| Abstract: | Bocaiuva is a unique meteorite consisting of major metal having a high Ge/Ga ratio and minor (～ 50 mg/g) silicates. The silicates are generally chondritic and consist of major olivine (Fa.7.7) and orthopyroxene (Fs7.6) and minor plagioclase (Ab49, An49) and clinopyroxene (Fs4.5, Wo42). The low alkali content of the silicates is the only property inconsistent with a chondritic composition. Based on metal composition Bocaiuva seems distantly related to certain iron meteorites having similar Ge contents and similar Ge/Ga ratios, but detailed comparison with six such irons shows none to be closely related to Bocaiuva. Perhaps most closely related is Cold Bay, a member of the Eagle-Station trio of pallasites, but its composition is too different to suggest formation on the same parent body. Oxygen-isotope data show that Bocaiuva silicates are closely related to those in the Eagle-Station pallasites and to the CO and CV chondrites. The composition and texture of the Bocaiuva metal-silicate assembly indicate mixing in an impact event. We suggest that the Eagle-Station pallasites were also formed by impact heating rather than by a long-lived internal heat source. |
