrite: A record of surface‐forming processes on the parent body
Authors: PRZYLIBSKI Tadeusz Andrzej , PILSKI Andrzej Sylwester , ZAGOZ̊DZ̊ON Paweł Przemysław , KRYZA Ryszard
Published: January 2010

Abstract— We review the petrology of Baszkówka, present new microprobe data on mineral constituents, and propose a model for surface properties of the parent body consistent with these data.

The low shock index and high porosity of the Baszkówka L5 chondrite mean that considerable primary textural and petrographic detail is preserved, allowing insight into the structure and evolution of the parent body. This meteorite formed in a sedimentary environment resembling that in which pyroclastic rocks are deposited. The origin of the component chondrules, achondritic fragments (mostly olivine and pyroxene aggregates), chondritic‐achondritic aggregates, and compound chondrules can be explained by invoking collision of 2 melted or partially melted planetesimals, each covered with a thin crust. This could have happened at an early stage in the evolution of the solar system, between 1 and 2 Myr after its origin. The collision resulted in the formation of a cloud containing products of earlier magmatic crystallization (chondrite and achondrite fragments) from which new chondrules were created. Particle collision in this cloud produced fragmented chondrules, chondritic‐achondritic aggregates, and compound chondrules. Within this low‐density medium, these particles were accreted on the surface of the larger of the planetesimals involved in the collision. The density of the medium was low enough to prevent grain‐size sorting of the components but high enough to prevent the total loss of heat and to enable the welding of fragments on the surface of the body. The rock material was homogenized within the cloud and, in particular, within the zone close to the planetesimal surface. The hot material settled on the surface and became welded as molten or plastic metal, and sulfide components cemented the grains together. The process resembled the formation of welded ignimbrites. Once these processes on the planetesimal surface were completed, no subsequent recrystallization occurred. The high porosity of the Baszkówka chondrite indicates that the meteorite comes from a near‐surface part of the parent body. Deeper parts of the planetesimal would have been more massive because of compaction.
Correlation between relative ages inferred from 26Al and bulk compositions of ferromagnesian chondrules in least equilibrated ordinary chondrites
Authors: TACHIBANA S. , NAGAHARA H. , MOSTEFAOUI S. , KITA N. T.
Published: January 2010

Abstract— We have studied the relationship between bulk chemical compositions and relative formation ages inferred from the initial 26Al/27Al ratios for sixteen ferromagnesian chondrules in least equilibrated ordinary chondrites, Semarkona (LL3.0) and Bishunpur (LL3.1). The initial 26Al/27Al ratios of these chondrules were obtained by Kita et al. (2000) and Mostefaoui et al. (2002), corresponding to relative ages from 0.7 ± 0.2 to 2.4 −0.4/+0.7 Myr after calcium‐aluminum‐rich inclusions (CAIs), by assuming a homogeneous distribution of 26Al in the early solar system. The measured bulk compositions of the chondrules cover the compositional range of ferromagnesian chondrules reported in the literature and, thus, the chondrules in this study are regarded as representatives of ferromagnesian chondrules. The relative ages of the chondrules appear to correlate with bulk abundances of Si and the volatile elements (Na, K, Mn, and Cr), but there seems to exist no correlation of relative ages neither with Fe nor with refractory elements. Younger chondrules tend to be richer in Si and volatile elements. Our result supports the result of Mostefaoui et al. (2002) who suggested that pyroxene‐rich chondrules are younger than olivine‐rich ones.

The correlation provides an important constraint on chondrule formation in the early solar system. It is explained by chondrule formation in an open system, where silicon and volatile elements evaporated from chondrule melts during chondrule formation and recondensed as chondrule precursors of the next generation.
Systematics of Mössbauer absorption areas in ordinary chondrites and applications to a newly fallen meteorite in Jodhpur, India
Authors: VERMA H. C. , JEE Kavi , TRIPATHI R. P.
Published: January 2010

Abstract— Mössbauer absorption areas corresponding to 57Fe in olivine, pyroxene, troilite, and the metallic phase in ordinary chondrites are shown to exhibit certain systematic behaviors. H chondrites occupy 2 distinct regions on the plot of metallic phase absorption area versus silicate absorption area, while L/LL chondrites fall in a separate region. Similar separation is also observed when pyroxene absorption area is plotted against olivine absorption area. The one‐dimensional plot for the ratio of olivine area to pyroxene area separates L and LL chondrites. Based on these systematics, a newly fallen meteorite at Jodhpur, India is suggested to be an LL chondrite.
The Morávka meteorite fall: 2. Interpretation of infrasonic and seismic data
Authors: BROWN P. G. , KALENDA P. , REVELLE D. O. , BOROVIĈKA J.
Published: January 2010

Abstract— The sound production from the Morávka fireball has been examined in detail making use of infrasound and seismic data. A detailed analysis of the production and propagation of sonic waves during the atmospheric entry of the Morávka meteoroid demonstrates that the acoustic energy was produced both by the hypersonic flight of the meteoroid (producing a cylindrical blast wave) and by individual fragmentation events of the meteoroid, which acted as small explosions (producing quasispherical shock waves). The deviation of the ray normals for the fragmentation events was found to be as much as 30° beyond that expected from a purely cylindrical line source blast. The main fragmentation of the bolide was confined to heights above 30 km with a possible maximum in acoustic energy production near 38 km. Seismic stations recorded both the direct arrival of the airwaves (the strongest signal) as well as air‐coupled P‐waves and Rayleigh waves (earlier signals). In addition, deep underground stations detected the seismic signature of the fireball. The seismic data alone permit reconstruction of the fireball trajectory to a precision on the order of a few degrees. The velocity of the meteoroid is much less well‐determined by these seismic data. The more distant infrasonic station detected 3 distinct signals from the fireball, identified as a thermospheric return, a stratospheric return, and an unusual mode propagating through the stratosphere horizontally and then leaking to the receiver.
Geology and geochemistry of shallow drill cores from the Bosumtwi impact structure, Ghana
Authors: Boamah Daniel , Koeberl Christian
Published: January 2010

Abstract— The 1.07 Ma well‐preserved Bosumtwi impact structure in Ghana (10.5 km in diameter) formed in 2 Ga‐old metamorphosed and crystalline rocks of the Birimian system. The interior of the structure is largely filled by the 8 km diameter Lake Bosumtwi, and the crater rim and region in the environs of the crater is covered by tropical rainforest, making geological studies rather difficult and restricted to road cuts and streams. In early 1999, we undertook a shallow drilling program to the north of the crater rim to determine the extent of the ejecta blanket around the crater and to obtain subsurface core samples for mineralogical, petrological, and geochemical studies of ejecta of the Bosumtwi impact structure. A variety of impactite lithologies are present, consisting of impact glassrich suevite and several types of breccia: lithic breccia of single rock type, often grading into unbrecciated rock, with the rocks being shattered more or less in situ without much relative displacement (autochthonous?), and lithic polymict breccia that apparently do not contain any glassy material (allochtonous?). The suevite cores show that melt inclusions are present throughout the whole length of the cores in the form of vesicular glasses with no significant change of abundance with depth. Twenty samples from the 7 drill cores and 4 samples from recent road cuts in the structure were studied for their geochemical characteristics to accumulate a database for impact lithologies and their erosion products present at the Bosumtwi crater. Major and trace element analyses yielded compositions similar to those of the target rocks in the area (graywacke‐phyllite, shale, and granite). Graywacke‐phyllite and granite dikes seem to be important contributors to the compositions of the suevite and the road cut samples (fragmentary matrix), with a minor contribution of Pepiakese granite. The results also provide information about the thickness of the fallout suevite in the northern part of the Bosumtwi structure, which was determined to be ≤15 m and to occupy an area of ˜1.5 km2. Present suevite distribution is likely to be caused by differential erosion and does not reflect the initial areal extent of the continuous Bosumtwi ejecta deposits. Our studies allow a comparison with the extent of the suevite at the Ries, another well‐preserved impact structure.
Evidence for fractional condensation and reprocessing at high temperatures in CH chondrites
Authors: Hezel Dominik C. , Palme Herbert , Brenker Frank E. , Nasdala Lutz
Published: January 2010

Abstract— We performed a detailed study of silica‐rich components (SRC) in the paired CH chondrites Acfer 182 and 207. These SRCs appear either as chondrules or fragments, and they contribute <0.1 vol% to the bulk meteorite. They usually contain a silica and a silicate portion. Both portions are, in most cases, cryptocrystalline and have bulk SiO2‐concentrations between 65 and 85 wt%. The silicate generally has a pyroxene normative composition. The silica often appears as blebs within the silicate matrix or vice versa. If there are no blebs, silica and silicate still form rounded interfaces. The SRCs are depleted in refractory elements like Ca, Al, and Ti relative to CI. A few SRC‐like objects are extremely rich in Mn and show no depletion in refractory elements. We conducted micro‐Raman studies on the silica portions of the SRCs to determine their structure, and we identified several silica phases: α‐quartz, cristobalite, glass, and a yet unidentified polymorph. The silicate portion is glass when the silica is glass and crystalline when the silica is crystalline.

The low contents of Al and Ca make an igneous origin of the SRCs very unlikely, and the absence of metal excludes the formation by reduction of pyroxene. We suggest, instead, a fractional condensation origin of the SRCs from a Si‐enriched gas after removal of gaseous Mg by forsterite condensation. Additional evidence for fractional condensation is provided by a unique layered object with olivine in the core, pyroxene and metal at the rim, and silica at the outermost border; these layers record the condensation sequence. Two chondrules were found with several percent of Mn and high Cr, Na, and K contents, providing further evidence for condensation from a fractionated gas.

The texture of the SRCs and the occurrence of cristobalite and silica glass, however, require formation by liquid immiscibility at high temperatures, above 1968 K, and subsequent fast cooling. Therefore, we propose a 2‐stage model for the formation of SRCs in CH chondrites: 1) fractional condensation of forsterite, enstatite, and SiO2‐rich phases; and 2) reheating of SiO2‐rich components to temperatures above 1968 K followed by rapid cooling.

All other phases identified in CH chondrites can be understood within the framework of this model. Thus, the extremely unequilibrated CH chondrites provide a wealth of evidence for fractional condensation processes in the early solar nebula, in metals (Meibom et al. 1999), and in silicates.
Carbon isotope fractionation between graphite and diamond during shock experiments
Authors: Maruoka Teruyuki , Koeberl Christian , Matsuda Jun‐ichi , Syono Yasuhiko
Published: January 2010

Abstract— Carbon isotopic compositions were measured for shock‐produced diamond and shocked graphite formed at peak pressures ranging from 37 to 52 GPa. The δ13C values of diamonds produced in a sealed container were generally lower than that of the initial graphite. The differences in the carbon isotopic composition between initial graphite and shocked graphite/diamond may reflect kinetic isotopic fractionation during the oxidation of the graphite/diamond and/or analytical artifacts possibly induced by impurities in the samples. The pressure effect on the isotopic fractionations between graphite and diamond can be estimated from the δ13C values of impurity‐free diamonds produced using a vented container from which gases, including oxygen, in pore spaces escaped during or after the diamond formation (e.g., 0.039 ± 0.085‰ at a peak pressure of 52 GPa). Any isotopic fractionation induced by shock conversion of graphite to diamond is too small to be detected in natural shock‐induced diamond‐graphite systems related to terrestrial impact cratering processes.
A laboratory model of splash‐form tektites
Authors: ELKINS‐TANTON Linda T. , AUSSILLOUS Pascale , BICO José , QUÉRÉ David , BUSH John W. M.
Published: January 2010

Abstract— Splash‐form tektites are generally acknowledged to have the form of bodies of revolution. However, no detailed fluid dynamical investigation of their form and stability has yet been undertaken. Here, we review the dynamics and stability of spinning, translating fluid drops with a view to making inferences concerning the dynamic history of tektites. We conclude that, unless the differential speed between the molten tektite and ambient is substantially less than the terminal velocity, molten tektites can exist as equilibrium bodies of revolution only up to sizes of 3 mm. Larger tektites are necessarily non‐equilibrium forms and so indicate the importance of cooling and solidification during flight. An examination of the shapes of rotating, translating drops indicates that rotating silicate drops in air will assume the shapes of bodies of rotation if their rotational speed is 1% or more of their translational speed. This requirement of only a very small rotational component explains why most splash‐form tektites correspond to bodies of revolution. A laboratory model that consists of rolling or tumbling molten metallic drops reproduces all of the known forms of splashform tektites, including spheres, oblate ellipsoids, dumbbells, teardrops, and tori. The laboratory also highlights important differences between rolling drops and tumbling drops in flight. For example, toroidal drops are much more stable in the former than in the latter situation.
Characterization and significance of shocked quartz from the Woodleigh mpact structure, Western Australia
Authors: HOUGH R. M. , LEE M. R. , BEVAN A. W. R.
Published: January 2010

Abstract— We re‐examined the buried Woodleigh structure in Western Australia, which has been inferred to be a multi‐ringed, 120 km diameter impact crater, because the proposed size and possible synchronicity with one of the pre‐Mesozoic mass extinction events has attracted controversy. We undertook a detailed study of the petrology and mineralogy of a number of samples of core from the Woodleigh‐1 borehole that was drilled into the central uplift of the structure. Crystalline Proterozoic basement rocks comprising granites and gneisses in the Woodleigh‐1 core contain minor brecciation in discrete veins and reveal clear evidence of shock metamorphism over the full extent of the core. Imaging of laboratory‐etched quartz showed that a large number of grains contain shock deformation lamellae. Microstructural and crystallographic analysis of these lamellae by TEM showed that they are planar deformation features (PDFs) that have subsequently undergone annealing and water assisted recrystallization. The available geological, petrographic, and mineralogical evidence suggest that Woodleigh is an eroded impact crater that is nearer to 60 km than 120 km in diameter. Future drilling projects should better constrain the level of erosion, and may reveal any preserved impact lithologies.
26Mg excess in hibonites of the Rumuruti chondrite Hughes 030
Authors: Bischoff A. , Srinivasan G.
Published: January 2010

Abstract— The Rumuruti chondrites (R chondrites) constitute a new, well‐established, chondrite group different from carbonaceous, ordinary, and enstatite chondrites. Most samples of this group are gas‐rich regolith breccias showing the typical light/dark structure and consist of abundant fragments of various parent body lithologies embedded in a fine‐grained, olivine‐rich matrix. Most R chondrites contain the typical components of primitive chondrites including chondrules, chondrule and mineral fragments, sulfides, and rare calcium‐aluminum‐rich inclusions (CAIs). In Hughes 030, an interesting CAI consisting of abundant hibonite and spinel was found. Mg isotopic analyses revealed excess 26Mg in components of R chondrites for the first time. The hibonite grains with high Al/Mg values (∼1500 to 2600) show resolved 26Mg excess. The slope of the correlation line yields an initial 26Al/ 27Al = (1.4 ± 0.3) × 10−6, which is ∼40 times lower than the initial value measured in CAIs from primitive meteorites. The inferred difference in 26Al abundance implies a time difference of ∼4 million years for the closure of the Al‐Mg system between CAIs from primitive chondrites and the Hughes 030 CAI. Based on mineralogy and the petrographic setting of the hibonite‐rich CAI, it is suggested that 4 million years reflect the time interval between the formation of the CAI and the end of its secondary alteration. It is also suggested that most of this alteration may have occurred in the nebula (e.g. Zn‐ and Fe‐incorporation in spinels). However, the CAI could not have survived in the nebula as a free floating object for a long period of time. Therefore, the possibility of storage in a precursor planetesimal for a few million years, resetting the magnesium‐aluminum isotopic system, prior to impact brecciation, excavation, and accretion of the final R chondrite parent body cannot be ruled out.
On estimating contributions of basin ejecta to regolith deposits at lunar sites
Authors: Haskin Larry A. , Moss Billy E. , McKinnon William B.
Published: January 2010

Abstract— We have developed a quantitative model for predicting characteristics of ejecta deposits that result from basin‐sized cratering events. This model is based on impact crater scaling equations (Housen, Schmitt, and Holsapple 1983; Holsapple 1993) and the concept of ballistic sedimentation (Oberbeck 1975), and takes into account the size distribution of the individual fragments ejected from the primary crater. Using the model, we can estimate, for an area centered at the chosen location of interest, the average distribution of thicknesses of basin ejecta deposits within the area and the fraction of primary ejecta contained within the deposits. Model estimates of ejecta deposit thicknesses are calibrated using those of the Orientale Basin (Moore, Hodges, and Scott 1974) and of the Ries Basin (Hörz, Ostertag, and Rainey 1983). Observed densities of secondary craters surrounding the Imbrium and Orientale Basins are much lower than the modeled densities. Similarly, crater counts for part of the northern half of the Copernicus secondary cratering field are much lower than the model predicts, and variation in crater densities with distance from Copernicus is less than expected. These results suggest that mutual obliteration erases essentially all secondary craters associated with the debris surge that arises from the impacting primary fragments during ballistic sedimentation; if so, a process other than ballistic sedimentation is needed to produce observable secondary craters. Regardless, our ejecta deposit model can be useful for suggesting provenances of sampled lunar materials, providing information complementary to photogeological and remote sensing interpretations, and as a tool for planning rover traverses (e.g., Haskin et al. 1995, 2002).
Experimental study and TEM characterization of dusty olivines in chondrites: Evidence for formation by in situ reduction
Authors: Leroux Hugues , Libourel Guy , Lemelle Laurence , Guyot Franĉois
Published: January 2010

Abstract— An analytical transmission electron microscopy (ATEM) study was undertaken in order to better understand the formation conditions of dusty olivines (i.e., olivines containing abundant tiny inclusions of Fe‐Ni metal) in primitive meteorites. Dusty olivines from type I chondrules in the Bishunpur chondrite (LL3.1) and from synthetic samples obtained by reduction of San Carlos olivines were examined. In both natural and experimental samples, micron size metal blebs observed in the dusty region often show preferential alignments along crystallographic directions of the olivine grains, have low Ni contents (typically <2 wt%), and are frequently surrounded by a silica‐rich glass layer. These features suggest that dusty olivines are formed by a sub‐solidus reduction of initially fayalitic olivines according to the following reaction:

Some volatilization of SiOgas may account for the apparent excess of metal relative to silica‐rich glass observed in both experimental and natural samples. Comparison with experimentally produced dusty olivines suggests that time scales of the order of minutes usually inferred for chondrule formation are also adequate for the formation of dusty olivines. These observations are in agreement with the hypothesis that at least part of the metal phase in chondrites originated from reduction during chondrule formation.