首页 | 本学科首页   官方微博 | 高级检索  
相似文献
 共查询到20条相似文献，搜索用时 343 毫秒
1.
Archean spherule layers represent the only currently known remnants of the early impact record on Earth. Based on the lunar cratering record, the small number of spherule layers identified so far contrasts to the high impact flux that can be expected for the Earth at that time. The recent discovery of several Paleoarchean spherule layers in the BARB5 and CT3 drill cores from the Barberton area, South Africa, drastically increases the number of known Archean impact spherule layers and may provide a unique opportunity to improve our knowledge of the impact record on the early Earth. This study is focused on the spherule layers in the CT3 drill core from the northeastern Barberton Greenstone Belt. We present highly siderophile element (HSE: Re, Os, Ir, Pt, Ru, and Pd) concentrations and Re‐Os isotope signatures for spherule layer samples and their host rocks in order to unravel the potential presence of extraterrestrial fingerprints within them. Most spherule layer samples exhibit extreme enrichments in HSE concentrations of up to superchondritic abundances in conjunction with, in some cases, subchondritic present‐day 187Os/188Os isotope ratios. This indicates a significant meteoritic contribution to the spherule layers. In contrast to some of the data reported earlier for other Archean spherule layers from the Barberton area, the CT3 core is significantly overprinted by secondary events. However, HSE and Re‐Os isotope signatures presented in this study indicate chondritic admixtures of up to (and even above) 100% chondrite component in some of the analyzed spherule layers. There is no significant correlation between HSE abundances and respective spherule contents. Although strongly supporting the impact origin of these layers and the presence of significant meteoritic admixtures, peak HSE concentrations are difficult to explain without postdepositional enrichment processes.  相似文献   

2.
Abstract— The 65 Ma Chicxulub impact structure, Mexico, with a diameter of ～180 km is the focus of geoscientific research because of its link to the mass extinction event at the Cretaceous‐Tertiary (K/T) boundary. Chicxulub, now buried beneath thick post‐impact sediments, is probably one of the best‐preserved terrestrial impact structures known. Because of its inaccessibility, only limited samples on the impact lithologies from a few drill cores are available. We report major element and Sr‐, Nd‐, O‐, and C‐isotopic data for Chicxulub impact‐melt lithologies and basement clasts in impact breccias of drill cores C‐1 and Y‐6, and for melt particles in the Chicxulub ejecta horizon at the K/T boundary in Beloc, Haiti. The melt lithologies with SiO2 ranging from 58 to ～63 wt% show significant variations in the content of Al, Ca, and the alkalies. In the melt matrix samples, δ13C of the calcite is about ?3%o. The δ18O values for the siliceous melt matrices of Y‐6 samples range from 9.9 to 12.4%o. Melt lithologies and the black Haitian glass have rather uniform 87Sr/86Sr ratios (0.7079 to 0.7094); only one lithic fragment displays 87Sr/86Sr of 0.7141. The Sr model ages TSrUR for most lithologies range from 830 to 1833 Ma; unrealistic negative model ages point to an open Rb‐Sr system with loss of Rb in a hydrothermal process. The 143Nd/144Nd ratios for all samples, except one basement clast with 143Nd/144Nd of 0.5121, cluster at 0.5123 to 0.5124. In an ?Nd‐?Sr diagram, impactites plot in a field delimited by ?Nd of ?2 to ?6, and ?Sr of 55 to 69. This field is not defined by the basement lithologies described to occur as lithic clasts in impact breccias and Cretaceous sediments. At least one additional intermediate to mafic precursor component is required to explain the data.  相似文献   

3.
Recent discoveries of microtektite and related crystal bearing microspherule layers in deep-sea sediments of the west equatorial Pacific DSDP Sites 292, 315A and 462, off-shore New Jersey in Site 612 and in southern Spain have confirmed the presence of at least three microspherule layers in Late Eocene sediments. Moreover, these discoveries have extended the North American strewn field from the Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico region to the northwest Atlantic, and have established a third strewn field in western equatorial Pacific and Indian Ocean which may extend to the Mediterranean. Stratigraphically the oldest microspherule layer occurs in the planktonic foraminifer Globigerapsis semiinvoluta Zone about 0.5 m.y. prior to the closely spaced crystal bearing microspherule layer and North American microtektite layer in the Globorotalia cerroazulensis Zone. Major element composition of the G. semiinvoluta Zone layer and the crystal bearing microspherule layer overlap, but there is a clear trend towards higher Al2O3 and FeO values in SiO2 equivalent microspherules of the latter layer. The G. semiinvoluta Zone microspherules also contain a higher percentage of non-crystalline spherules (microtektites) than the crystal bearing microspherule layer, but lower than the North American microtektite layer. Excess iridium due to an abrupt increase in supply is associated with the middle crystal bearing microspherule layer and to a lesser extent with the other two layers. But, Ir excess due to concentration as a result of carbonate loss was also observed at two sites (462, 612). The three late Eocene microspherule layers do not precisely coincide with planktonic foraminiferal species extinctions, but a major faunal assemblage change is associated with the G. semiinvoluta Zone layer. Abundant pyrite is present in the North American microtektite layer of DSDP Site 612 suggesting reducing conditions possibly due to a sudden influx of biologic matter (dead bodies) to the ocean floor, and the crystal bearing microspherule layer coincides with five radiolarian extinctions. All three microspherule layers are associated with decreased carbonate possibly due to sudden productivity changes, increased dissolution as a result of sea-level and climate fluctuations, or the impact events.  相似文献   

4.
Bulk major element composition, petrography, mineralogy, and oxygen isotope compositions of twenty Al‐rich chondrules (ARCs) from five CV3 chondrites (Northwest Africa [NWA] 989, NWA 2086, NWA 2140, NWA 2697, NWA 3118) and the Ningqiang carbonaceous chondrite were studied and compared with those of ferromagnesian chondrules and refractory inclusions. Most ARCs are marginally Al‐richer than ferromagnesian chondrules with bulk Al2O3 of 10–15 wt%. ARCs are texturally similar to ferromagnesian chondrules, composed primarily of olivine, pyroxene, plagioclase, spinel, Al‐rich glass, and metallic phases. Minerals in ARCs have intermediate compositions. Low‐Ca pyroxene (Fs0.6–8.8Wo0.7–9.3) has much higher Al2O3 and TiO2 contents (up to 12.5 and 2.3 wt%, respectively) than that in ferromagnesian chondrules. High‐Ca pyroxene (Fs0.3–2.0Wo33–54) contains less Al2O3 and TiO2 than that in Ca,Al‐rich inclusions (CAIs). Plagioclase (An77–99Ab1–23) is much more sodic than that in CAIs. Spinel is enriched in moderately volatile element Cr (up to 6.7 wt%) compared to that in CAIs. Al‐rich enstatite coexists with anorthite and spinel in a glass‐free chondrule, implying that the formation of Al‐enstatite was not due to kinetic reasons but is likely due to the high Al2O3/CaO ratio (7.4) of the bulk chondrule. Three ARCs contain relict CAIs. Oxygen isotope compositions of ARCs are also intermediate between those of ferromagnesian chondrules and CAIs. They vary from ?39.4‰ to 13.9‰ in δ18O and yield a best fit line (slope = 0.88) close to the carbonaceous chondrite anhydrous mineral (CCAM) line. Chondrules with 5–10 wt% bulk Al2O3 have a slightly more narrow range in δ18O (?32.5 to 5.9‰) along the CCAM line. Except for the ARCs with relict phases, however, most ARCs have oxygen isotope compositions (>?20‰ in δ18O) similar to those of typical ferromagnesian chondrules. ARCs are genetically related to both ferromagnesian chondrules and CAIs, but the relationship between ARCs and ferromagnesian chondrules is closer. Most ARCs were formed during flash heating and rapid cooling processes like normal chondrules, only from chemically evolved precursors. ARCs extremely enriched in Al and those with relict phases could have had a hybrid origin (Krot et al. 2002) which incorporated refractory inclusions as part of the precursors in addition to ferromagnesian materials. The occurrence of melilite in ARCs indicates that melilite‐rich CAIs might be present in the precursor materials of ARCs. The absence of melilite in most ARCs is possibly due to high‐temperature interactions between a chondrule melt and the solar nebula.  相似文献   

5.
Abstract Petrographical and chemical analysis of melt particles and alteration minerals of the about 100 m‐thick suevitic sequence at the Chicxulub Yax‐1 drill core was performed. The aim of this study is to determine the composition of the impact melt, the variation between different types of melt particles, and the effects of post‐impact hydrothermal alteration. We demonstrate that the compositional variation between melt particles of the suevitic rocks is the result of both incomplete homogenization of the target lithologies during impact and subsequent post‐impact hydrothermal alteration. Most melt particles are andesitic in composition. Clinopyroxene‐rich melt particles possess lower SiO2 and higher CaO contents. These are interpreted by mixing of melts from the silicate basement with overlying carbonate rocks. Multi‐stage post‐impact hydrothermal alteration involved significant mass transfer of most major elements and caused further compositional heterogeneity between melt particles. Following backwash of seawater into the crater, palagonitization of glassy melt particles likely caused depletion of SiO2, Al2O3, CaO, Na2O, and enrichment of K2O and FeOtot during an early alteration stage. Since glass is very susceptible to fluid‐rock interaction, the state of primary crystallization of the melt particles had a significant influence on the intensity of the post‐impact hydrothermal mass transfer and was more pronounced in glassy melt particles than in well‐crystallized particles. In contrast to other occurrences of Chicxulub impactites, the Yax‐1 suevitic rocks show strong potassium metasomatism with hydrothermal K‐feldspar formation and whole rock K20 enrichment, especially in the lower unit of the suevitic sequence. A late stage of hydrothermal alteration is characterized by precipitation of silica, analcime, and Na‐bearing Mg‐rich smectite, among other minerals. This indicates a general evolution from a silica‐undersaturated fluid at relatively high potassium activities at an early stage toward a silica‐oversaturated fluid at relatively high sodium activities at later stages in the course of fluid rock interaction.  相似文献   

6.
Abstract— The 65 Ma old Chicxulub impact structure with a diameter of about 180 km is again in the focus of the geosciences because of the recently commenced drilling of the scientific well Yaxcopoil‐ 1. Chicxulub is buried beneath thick post‐impact sediments, yet samples of basement lithologies in the drill cores provide a unique insight into age and composition of the crust beneath Yucatàn. This study presents major element, Sr, and Nd isotope data for Chicxulub impact melt lithologies and clasts of basement lithologies in impact breccias from the PEMEX drill cores C‐1 and Y‐6, as well as data for ejecta material from the K/T boundaries at La Lajilla, Mexico, and Furlo, Italy. The impact melt lithologies have an andesitic composition with significantly varying contents of Al, Ca, and alkali elements. Their present day 87Sr/86Sr ratios cluster at about 0.7085, and 143Nd/144Nd ratios range from 0.5123 to 0.5125. Compared to the melt lithologies that stayed inside the crater, data for ejecta material show larger variations. The 87Sr/86Sr ratios range from 0.7081 for chloritized spherules from La Lajilla to 0.7151 for sanidine spherules from Furlo. The 143Nd/144Nd ratio is 0.5126 for La Lajilla and 0.5120 for the Furlo spherules. In an εtCHUR(Nd)‐εtUR(Sr) diagram, the melt lithologies plot in a field delimited by Cretaceous platform sediments, various felsic lithic clasts and a newly found mafic fragment from a suevite. Granite, gneiss, and amphibolite have been identified among the fragments from crystalline basement gneiss. Their 87Sr/86Sr ratios range from 0.7084 to 0.7141, and their 143Nd/144Nd ratios range from 0.5121 to 0.5126. The TNdDM model ages vary from 0.7 to 1.4 Ga, pointing to different source terranes for these rocks. This leads us to believe that the geological evolution and the lithological composition of the Yucatàn basement is probably more complex than generally assumed, and Gondwanan as well as Laurentian crust may be present in the Yucatàn basement.  相似文献   

7.
Little is known about the Hadean and the Archean impact record on Earth. In the CT3 drill core from the Fig Tree Group of the northern Barberton Greenstone Belt, 17 spherule layer intersections occur, which, provide an outstanding new opportunity to gain insights into meteorite bombardment of the early Earth. CT3 spherules, as primary features, mostly exhibit textural patterns similar to those of the other Barberton spherule layers, but locally mineralogical and chemical compositional differences are observed, likely as a result of various degrees of alteration. The observed mineralogy of the spherule layers is of secondary origin and comprises K‐feldspar, phyllosilicates, carbonates, sulfides, and oxides, with the exception of secondary Ni‐Cr spinel that is of primary origin. Our petrographic investigations suggest alteration by K‐metasomatism, sericitization, silicification, and carbonatization. Siderophile element contents of bulk samples show significant enrichments in Ni (up to 2 wt%) and Ir (up to ~3 ppm), similar to previously studied Archean spherule layers. These values are indicative of the presence of a meteoritic component. On the other hand, lithophile and chalcophile element abundances indicate hydrothermal overprint on the CT3 samples; this may also have influenced the redistribution of the meteoritic component(s). Last, we group the CT3 spherule layers, which occur in three intervals (A, B, and C), according to their petrographic and geochemical features, which indicate evidence for at least three distinct impact events before tectonic overprint that affected the original deposits.  相似文献   

8.
We examined 16 white opaque inclusions exposed on two polished slices of a Muong Nong‐type Australasian tektite from Muong Phin, Laos. The inclusions usually consist of a core, surrounded by a froth layer, and a quartz neoblast layer. The cores are composed primarily of a mixture of silica glass, coesite, and quartz in varying proportions. A thin (up to ~4 μm) layer of SiO2‐poor glass enriched in FeO, MgO, CaO, Al2O3, and TiO2 is observed as a bright halo in backscattered electron images around the quartz neoblasts and in places contains μm‐sized crystals, which may be Fe,Mg‐rich spinel. The distribution and textural relationships between the coesite‐bearing inclusions and the tektite matrix point to an in situ formation of the coesite due to an impact, rather than to infall, from a nearby impact, into tektite melt produced by the aerial burst of a bolide. The quartz neoblasts probably formed by crystallization of silica melt squeezed out of the inclusion core during the development of the froth layer. The bright halo may be the result of silica diffusing from the adjacent tektite melt into the growing quartz neoblasts. We propose that the survival of coesite was possible due to the froth layer that acted as a heat sink during bubble expansion and then as a thermal insulator.  相似文献   

9.
We combined the focused ion beam sample preparation technique with polarized synchrotron‐based FTIR (Fourier transform infrared) spectroscopy, laser‐Raman spectroscopy, electron microprobe analysis (EMPA), and transmission electron microscope (TEM) analysis to identify and quantify structurally bound OH, F, Cl, and CO3 groups in fluorapatite from the Northwest Africa 2975 (NWA 2975) shergottite. In this study, the first FTIR spectra of the OH‐stretching region from a Martian apatite are presented that show characteristic OH‐bands of a F‐rich, hydroxyl‐bearing apatite. Depending on the method of apatite‐formula calculation and whether charge balance is assumed or not, the FTIR‐based quantification of the incorporated OH, expressed as wt% H2O, is in variably good agreement with the H2O concentration calculated from electron microprobe data. EMP analyses yielded between 0.35 and 0.54 wt% H2O, and IR data yielded an average H2O content of 0.31 ± 0.03 wt%, consistent with the lower range determined from EMP analyses. The TEM observations implied that the volatiles budget of fluorapatite is magmatic. The water content and the relative volatile ratios calculated for the NWA 2975 magma are similar to those established for other enriched or intermediate shergottites. It is difficult to define the source of enrichment: either Martian wet mantle or crustal assimilation. Comparing the environment of parental magma generation for NWA 2975 with the terrestrial mantle in terms of water content, it displays a composition intermediate between enriched and depleted MORB.  相似文献   

10.
Samples from a single outcrop of the Graenseso spherule layer, Midternaes, South Greenland, consist of a spherule‐bearing dolomixtite with matrix‐supported intraclasts up to 1 m in size. In addition to field observations, we performed mineralogical and whole rock geochemical analysis, including electron microprobe, neutron activation analysis, X‐ray fluorescence, and mass spectrometry of the horizon and the overlying and underlying strata. We show that the spherules are petrographically similar to those in the Zaonega spherule layer, Karelia, Russia. Our petrographic and chemical results are consistent with the previous suggestion that the Grænsesø layer correlates with the Zaonega layer, and it is possible that both layers are related to the Vredefort impact event. The samples containing spherules, as well as the overlying rocks, have elevated REEs compared to the underlying pre‐impact layer, suggestive of a new continental source of sediment that may be coincident with the impact event. Zircons separated from the lower part of the Grænsesø spherule layer display complex age patterns suggesting that they have genetically different origins based on distinctly different Th/U ratios. Crystallization ages of all groups are ≥ 2.8 Ga, with ~2.8 Ga representing a time of major crustal growth globally. Therefore, we cannot conclusively determine in this study if the zircons are locally derived or if they are transported with the ejecta. The spherule layer was deposited by a high‐energy, subaqueous debris flow, an origin that is consistent with the hypothesis that the layer was deposited by impact‐induced waves and/or currents.  相似文献   

11.
Kaitianite, Ti3+2Ti4+O5, is a new titanium oxide mineral discovered in the Allende CV3 carbonaceous chondrite. The type grain coexists with tistarite (Ti2O3) and rutile. Corundum, xifengite, mullite, osbornite, and a new Ti,Al,Zr‐oxide mineral are also present, although not in contact. The chemical composition of type kaitianite is (wt%) Ti2O3 56.55, TiO2 39.29, Al2O3 1.18, MgO 1.39, FeO 0.59, V2O3 0.08 (sum 99.07), yielding an empirical formula of (Ti3+1.75Al0.05Ti4+0.10Mg0.08Fe0.02)(Ti4+1.00)O5, with Ti3+ and Ti4+ partitioned, assuming a stoichiometry of three cations and five oxygen anions pfu. The end‐member formula is Ti3+2Ti4+O5. Kaitianite is the natural form of γ‐Ti3O5 with space group C2/c and cell parameters a = 10.115 Å, b = 5.074 Å, c = 7.182 Å, β = 112°, V = 341.77 Å3, and Z = 4. Both the type kaitianite and associated rutile likely formed as oxidation products of tistarite at temperatures below 1200 K, but this oxidation event could have been in a very reducing environment, even more reducing than a gas of solar composition. Based on experimental data on the solubility of Ti3+ in equilibrium with corundum from the literature, the absence of tistarite in or on Ti3+‐rich corundum (0.27–1.45 mol% Ti2O3) suggests that these grains formed at higher temperatures than the kaitianite (>1579–1696 K, depending on the Ti concentration). The absence of rutile or kaitianite in or on corundum suggests that any exposure to the oxidizing environment producing kaitianite in tistarite was too short to cause the precipitation of Ti‐oxides in or on associated corundum.  相似文献   

12.
The ICDP–USGS Eyreville drill cores in the Chesapeake Bay impact structure reached a total depth of 1766 m and comprise (from the bottom upwards) basement‐derived schists and granites/pegmatites, impact breccias, mostly poorly lithified gravelly sand and crystalline blocks, a granitic slab, sedimentary breccias, and postimpact sediments. The gravelly sand and crystalline block section forms an approximately 26 m thick interval that includes an amphibolite block and boulders of cataclastic gneiss and suevite. Three gravelly sands (basal, middle, and upper) are distinguished within this interval. The gravelly sands are poorly sorted, clast supported, and generally massive, but crude size‐sorting and subtle, discontinuous layers occur locally. Quartz and K‐feldspar are the main sand‐size minerals and smectite and kaolinite are the principal clay minerals. Other mineral grains occur only in accessory amounts and lithic clasts are sparse (only a few vol%). The gravelly sands are silica rich (～80 wt% SiO2). Trends with depth include a slight decrease in SiO2 and slight increase in Fe2O3. The basal gravelly sand (below the cataclasite boulder) has a lower SiO2 content, less K‐feldspar, and more mica than the higher sands, and it contains more lithic clasts and melt particles that are probably reworked from the underlying suevite. The middle gravelly sand (below the amphibolite block) is finer‐grained, contains more abundant clay minerals, and displays more variable chemical compositions than upper gravelly sand (above the block). Our mineralogical and geochemical results suggest that the gravelly sands are avalanche deposits derived probably from the nonmarine Potomac Formation in the lower part of the target sediment layer, in contrast to polymict diamictons higher in the core that have been interpreted as ocean‐resurge debris flows, which is in agreement with previous interpretations. The mineralogy and geochemistry of the gravelly sands are typical for a passive continental margin source. There is no discernible mixing with marine sediments (no glauconite or Paleogene marine microfossils noted) during the impact remobilization and redeposition. The unshocked amphibolite block and cataclasite boulder might have originated from the outer parts of the transient crater.  相似文献   

13.
Abstract— t‐Impact‐generated glasses from fallout suevite deposits at the Ries impact structure have been investigated using analytical scanning electron microscopy. Approximately 320 analyses of glass clasts were obtained. Four glass types are distinguished on the basis of composition and microtextures. Type 1 glasses correspond to the aerodynamically shaped glass bombs studied previously by many workers. Major oxide concentrations indicate the involvement of granitic rocks, amphibolites, and minor Al‐rich gneisses during melting. Type 2 glasses are chemically heterogeneous, even within individual clasts, with variations of several wt% in most of the major oxides (e.g., 57–70 wt% SiO2). This suggests incomplete mixing of: 1) mineral‐derived melts or 2) whole rock melts from a wide range of lithologies. Aluminium‐rich clinopyroxene and Fe‐Mg‐rich plagioclase quench crystals are present in type 1 and 2 glasses, respectively. Type 3 glasses contain substantial amounts of H2O (?12–17 wt%), low SiO2 (50–53 wt%), high Al2O3 (17–21 wt%), and high CaO (5–7 wt%) contents. This suggests an origin due to shock melting of part of the sedimentary cover. Type 4 glasses form a ubiquitous component of the suevites. Based on their high SiO2 content (?85–100 wt%), the only possible protolith are sandstones in the lowermost part of the sedimentary succession. Calcite forms globules within type 1 glasses, with which it develops microtextures indicative of liquid immiscibility. Unequivocal evidence also exists for liquid immiscibility between what are now montmorillonite globules and type 1, 2, and 4 glasses, indicating that montmorillonite was originally an impact melt glass. Clearly, the melt zone at the Ries must have incorporated a substantial fraction of the sedimentary cover, as well as the underlying crystalline basement rocks. Impact melts were derived from different target lithologies and these separate disaggregated melts did not substantially mix in most cases (type 2, 3, and 4 glasses and carbonate melts).  相似文献   

14.
Abstract— The impact melt breccias from the Tenoumer crater (consisting of a fine‐grained intergrowth of plagioclase laths, pyroxene crystals, oxides, and glass) display a wide range of porosity and contain a large amount of target rock clasts. Analyses of major elements in impact melt rocks show lower contents of SiO2, Al2O3, and Na2O, and higher contents of MgO, Fe2O3, and CaO, than the felsic rocks (i.e., granites and gneisses) of the basement. In comparison with the bulk analyses of the impact melt, the glass is strongly enriched in Si‐Al, whereas it is depleted both in Mg and Fe; moreover, the impact melt rocks are variably enriched or depleted in some REE with respect to the felsic and mafic bedrock types. Gold is slightly enriched in the impact melt, and Co, Cr, and Ni abundances are possibly due to a contribution from mafic bedrock. Evidences of silicate‐carbonate liquid immiscibility, mainly as spherules and globules of calcite within the silicate glass, have been highlighted. HMX mixing calculation confirm that the impact melt rocks are derived from a mixing of at least six different target lithologies outcropping in the area of the crater. A large contribution is derived from granitoids (50%) and mica schist (17–19%), although amphibolites (?15%), cherty limestones (?10%), and ultrabasites (?6%) components are also present. The very low abundances of PGE in the melt rock seem to come mainly from some ultrabasic target rocks; therefore, the contamination from the meteoritic projectile appears to have been negligible.  相似文献   

15.
By dissolving 30–400 kg of marine limestone in HCl and HF acid, our group has previously recovered common relict chromite grains (approximately 63–250 μm) from ordinary chondritic micrometeorites that fell on ancient sea floors, up to 500 Myr old. Here, we evaluate if CM group carbonaceous chondritic material, which makes up an important fraction of the micrometeorite flux today, contains analogous grains that can be searched for in acid residues. We dissolved 8 g of CM2 meteorite Acfer 331 in HF, which yielded a characteristic assemblage of both transparent Mg‐Al‐ and opaque Cr‐spinels >28 μm. We find on average 4.6 and 130 Mg‐Al‐spinel grains per gram in the 63–250 and 28–63 μm size fractions, respectively. These grains are mostly pink or colorless, and often characterized by heterogeneous Cr‐content. Black, opaque Cr‐spinel grains are absent from the >63 μm fraction, but in the 28–63 μm fraction we find approximately 65 such grains per gram meteorite. The individual grains have a characteristic composition, with heterogeneous major element compositions (e.g., 44.4–61.7 wt% Cr2O3), but narrow ranges for maximum TiO2 (0.6–1.6 wt%) and V2O3 (0.5–1.0 wt%) concentrations. The content of spinel grains in the 28–63 μm fraction of CM meteorites appears comparable at the order of magnitude level with the content of >63 μm sized chromite grains in fossil L‐chondrites from Ordovician limestone. Our approach of recovering meteoritic spinel from sediment may thus be extended to include CM meteorites, but the smaller size fraction of the acid residues should be searched.  相似文献   

16.
Micrometeorites provide a large range of samples sourced from a wide variety of planetary materials, thereby providing a scope for expanding the known inventory of solar system materials. Here we report the micrometeorite AAS62‐34‐P117 having the assemblage of corundum, hibonite, unknown Al‐rich phases, FeNi metal blebs, sulfide, and phosphate embedded in Al‐rich silicate composition, and Pt‐group element nuggets dispersed throughout the micrometeorite. Here, we report the presence of corundum in micrometeorites as a major refractory phase with sizes greater than ~10 μm. The Al‐rich phases have Al2O3 ~50–70%, such high Al phases are not known from meteoritic components either in chondrules or refractory inclusions. In addition, the Ca content is extremely poor to relate it directly to known refractory inclusions, but is very high in Al. The presence of corundum in Al‐rich phases indicates the micrometeorite to be early condensate from solar nebula that later got incorporated into Si‐rich materials leading to a transformation that produced the unusual Al‐rich and Ca‐poor phases different from the average solar composition. The observed texture and mineralogy of the micrometeorite appears to have evolved in a nebular setting that has compositional reservoirs different from those of any known components of meteorites.  相似文献   

17.
A recently described micrometeorite from the Nubian desert (Sudan) contains an exotic Al-Cu-Fe assemblage closely resembling that observed in the Khatyrka chondrite (Suttle et al., 2019; Science Reports 9:12426). We here extend previous investigations of the geochemical, mineralogical, and petrographic characteristics of the Sudan spherule by measuring oxygen isotope ratios in the silicate components and by nano-scale transmission electron microscopy study of a focused ion beam foil that samples the contact between Al-Cu alloys and silicates. O-isotope work indicates an affinity to either OC or CR chondrites, while ruling out a CO or CM precursor. When combined with petrographic evidence we conclude that a CR chondrite parentage is the most likely origin for this micrometeorite. SEM and TEM studies reveal that the Al-Cu alloys mainly consist of Al metal, stolperite (CuAl), and khatyrkite (CuAl2) together with inclusions in stolperite of a new nanometric, still unknown Al-Cu phase with a likely nominal Cu3Al2 stoichiometry. At the interface between the alloy assemblage and the surrounding silicate, there is a thin layer (200 nm) of almost pure MgAl2O4 spinel along with well-defined and almost perfectly spherical metallic droplets, predominantly iron in composition. The study yields additional evidence that Al-Cu alloys, the likely precursors to quasicrystals in Khatyrka, occur naturally. Moreover, it implies the existence of multiple pathways leading to the association in reduced form of these two elements, one highly lithophile and the other strongly chalcophile.  相似文献   

18.
Abstract— Queen Alexandra Range (QUE) 97990 (CM2.6) is among the least‐altered CM chondrites known. It contains 1.8 vol% refractory inclusions; 40 were studied from a single thin section. Inclusion varieties include simple, banded and nodular structures as well as simple and complex distended objects. The inclusions range in mean size from 30 to 530 μm and average 130 ± 90 μm. Many inclusions contain 25 ± 15 vol% phyllosilicate (predominantly Mg‐Fe serpentine); several contain small grains of perovskite. In addition to phyllosilicate, the most abundant inclusions in QUE 97990 consist mainly of spinel‐pyroxene (35%), followed by spinel (20%), spinel‐pyroxene‐olivine (18%), pyroxene (12%), pyroxene‐olivine (8%) and hibonite ± spinel (8%). Four pyroxene phases occur: diopside, Al‐rich diopside (with ≥ 8.0 wt% Al2O3), Al‐Ti diopside (i.e., fassaite), and (in two inclusions) enstatite. No inclusions contain melilite. Aqueous alteration of refractory inclusions transforms some phases (particularly melilite) into phyllosilicate; some inclusions broke apart during alteration. Melilite‐free, phyllosilicate‐bearing, spinel inclusions probably formed from pristine, phyllosilicate‐free inclusions containing both melilite and spinel. Sixty‐five percent of the refractory inclusions in QUE 97990 appear to be largely intact; the major exception is the group of spinel inclusions, all of which are fragments. Whereas QUE 97990 contains about 50 largely intact refractory inclusions/cm2, estimates from literature data imply that more‐altered CM chondrites have lower modal abundances (and lower number densities) of refractory inclusions: Mighei (CM ? 2.3) contains roughly 0.3–0.6 vol% inclusions (?10 largely intact inclusions/cm2); Cold Bokkeveld (CM2.2) contains ?0.01 vol% inclusions (on the order of 6 largely intact inclusions/cm2).  相似文献   

19.
The distribution of the short‐lived radionuclide 26Al in the early solar system remains a major topic of investigation in planetary science. Thousands of analyses are now available but grossite‐bearing Ca‐, Al‐rich inclusions (CAIs) are underrepresented in the database. Recently found grossite‐bearing inclusions in CO3 chondrites provide an opportunity to address this matter. We determined the oxygen and magnesium isotopic compositions of individual phases of 10 grossite‐bearing CAIs in the Dominion Range (DOM) 08006 (CO3.0) and DOM 08004 (CO3.1) chondrites. All minerals in DOM 08006 CAIs as well as hibonite, spinel, and pyroxene in DOM 08004 are uniformly 16O‐rich (Δ17O = ?25 to ?20‰) but grossite and melilite in DOM 08004 CAIs are not; Δ17O of grossite and melilite range from ~ ?11 to ~0‰ and from ~ ?23 up to ~0‰, respectively. Even within this small suite, in the two chondrites a bimodal distribution of the inferred initial 26Al/27Al ratios (26Al/27Al)0 is seen, with four having (26Al/27Al)0 ≤1.1 × 10?5 and six having (26Al/27Al)0 ≥3.7 × 10?5. Five of the 26Al‐rich CAIs have (26Al/27Al)0 within error of 4.5 × 10?5; these values can probably be considered indistinguishable from the “canonical” value of 5.2 × 10?5 given the uncertainty in the relative sensitivity factor for grossite measured by secondary ion mass spectrometry. We infer that the 26Al‐poor CAIs probably formed before the radionuclide was fully mixed into the solar nebula. All minerals in the DOM 08006 CAIs, as well as spinel, hibonite, and Al‐diopside in the DOM 08004 CAIs retained their initial oxygen isotopic compositions, indicating homogeneity of oxygen isotopic compositions in the nebular region where the CO grossite‐bearing CAIs originated. Oxygen isotopic heterogeneity in CAIs from DOM 08004 resulted from exchange between the initially 16O‐rich (Δ17O ~?24‰) melilite and grossite and 16O‐poor (Δ17O ~0‰) fluid during hydrothermal alteration on the CO chondrite parent body; hibonite, spinel, and Al‐diopside avoided oxygen isotopic exchange during the alteration. Grossite and melilite that underwent oxygen isotopic exchange avoided redistribution of radiogenic 26Mg and preserved undisturbed internal Al‐Mg isochrons. The Δ17O of the fluid can be inferred from O‐isotopic compositions of aqueously formed fayalite and magnetite that precipitated from the fluid on the CO parent asteroid. This and previous studies suggest that O‐isotope exchange during fluid–rock interaction affected most CAIs in CO ≥3.1 chondrites.  相似文献   

20.
Abstract— We describe the mineralogy, petrology, oxygen, and magnesium isotope compositions of three coarse‐grained, igneous, anorthite‐rich (type C) Ca‐Al‐rich inclusions (CAIs) (ABC, TS26, and 93) that are associated with ferromagnesian chondrule‐like silicate materials from the CV carbonaceous chondrite Allende. The CAIs consist of lath‐shaped anorthite (An99), Cr‐bearing Al‐Ti‐diopside (Al and Ti contents are highly variable), spinel, and highly åkermanitic and Na‐rich melilite (Åk63–74, 0.4–0.6 wt% Na2O). TS26 and 93 lack Wark‐Lovering rim layers; ABC is a CAI fragment missing the outermost part. The peripheral portions of TS26 and ABC are enriched in SiO2 and depleted in TiO2 and Al2O3 compared to their cores and contain relict ferromagnesian chondrule fragments composed of forsteritic olivine (Fa6–8) and low‐Ca pyroxene/pigeonite (Fs1Wo1–9). The relict grains are corroded by Al‐Ti‐diopside of the host CAIs and surrounded by haloes of augite (Fs0.5Wo30–42). The outer portion of CAI 93 enriched in spinel is overgrown by coarse‐grained pigeonite (Fs0.5–2Wo5–17), augite (Fs0.5Wo38–42), and anorthitic plagioclase (An84). Relict olivine and low‐Ca pyroxene/pigeonite in ABC and TS26, and the pigeonite‐augite rim around 93 are 16O‐poor (Δ17O ～ ?1‰ to ?8‰). Spinel and Al‐Ti‐diopside in cores of CAIs ABC, TS26, and 93 are 16O‐enriched (Δ17O down to ?20‰), whereas Al‐Ti‐diopside in the outer zones, as well as melilite and anorthite, are 16O‐depleted to various degrees (Δ17O = ?11‰ to 2‰). In contrast to typical Allende CAIs that have the canonical initial 26Al/27Al ratio of ～5 × 10?5 ABC, 93, and TS26 are 26Al‐poor with (26Al/27Al)0 ratios of (4.7 ± 1.4) × 10?6 (1.5 ± 1.8) × 10?6 <1.2 × 10?6 respectively. We conclude that ABC, TS26, and 93 experienced remelting with addition of ferromagnesian chondrule silicates and incomplete oxygen isotopic exchange in an 16O‐poor gaseous reservoir, probably in the chondrule‐forming region. This melting episode could have reset the 26Al‐26Mg systematics of the host CAIs, suggesting it occurred ～2 Myr after formation of most CAIs. These observations and the common presence of relict CAIs inside chondrules suggest that CAIs predated formation of chondrules.  相似文献   

设为首页 | 免责声明 | 关于勤云 | 加入收藏

Copyright©北京勤云科技发展有限公司  京ICP备09084417号