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Orbital integrations show that Amor asteroid 3908 could have ejected one out of four plausible groups of meteorite producing fireballs during a collision in the asteroid belt. It was suggested by others that such a collision may also have split asteroids 3551 and 3908. A member of this group of fireballs is listed as one of the better possibilities for recovery.
An observing program designed to search for evidence of ordinary chondrite parent bodies near the 3:1 Kirkwood Gap was carried out in 1985 and 1986. Studies by Wisdom (1985), Wetherill (1985), and subsequent work by Milani et al. (1989) indicate that the 3:1 Kirkwood gap is the most probable source region for the majority of ordinary chondrite meteorites. The diversity of the reflectance spectra among this small data set is surprising. Early work by Gaffey and McCord (1978) showed that the inner region of the main asteroid belt is dominated by high albedo objects with mafic silicate surfaces. One would expect to see mostly spectra with 1- and 2-micron absorption bands based on this earlier work. Only 5 (of 12) spectra have these expected features. The distribution of taxonomic types presented by Gradie and Tedesco (1982) is in most cases a useful simplification of the compositional structure of the asteroid belt. The range of spectral characteristics seen with higher resolution in the near-IR has not been previously reported and is not represented in the standard asteroid taxonomy. Near-IR spectra contain valuable mineralogical information which enhances knowledge of the composition and structure of asteroids.
All subgroups of the shergottite, nakhlite, and chassignite (SNC) meteorites contain traces of water precipitated minerals that include various combinations of carbonates, sulfates, halides, ferric oxides, and aluminosilicate clays of preterrestrial origin. Oxygen three-isotope analysis of thermally extracted bulk water has confirmed that at least some of the water in SNC's is, indeed, extraterrestrial. A mixture of aqueous precipitates found in the SNC's, comprising smectite, illite, and gypsum (with minor halite +/- calcite and hematite), provides a self-consistent, though not unique, model for the bulk elemental composition of surface sediments at the Viking Lander sites. Therefore, if the salts and clays in SNC's are truly linked to aqueous alteration and soil formation on Mars, then the suite of SNC secondary minerals might provide the best currently available insight into near-surface martian chemistry.
Lafayette, one of the SNC (martian) meteorites, contains preterrestrial alteration materials rich in smectite and ferric oxides. The compositions and textures of the veinlets suggest that they were formed in episodic alteration events by waters that contained a relatively small load of dissolved salts. The Lafayette achondrite, one of the nakhlites of probable martian origin, is an igneous rock consisting mostly of augite and olivine, with interstitial feldspar, sulfides (pyrite), high-Si glass, and other phases. Like Nakhla itself, Lafayette contains veinlets of hydrous alteration materials. We studied thin sections of sample ME2116 (Field Museum, Chicago), using scanning and transmission electron microscopy (SEM and TEM) with energy dispersive X-ray spectrometry (EDS).
If the shergottite, nakhlite, and chassignite (SNC) meteorites' parent planet is Mars, then the aqueous precipitates found in them imply that oxidizing, water-based solutions may have been chemically active on that planet over the past 200-1300 million yrs. It is suggested that the mixture of aqueous precipitates found in the SNCs furnish a self-consistent model for the bulk elemental composition of surface sediments at the Viking Lander sites. Further mineralogical and stable-isotope studies of the secondary minerals may establish the limits for biological activity over the last 1300 million years of Mars' water-based chemistry.
Major and minor element abundances in pyroxene, principally pigeonite, from Zagami meteorite samples were determined by electron microprobe; abundances of trace elements Ni, Cu, Zn, and Ga were obtained by synchrotron X-ray (SXRF) microprobe. Abundances of Ni and Cr in the magnesian zones and cores are partially decoupled from abundances of other compatible (Mg) and incompatible (Fe,Ti) elements. The textures, chemical zoning, and element decouplings in the pigeonites are consistent with igneous crystal growth at moderate cooling rates, not isothermally or near equilibrium. From element partitioning and mass balance, Zagami is estimated to contain 20 +/- 5 percent or less cumulus pyroxene (half augite and half pigeonite), half the proportion suggested by equilibrium distribution of Fe/Mg between pigeonite and melt. This inconsistency may be resolved if all pigeonite/melt element partitioning was affected by the rapid growth of the pigeonites. The inference that the pyroxene zoning patterns reflect only magmatic events is consistent with an igneous age of 180 m.y. for Zagami.
Homologous series of alkyl phosphonic acids and alkyl sulfonic acids, along with inorganic orthophosphate and sulfate, are identified in water extracts of the Murchison meteorite after conversion to their t-butyl dimethylsilyl derivatives. The methyl, ethyl, propyl, and butyl compounds are observed in both series. Five of the eight possible alkyl phosphonic acids and seven of the eight possible alkyl sulfonic acids through C4 are identified. Abundances decrease with increasing carbon number as observed of other homologous series indigenous to Murchison. Concentrations range downward from approximately 380 nmol/gram in the alkyl sulfonic acid series, and from 9 nmol/gram in the alkyl phosphonic acid series.
The fate of organic matter in carbonaceous meteorites during hypervelocity (1-2 km/sec) impacts is investigated using results of experiments in which three samples of the Murchison (CM2) carbonaceous chondrite were shocked to 19, 20, and 36 GPa and analyzed by highly sensitive thermal-desorption photoionization mass spectrometry (SALI). The thermal-desorptive SALI mass spectra of unshocked CM2 material revealed presence of indigenous aliphatic, aromatic, sulfur, and organosulfur compounds, and samples shocked to about 20 GPa showed little or no loss of organic matter. On the other hand, samples shocked to 36 GPa exhibited about 70 percent loss of organic material and a lower alkene/alkane ratio than did the starting material. The results suggest that it is unlikely that the indigenous organic matter in carbonaceous chondritelike planetesimals could have survived the impact on the earth in the later stages of earth's accretion.
The present analysis of the ureilite meteorites suggests that these are formed by well-understood processes, as indicated by such findings as their being partial melt residues rather than cumulates and their forming in a large chondritic body with heterogeneous O isotopic composition. Slow diffusion of the O in solid and molten silicates ensured that partial melting did not homogenize the O isotopes of the residues. These and other determinations furnish a plausible origin for ureilites as residues from the partial melting of isotopically heterogeneous chondritic material.
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.
Isotopic concentrations and track densities measured in 13 samples of the Bur Gheluai meteorite fall are presented. Experimental methods are described and results are presented for isotopic ratios of noble gases and cosmogenic radionuclide contents. Evidence for complex irradiation is discussed and a model for two-stage exposure histories is presented. The duration of each irradiation stage and possible effects on isotope production rates are considered. Explanations are suggested for the discrepant Ne production rates.
We have measured, by thermal ionization mass spectrometry, the isotopic composition of Ba in interstellar SiC-enriched samples (the KJ series) prepared from the Murchison meteorite. Ba in these samples is strongly enriched in components plausibly understood as s-process nucleosynthetic products. Inferred s-process compositions are different from the average s-process contribution to solar system materials in the sense of indicating lower effective neutron exposure. There are variations in s-process compositions which correlate with grain size, indicating lower neutron exposure for the larger grains. The inferred s-process compositions differ significantly from previous theoretical predictions, indicating the need for revision of relevant neutron capture cross sections and providing a target for more detailed modeling of s-process nucleosynthesis in specific stellar environments.
The oxygen isotopic composition of a variety of individual olivine grains (including refractory forsterite grains, cores of isolated olivine grains, FeO-rich rims, and individual matrix olivine grains) from the Allende CV3 meteorite was investigated by ion microprobe mass spectrometry, in order to obtain information on the formation mechanism of these samples. It was found that the most primitive (i.e., refractory) olivine in Allende is far less enriched in O-16 than are spinel and pyroxene in Ca,Al-rich inclusions, suggesting that Allende olivine must have formed in an environment that is less enriched in O-16 compared to the gas from which Ca,Al-inclusions are formed. FeO-rich (26-30 wt pct) rims of isolated olivine grains are significantly higher in delta-O-17 and delta-O-18 than forsteritic cores, suggesting that these rims formed by condensation from an oxidized gas with higher delta-O-17 than delta-O-18. Matrix olivine was found to be highest in FeO and to have the lowest enrichment in O-16.
A perspective on the evidence of a major impact event at the K/T boundary is proposed using field and laboratory studies of terrestrial impact craters. Recent assertions that diagnostic indications of shock metamorphism are also produced in volcanic environments are challenged. A general geological framework of impact structures is developed and the issue of volcanically induced shock metamorphism is examined. Cryptoexplosion is addressed by assessing the geology of two structures: the Slate Islands and Manson, which are often cited by advocates of an internal origin for shock metamorphism as volcanic structures. It is concluded that the link between shock metamorphism and meteorite impact is now established beyond reasonable doubt. The occurrence and worldwide distribution of shocked minerals at the K/T boundary is considered to be the conclusive evidence for a major impact event.
I present an internally consistent reinterpretation of carbyne diffraction data making a few plausible assumptions. The results support that carbynes could be crystalline, randomly interstratified (or mixed-layered) carbons with variable C/(C+H+O+N) ratios rather than thermodynamically stable carbon allotropes. The metastable carbynes are likely the result of incomplete, kinetically-inhibited, low-temperature pyrolysis of precursor material. A renewed interest in meteoritic carbynes should seek to combine light-element chemistry and crystallography of these elusive carbons.
Results of an investigation of the crystallization history of the asteroidal core that produced nearly 200 iron meteorites of group IIIAB are presented. The accuracy of the published distribution of coefficients between solid and liquid metal for seven elements and their dependence on the concentrations of S and P are critically assessed to develop a nonideal fractional crystallization model that reproduces all of the major features of the overall chemical trends in group IIIAB. It is suggested that the apparent distribution coefficient of S was was much higher than its equilibrium value (not greater than 0.01) and that it increased during crystallization. In the present preferred model the apparent distribution coefficient for S increases from 0.6 to 0.8, while the S concentration of the liquid increases from 6 to 13 wt pct. It is inferred that light S-rich liquid accumulates preferentially at the top of the core and in structural traps formed by the advancing solid.
Escape of oxygen to space on Mars is capable of producing a fractionation of oxygen isotopes in the remaining oxygen which is off of the fractionation line produced by the usual mass-dependent exchange processes. The magnitude of fractionation which can occur can be larger than that which was measured in oxygen in water derived from the SNC meteorites (thought to have come from Mars). In conjunction with the apparent lack of fractionation of O-18 in the atmosphere, this result suggests that less than 25 percent of the oxygen in the Martian climate system has been lost over geologic time. Other mechanisms also might be able to produce such a fractionation, so that this conclusion is not unique; however, it is consistent with other lines of evidence. There is no requirement for an initial volatile inventory with an isotopic composition different from that of the bulk planet (as might be the case for a late veneer of volatile-rich material).
Two of the most common plessite structures, duplex and black plessite, in the taenite region of the Windmanstatten pattern of two iron meteorites (Grant and Carlton) are characterized using high-resolution electron microscopy and microanalysis techniques. Two types of gamma precipitates, found in the duplex plessite and black plessite regions, respectively, are identified, and their morphologies are described. The formation of the plessite structure is discussed using the information obtained in this study and results of a parallel investigation of decomposed martensitic Fe-Ni laboratory alloys.