Meteorite regolithic breccias

Abstract

In addition to endogenic processes such as heating and aqueous activity, meteorite parent bodies were subjected also to exogenic processing brought about by the impact of the other solar-system objects. Such impacts can produce a variety of effects, ranging from shock metamorphism of individual mineral grains to production of breccias; i.e., rocks consisting of mixtures of disparate lithic units. The present paper reviews recent studies of such breccias, which have generated significant information about the accretional growth of parent bodies, as well as their evolution, composition, stratigraphy, and geological processing.