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At least 1,279 records · Page 71
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NASA NTRS1987

Nazareth meteorites - Classification and nomenclature

Approved names are established for the six meteorites found in Castro County, Texas; the names and classes of the specimens, which are thought to represent six separate falls, are: (1) Nazareth(a), L6; (2) Nazareth(b), L6; (3) Nazareth(c), H5; (4) Nazareth(d), H5; (5) Nazareth(e), H6; and Nazareth(iron), IIIA. Attention is given to recovery details for the six and electron microprobe analysis results for olivine and low-Ca pyroxene grains in five of the Nazareth chondrites.

Scott, Edward R. D.↗
NASA NTRS1987

Roosevelt County 027 - A low-shock ureilite with interstitial silicates and high noble gas concentrations

The RC027 lightly-shocked ureilite contains less than 1 percent of a fine-grained interstitial silicate that has an igneous texture indicating crystallization from an interstitial liquid. RC027 is also noted to exhibit the strongest olivine preferred-orientation thus far observed in a ureilite; its fabric is characteristic of fabrics formed by tabular minerals in a fluid laminar flow regime, and is unlike those formed by synectonic recrystallization and plastic flow. The elemental and isotopic compositions of noble gases in RC027 are typical of previously analyzed ureilites.

Goodrich, Cyrena Anne↗
NASA NTRS1988

Composition and size of Apollo asteroid 1984 KB

The Class S object-typifying spectral signatures of olivine, pyroxene, and NiFe metal are noted in the present reflection spectra and thermal-emission radiometric data for the earth orbit-crossing Apollo object, 1984KB; a surface material akin to the rare lodranite meteorites. While the Class S object identification is strengthened by standard asteroid thermal model's indication of an about 0.7-km radius, and albedo of about 0.16, which is inconsistent with the IR spectrum, is obtained by an analysis of the same thermal data with a bare-rock thermal model. The object must have a significant regolith despite its small size.

Bell, Jeffrey F.↗
NASA NTRS1988

Chondrules and matrix in the Ornans CO3 meteorite - Possible precursor components

Bulk compositions of 17 chondrules and one sample of matrix from CO3 Ornans were determined by instrumental neutron activation analysis. Chondrule precursor components deduced from chondrule compositions are characterized by: (1) common and slightly volatile siderophiles, Cr and chalcophiles, (2) refractory lithophiles and Na, (3) Mn, Si and modal pyroxene, and (4) FeO and olivine. Component 4 may be closely related to matrix material. Precursor components have now been inferred for OC, EH, CV, CM and CO chondrules. An MN- and Si-rich component occurs exclusively among carbonaceous chondrite chondrules. Although there are significant intergroup differences, common to chondrules in all chondrite groups are refractory-lithophile-rich, common-siderophile-rich, and (with the exception of EH) common-lithophile-rich components. This indicates that the siderophile/lithophile and refractory lithophile/common lithophile fractionations recorded in chondrite whole-rocks were established prior to chondrule formation at all nebular locations.

Rubin, Alan E.↗
NASA NTRS1988

Mineral compositions of plutonic rocks from the Lewis Hills massif, Bay of Islands ophiolite

Mineral compositions of residual and cumulate rocks from the Lewis Hills massif of the Bay of Islands ophiolite complex are reported and interpreted in the context of magnetic processes involved in the geochemical evolution of spatially associated diabase dikes. The mineral compositions reflect greater degrees of partial melting than most abyssal peridotites do and appear to represent the most depleted end of abyssal peridotite compositions. Subsolidus equilibration between Cr-Al spinal and olivine generally has occurred at temperatures of 700 to 900 C. The spinel variations agree with the overall fractionation of basaltic magmas producing spinels with progressively lower Cr numbers. The compositions of clinopyroxenes suggest that the fractionation of two different magma series produced the various cumulate rocks.

Smith, Susan E.↗
NASA NTRS1988

Analysis of chondritic interplanetary dust thin-sections

Chondritic interplanetary dust particles (IDPs) are heterogeneous aggregates of predominantly submicron mineral grains and carbonaceous material, whose bulk compositions agree within a factor of two with type CI/CM carbonaceous chondrites. The mineralogy and petrography of 25 such particles were studied by analytical electron microscopic examination of ultramicrotomed thin sections (500-1000 A thick). Four classes of chondritic IDPs were recognized, referred to as pyroxene, olivine, smectite, and serpentine, and their relative abundances were 9:4:10:2, respectively. Quantitative thin-film analyses indicate that pyroxene particles most closely resemble material emitted from comet Halley. Smectite particles may have formed from pyroxene particles by aqueous alteration of glass and enstatite crystals. Serpentine particles are the only class that are similar to the matrices of carbonaceous chondrites, but these are the least abundant chondritic IDPs. Collectively, chondritic particles are a mineralogically diverse group of extraterrestrial materials.

Bradley, John P.↗
NASA NTRS1988

Raman observations on individual interplanetary dust particles

A Raman study of 20 representative interplanetary dust particles (IDPs) belonging to different infrared spectral classes is discussed. Six different groups of Raman spectra were discerned among the IDPs studied. Groups 1-5 exhibit the Raman signature of poorly crystallized carbonaceous material, with the degree of disorder of this material increasing from group 1 (most ordered) to group 5 (least ordered). Group 1 contains IDPs that have infrared spectra characteristic of olivines, and are deuterium depleted, while those in groups 2, 3, and 4 contain less ordered carbonaceous material and are deuterium enriched, suggesting different carbonaceous carrier phases for deuterium depletions and enrichments. Groups 5 and 6 contain little or no carbonaceous material, with an abundance of deuterium. No obvious relationship was found between Raman groups and infrared classes based on the 10 micron absorption band due to silicates. Because silicates are known to be present, but are not seen, it is presumed that silicate grains are coated with and/or imbedded in carbonaceous material. Several IDPs show broad visible laser-induced photoluminescence, probably produced by a carbonaceous component.

Wopenka, Brigitte↗
NASA NTRS1988

A comparison of Halley dust with meteorites, interplanetary dust and interstellar grains

The variability of the mineral forming elements in the submicron Halley grains provides a powerful basis for comparison of Halley with the different classes of meteoritic materials that have been studied in the lab. The degree of variability in the Halley samples is larger than that seen in chondrites implying that Halley is more heterogeneous at the submicron scale. A critical distinction is that Halley contains abundant pure Mg silicates at the size scale while the carbon rich meteorites do not. The submicron dispersion composition seen in Halley is dramatically different from the narrowly constrained compositions seen in CI and CM (type 1 and 2) carbonaceous chondrites. These meteorites are carbon rich but are dominated by a hydrated silicate with a very narrow range of Mg/Si ratio. The Halley results are also unlike the composition variations seen in most of interplanetary dust types that are dominated by hydrated materials. The only known class of meteoritic material that appear to closely resemble the Halley data is a class of cosmic dust composed entirely of anhydrous minerals. The composition implies that Halley is dominated by olivine, pyroxene, iron sulfide, glass and amorphous carbonaceous matter.

Brownlee, D. E.↗
NASA NTRS1988

The spectral properties of interplanetary dust particles

The observed spectral and mineralogical properties of interplanetary dust particles (IDP) allows the conclusion that: (1) the majority of IDP infrared spectra are dominated by olivine, pyroxene, or layer lattice silicate minerals, (2) to the first order the emission spectra of comets Halley and Kohoutek can be matched by mixtures of these IDP infrared types, implying that comets contain mixtures of these different crystalline silicates and may vary from comet to comet and perhaps even within a single comet, (3) do not expect to observe a single 20 micron feature in cometary spectra, (4) carbonaceous materials dominate the visible spectra properties of the IDPs even though the mass in these particles consists primarily of silicates, and (5) the particle characteristics summarized need to be properly accounted for in future cometary emission models.

Sandford, Scott A.↗
NASA NTRS1988

Physical properties of asteroids

Infrared photometry at 1.2, 1.6 and 2.2 micrometer provides a relatively rapid and accurate method for the classification of asteroids and is important for comparison with laboratory measurements of meteorites and other possible compositional analogues. Extension beyond the visual is espicially useful for minerals which have strong characteristic infrared colors such as olivine in the A class asteroids. Radiometry at long infrared wavelengths is important for deriving basic physical parameters (via thermal models) such as size and albedo which in turn enables the conversion of relative colors to absolute reflectances. In particular, albedos are the only way to distinguish among the otherwise ambiguous E, M and P classes of asteroids. Infrared observations of 15 asteroids were made at the NASA infrared Telescope Facility (IRTF) on Mauna Kea in 1987. Researchers completed the analysis of 22 Aten, Apollo and Amor asteroids. Results include albedos and diameters for these objects as well as the identification of the first known class M and Class E near-Earth asteroids. The standard thermal model appears to be inadequate for some of these small asteroids because of their coarse regolith, so researchers constructed a rotating thermal model for such asteroids. They have identified a subtle systematic difference between the sub-populations of large and small IRAS asteroids as well as several anomalous objects.

Veeder, Glenn J.↗
NASA NTRS1988

Samples for estimating primary volatiles in Martian magmas and ancient atmospheric pressures on Mars

Inclusions of glass are likely to be present in phenocrysts in volcanic rocks from Mars, because these occur in volcanic rocks from both Earth and Moon. The usefulness of the inclusions depends upon their size and composition. The compositions of tiny inclusions may be modified by diffusion during growth of the enclosing crystal, the modifications increasing with melt viscosity (silica). Slow cooling results in crystallization and possible redistribution of volatiles, the effects increasing with decreasing silica. Primary volatile concentrations are best sought in inclusions larger than about 50 micrometer diameter in olivine or chromite crystals from quickly cooled basaltic scoria. Such crystals may be present in sands, but it would be preferable to extract them from individual rocks which could be dated and compositionally characterized. This would allow eventual understanding of the role of time and place in outgassing and volcanism on Mars. Analyses of volatiles in inclusions of more siliceous glass in non-basaltic rocks will reveal whether deep outgassing occurs and whether surface volatiles are recycled. Most volcanic crystals contain inclusions, but large inclusions can be uncommon. In the case of terrestrial basalts sample masses of several hundred grams are generally sufficient.

Anderson, A. T., Jr.↗
NASA NTRS1988

Petrology of brecciated ferroan noritic anorthosite 67215

A petrologic study of breccia 67215 is presented, showing that the rock has the bulk composition of a ferroan noritic anorthosite and is a polymict breccia containing several lithic clast types within a crushed, cataclastic matrix. The dominant lithic clasts contained in breccia 67215 are found to be igneous and metamorphic low- and high- Ca pyroxenes and olivine. Other clasts include granulated and sheared clasts, coarse-grained anorthosite with relatively Fe-rich augite, aphanitic, feldspathic microporphyritic melt breccias, and an impact-melt rock with strongly zoned relatively Mg-rich pyroxene. It is concluded that this rock type is relatively common in the highlands regolith excavated by the North Ray Crater.

Mcgee, James J.↗
NASA NTRS1988

Martian mantle primary melts - An experimental study of iron-rich garnet lherzolite minimum melt composition

The minimum melt composition in equilibrium with an iron-rich garnet lherzolite assemblage is ascertained from a study of the liquidus relations of iron-rich basaltic compositions at 23 kb. The experimentally determined primary melt composition and its calculated sodium content reveal that Martian garnet lherzolite minimum melts are picritic alkali olivine basalts. Martian primary melts are found to be more picritic than terrestrial garnet lherzolite primary melts.

Bertka, Constance M.↗
NASA NTRS1989

Evidence from the Semarkona ordinary chondrite for Al-26 heating of small planets

The first observation of radiogenic Mg-26 in nonrefractory meteoritic material, a plagioclase-bearing, olivine-pyroxene clast chondrule in the Semarkona ordinary chondrite, is reported. The inferred initial abundance of Al-26 is sufficient to produce incipient melting in well-insulated bodies of chondritic composition. It is concluded that planetary accretion and diffentiation must have begun on a timescale comparable to the half-life of Al-26 and that, even if widespread melting did not occur, Al-26 heating played a significant role in thermal metamorphism on small planets.

Hutcheon, I. D.↗
NASA NTRS1989

Cordierite-spinel troctolite, a new magnesium-rich lithology from the lunar highlands

A clast of spineltroctolite containing 8 percent cordierite (Mg2,Al4Si5O18) has been identified among the constituents of Apollo 15 regolith breccia 15295. The cordierite and associated anorthite, forsteritic olivine, and pleonaste spinel represent a new, Mg-rich lunar highlands lithology that formed by metamorphism of an igneous spinel cumulate. The cordierite-forsterite pair in the assemblage is stable at a maximum pressure of 2.5 kilobars, equivalent to a depth of 50 kilometers, or 10 kilometers above the lunar crust-mantle boundary. The occurrence of the clast indicates that spinel cumulates are a more important constituent of the lower lunar crust than has been recognized. The rarity of cordierite-spinel troctolite among lunar rock samples suggests that it is excavated only by large impact events, such as the one that formed the adjacent Imbrium Basin.

Marvin, Ursula B.↗
NASA NTRS1989

Millimeter petrology and kilometer mineralogical exploration of the moon

Coordinated petrologic and spectroscopic analyses were undertaken for a specially prepared 1-cm chip of regolith breccia 60019. The mafic minerals of each large clast were readily identified from spectral reflectance measurements of the same clasts, and mineral abundance was shown to be directly related to absorption strength. Although most clasts of 60019 are noritic in composition, the presence of abundant olivine and/or high-Ca pyroxene in several clasts is easily noted spectroscopically. The origin of an unusual absorption feature near 0.6 micron in an anorthositic clast was determined by petrographic analysis to be due to very fine-grained translucent ilmenite. The 60019 matrix is dark and glassy, and although a variety of clasts occur on all scales, particulate powders of 60019 are all very similar and have spectral properties that indicate a noritic breccia bulk composition.

Pieters, C. M.↗
NASA NTRS1989

Remote sensing and geologic studies of localized dark mantle deposits on the moon

Localized lunar dark mantle deposits (LDMD) are small, smooth low-albedo units of pyroclastic origin commonly found associated with endogenic source craters. Analysis of near-infrared spectra, multispectral images, and radar data obtained for 25 LDMD has led to the identification of three compositional groups of LDMD. Group 1 deposits are composed predominantly of highlands-rich wall rock but also contain a substantial juvenile component, Group 2 deposits are composed largely of mare plug rock material, while Group 3 deposits are rich in a mixture of olivine and pyroxene. Variations in eruption conditions are interpreted to be largely responsible for the varying mineralogy of these three types of deposits.

Hawke, B. R.↗
NASA NTRS1988

The spectral properties of collected interplanetary dust particles

The observed spectral and mineralogical properties of interplanetary dust particles (IDP) allows the conclusion that: (1) the majority of IDP infrared spectra are dominated by olivine, pyroxene, or layer lattice silicate minerals, (2) to the first order the emission spectra of comets Halley and Kohoutek can be matched by mixtures of these IDP infrared types, implying that comets contain mixtures of these different crystalline silicates and may vary from comet to comet and perhaps even within a single comet, (3) do not expect to observe a single 20 micron feature in cometary spectra, (4) carbonaceous materials dominate the visible spectra properties of the IDPs even though the mass in these particles consists primarily of silicates, and (5) the particle characteristics summarized need to be properly accounted for in future cometary emission models.

Sandford, S. A.↗