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All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1987

Origin of SNC kaersutitic amphibole: Experimental data

The SNC meteorites, a group of cumulus textured, fine grained diabases, pyroxenites, and dunites, appear to have crystallized at relatively shallow depths on the same SNC parent body. Hydrous minerals generally are not present among the cumulus and intercumulus minerals in these meteorites except for some iddingsite alteration of olivine. The presence of hydrous magmatic amphibole in the SNC melt inclusions indicates that crystallization of the melt inclusions had to take place at significant pressure, probably greater than 1 kb based on previous amphibole stability data. If experimental data for kaersutite amphibole were to be obtained, it should be possible to estimate this pressure more precisely then previously, and to estimate the volatile (H2O) content of the parent magma. At this point, the factors controlling the chemistry and stability of high TiO2, kaersutitic amphiboles are not known. In an attempt to determine the factors which control the stability and chemistry of TiO2-rich amphibole, data was refined and extrapolated from four experimental studies of amphibole-melt equilibria recently completed. At the same time, hypothermal experiments were performed on a composition considered to be an early melt in the Shergotty magma liquid line of descent. The latter experiments were an attempt to reproduce crystallization of the amphibole-bearing melt inclusions.

Rutherford, M. J.↗
NASA NTRS1987

Crystal fractionation in the SNC meteorites: Implications for surface units on Mars

Almost all rock types in the SNC meteorites are cumulates, products of magma differentiation by crystal fractionation (addition or removal of crystals). If the SNC meteorites are from the surface of Mars or near sub-surface, then most of the igneous units on Mars are differentiated. Basaltic units probably experienced minor to moderate differentiation, but ultrabasic units probably experienced extreme differentiation. Products of this differentiation may include Fe-rich gabbro, pyroxenite, peridotite (and thus serpentine), and possibly massive sulfides. The SNC meteorites include ten lithologies (three in EETA79001), eight of which are crystal cumulates. The other lithologies, EETA79001 A and B are subophitic basalts. The cumulate lithologies ALHA77005 and EETA79001 C were not fully described or discussed.

Treiman, Allan H.↗
NASA NTRS1988

Crystal fractionation in the SNC meteorites: Implications for sample selection

Almost all rock types in the SNC meteorites are cumulates, products of magma differentiation by crystal fractionation (addition or removal of crystals). If the SNC meteorites are from the surface of Mars or near subsurface, then most of the igneous units on Mars are differentiated. Basaltic units probably experienced minor to moderate differientation, but ultrabasic units probably experienced extreme differentiation. Products of this differentiation may include Fe-rich gabbro, pyroxenite, periodotite (and thus serpentine), and possibly massive sulfides. The SNC meteorites include ten lithologies (three in EETA79001), eight of which are crystal cumulates. The other lithologies, EETA79001 A and B are subophitic basalts.

Treiman, Allan H.↗
NASA NTRS1988

Overview of Mars: SNC meteorite results

The SNC meteorites according to their oxygen isotope ratios and various trace element ratios form a distinct group of 8 achondrites. Their young crystallization ages and fractionated REE pattern which exclude an asteroidal origin, were the first observations to point towards Mars as their parent body. In spite of the many arguments for Mars as the parent body of the SNC meteorites there does not exist a generally accepted model for the ejecting process and other dynamical problems involved. In this discussion it is, however, assumed that Mars is the SNC parent body. The chemical composition of Mars is examined.

Waenke, H.↗
NASA NTRS1992

Attempts to comprehend Martian surface processes through interpretation of the oxygen isotopic compositions of carbonates in SNC meteorites

The SNC meteorites are known to contain trace quantities of a variety of secondary minerals such as carbonates, sulfates, and aluminosilicates. Since these constituents are thought to be mostly preterrestrial in origin, their study has the potential to provide rigorous constraints on the nature of martian weathering processes. However, this line of investigation is potentially complicated by the presence within the meteorite samples of any additional weathering products produced by terrestrial processes. Examination of such terrestrial components is important since weathering processes that affect meteorite samples following their fall to Earth might have some bearing on the nature of analogous processes at the surface of Mars. It is obviously necessary to try and distinguish which secondary components in SNC meteorites are terrestrial in origin from those that are preterrestrial. Herein consideration is made of the stable isotopic compositions of weathering products in two SNC meteorites: EET A79001 (a sample collected from Antarctica) and Nakhla (a fall from Egypt, 1911).

Wright, I. P.↗
NASA NTRS1993

SNC meteorites and their implications for reservoirs of Martian volatiles

The SNC meteorites and the measurements of the Viking landers provide our only direct information about the abundance and isotopic composition of Martian volatiles. Indirect measurements include spectroscopic determinations of the D/H ratio of the Martian atmosphere. A personal view of volatile element reservoirs on Mars is presented, largely as inferred from the meteoritic evidence. This view is that the Martian mantle has had several opportunities for dehydration and is most likely dry, although not completely degassed. Consequently, the water contained in SNC meteorites was most likely incorporated during ascent through the crust. Thus, it is possible that water can be decoupled from other volatile/incompatible elements, making the SNC meteorites suspect as indicators of water inventories on Mars.

Jones, J. H.↗
NASA NTRS2000

Experimental Study of Lunar and SNC Magmas

The research described in this progress report involved the study of petrological, geochemical and volcanic processes that occur on the Moon and the SNC parent body, generally accepted to be Mars. The link between these studies is that they focus on two terrestrial-type parent bodies somewhat smaller than earth, and the fact that they focus on the role of volatiles in magmatic processes and on processes of magma evolution on these planets. The work on the lunar volcanic glasses has resulted in some exciting new discoveries over the years of this grant. During the tenure of the present grant, we discovered a variety of metal blebs in the A17 orange glass. Some of these Fe-Ni metal blebs occur in the glass; others were found in olivine phenocrysts which we find make up about 2 vol % of the orange glass magma. The importance of these metal spheres is that they fix the oxidation state of the parent magma during the eruption, and also indicate changes during the eruption. They also yield important information about the composition of the gas phase present, the gas which drove the lunar fire-fountaining. In an Undergraduate senior thesis project, Nora Klein discovered a melt inclusion that remained in a glassy state in one of the olivine phenocrysts. Analyses of this inclusion gave additional information on the CO2, CO and S contents of the orange glass magma prior to its reaching the lunar surface. The composition of lunar volcanic gases has long been one of the puzzles of lunar magmatic processes. One of the more exciting findings in our research over the past year has been the study of magmatic processes linking the SNC meteorite source magma composition with the andesitic composition rocks found at the Pathfinder site. In this project, graduate student Michelle Minitti showed that there was a clear petrologic link between these two magma types via fractional removal of crystals from the SNC parent melt, but the process only worked if there was at least 1 wt % dissolved water in the melt.

Rutherford, Malcolm J.↗
DOE OSTI2023

Growth of titania and tin oxide from Ti 2 SnC via rapid thermal oxidation in air for lithium-ion battery application

Herein, we report the synthesis of TiO 2 –SnO 2 –C/carbide hybrid electrode materials for Li-ion batteries (LIBs) via two different methods of controlled oxidation of layered Ti 2 SnC. The material was partially oxidized in an open-air furnace (OAF) or using a rapid thermal annealing (RTA) approach to obtain the desired TiO 2 –SnO 2 –C/carbide hybrid material; the carbide phase encompassed both residual Ti 2 SnC and TiC as a reaction product. We tested the oxidized materials as an anode in a half cell to investigate their electrochemical performance in LIBs. Analysis of the various oxidation conditions indicated the highest initial lithiation capacity of 838 mAh/g at 100 mA/g for the sample oxidized in the OAF at 700°C for 1 h. Still, the delithiation capacity dropped to 427 mAh/g and faded over cycling. Long-term cycling demonstrated that the RTA sample treated at 800°C for 30 s was the most efficient, as it demonstrated a reversible capacity of around 270 mAh/g after 150 cycles, as well as a specific capacity of about 150 mAh/g under high cycling rate (2000 mA/g). Given the materials’ promising performance, this processing method could likely be applied to many other members of the MAX family, with a wide range of energy storage applications.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗
NASA NTRS1984

Noble gas contents of shergottites and implications for the Martian origin of SNC meteorites

Three meteorites belonging to the rare group of SNC achondrites, which may have originated in the planet Mars, have been subjected to noble gas isotopic concentration measurements. The elemental and isotopic ratios obtained are unlike those for any other noble gas components except those obtained in analyses of the Martian atmosphere by Viking spacecraft. It is hypothesized that the Kr and Xe gases represent a portion of the Martian atmosphere which was shock-implanted in the case of Elephant Moraine A79001, and that they constitute direct evidence of a Martian origin for the shergottite meteorites. If the SNC meteorites were ejected from Mars at the shergottite shock age of about 180 My ago, they must have been objects more than 6 m in diameter which experienced at least three space collisions to initiate cosmic ray exposure.

Bogard, D. D.↗
NASA NTRS1986

The Shergotty consortium and SNC meteorites - An overview

The key up-to-date findings on the Shergotty and other SNC meteorites are summarized. The Martian origin of these meteorites is strongly suggested by the evidence of trapped noble gases and nitrogen compositions in glasses of the EETA 79001 meteorite, which compare well with the results of the Martian atmosphere investigation by the Viking spacecraft. Age-dating and exposure scenarios suggest two possibilities for the ejection of SNC meteorites: (1) ejection as a large (larger than 6 m) body by a single impact on Mars and then multiple breakup in the asteroidal belt, at about 11 Myr for Chassigny and nakhlites, at 2.5 Myr for Shergotty, Zagami and ALHA 77005, and at 0.6 Myr for EETA 79001; and (2) ejection of small (less than 0.5 m) objects by multiple impacts on the Martian terrain at 11, 2.5, and 0.6 Myr, with no breakup in space.

Laul, J. C.↗
NASA NTRS1986

Magnetic studies on Shergotty and other SNC meteorites

The results of a study of basic magnetic properties of meteorites within the SNC group, including the four known shergottites and two nakhlites, are presented. An estimate is made of the strength of the magnetic field which produced the remanent magnetization of the Shergotty meteorite, for the purpose of constraining the choices for the parent body of these SNC meteorites. Remanence measurements in several subsamples of Shergotty and Zagami meteorites reveal a large variation in intensity that does not seem to be related to the abundance of remanence carriers. The other meteorites carry only weak remanence, suggesting weak magnetizing fields as the source of their magnetic signal. A paleointensity experiment on a weakly magnetized subsample of Shergotty revealed a low temperature component of magnetization acquired in a field of 2000 gammas, and a high temperature component reflecting a paleofield strength of between 250 and 1000 gammas. The weak field environment that these meteorites seem to reflect is consistent with either a Martian or asteroidal origin, but inconsistent with a terrestrial origin.

Cisowski, S. M.↗
NASA NTRS1987

Mars regolith versus SNC meteorites - Possible evidence for abundant crustal carbonates

Viking XRF data of the Martian regolith are compared with data of typical igneous rocks of the earth, Moon, eucrite parent asteroid, and shergottite, nakhlite, and Chassigny (SNC) meteorites. It is suggested that regolith's low Ca/Si ratio, with respect to igneous rocks with similar (Mg + Fe)/Si ratios, is not a result of simple mixing of SNC-like rocks with other igneous rocks, but rather is due to the removal of Ca from the regolith as Ca-carbonate. Formation of a mass of carbonate equivalent to a 20-m-thick global shell could account for the removal of 1000 mbar of CO2 from the Martian atmosphere. This Ca/Si ratio is consistent with the hypothesis that the Martian climate was once far warmer and wetter than at present.

Warren, Paul H.↗
NASA NTRS1989

The parent magmas of the SNC meteorites

Mineral compositions, partition coefficients, and computer-graphic representations of liquidus phase boundaries are used here to calculate parent magma compositions for Nakhla, Chassigny, and the xenocryst assemblage in EETA79001B, ALHA77005, and the EETA79001A groundmass. The calculated SNC parent magma compositions have low concentrations of Al2O3 and widely varying wollastonitite (CaO) component. In this regard they resemble basaltic komatiites, but their range of Wo is more extensive than that of basaltic komatiites and trace element characteristics are different. The calculated Nakhla parent magma has an unusually high Wo content and does not resemble any other known magmatic composition. A model of SNC petrogenesis is proposed.

Longhi, J.↗
NASA NTRS1991

Does Lafayette = Nakhla? Not necessarily so, based on 4.2K Mossbauer spectra of all of the SNC meteorites

In previous Mossbauer spectral studies of many of the Shergotite Nakhlite Chassignite (SNC) meteorites, attention was drawn to the close similarities of spectrum profiles between Lafayette and Nakhla, which were once suggested to be identical meteorites. These observations led to the acquisition of Governador Valadares and another specimen of Nakhla, as well as Zagami and Shergotty, for Mossbauer spectral measurements at 4.2K. Results reported here demonstrate that there are subtle differences between the three nakhlites (Nakhla, Lafayette, and Governador Valadares), as there are for three of the shergottites (Shergotty, Zagami, EETA 79001/lithologies A and B) and olivine-dominated Chassigny and ALHA 77005, indicating that all eight of the SNC meteorites discovered to data fell independently to Earth.

Burns, Roger G.↗
NASA NTRS1991

Space Network Control (SNC) Conference on Resource Allocation Concepts and Approaches. Overview

In session 1 of the conference, Concepts for space network resource allocation was the main topic. In session 2, Space Network Control and user payload operations and control center human-computer interface, was the topic of discussion. The topic of session 3 was Resource allocation tools, technology, and algorithms. Some of the stated goals for the conference are as follows: to survey existing resource allocation concepts and approaches; to identify solutions applicable to the SN problem; to identify fruitful avenues of study in support of SNC development; and to capture knowledge in proceedings and make available to bidders on the SNC concept definition procurement.

Source record↗
NASA NTRS1992

An ejection model for SNC meteorites: An indication for recent volcanism on Mars

When compared to other achondrites, Shergotty-Nakhla-Chassigny (SNC) meteorites are viewed as anomalous objects. This conclusion is based mainly on their extremely young crystallization ages and their short cosmic ray exposure times. Further, SNC's noble gas and nitrogen components indicate a martian origin for these objects. If these meteorites are from Mars, then the most confounding question facing the planetary science community is how were they ejected from the planet's surface. The following is an investigation of that question.

Manker, J. P.↗
NASA NTRS1992

Water in SNC meteorites - Evidence for a Martian hydrosphere

The Shergotty-Nakhla-Chassigny (SNC) meteorites, purportedly of Martian origin, contain 0.04 to 0.4 percent water by weight. Oxygen isotopic analysis can be used to determine whether this water is extraterrestrial or terrestrial. Such analysis reveals that a portion of the water is extraterrestrial and furthermore was not in oxygen isotopic equilibrium with the host rock. Lack of equilibrium between water and host rock implies that the lithosphere and hydrosphere of the SNC parent body formed two distinct oxygen isotopic reservoirs. If Mars was the parent body, the maintenance of two distinct reservoirs may result from the absence of plate tectonics on the planet.

Karlsson, Haraldur R.↗
NASA NTRS1993

Outgassed water on Mars - Constraints from melt inclusions in SNC meteorites

The SNC (shergottite-nakhlite-chassignite) meteorites, thought to be igneous rocks from Mars, contain melt inclusions trapped at depth in early-formed crystals. Determination of the pre-eruptive water contents of SNC parental magmas from calculations of the solidification histories of these amphibole-bearing inclusions indicates that Martian magmas commonly contained 1.4 percent water by weight. When combined with an estimate of the volume of igneous materials on Mars, this information suggests that the total amount of water outgassed since 3.9 billion years ago corresponds to global depths on the order of 200 meters. This value is significantly higher than previous geochemical estimates but lower than estimates based on erosion by floods. These results imply a wetter Mars interior than has been previously thought and support suggestions of significant outgassing before formation of a stable crust or heterogeneous accretion of a veneer of cometary matter.

Mcsween, Harry Y., Jr.↗