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James, O. B.

Publications and source records attributed to James, O. B..

At least 19 records
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS2007

Highly Sideophile Element Abundance Constraints on the Nature of the Late Accretionary Histories of Earth, Moon and Mars

The highly siderophile elements (HSE) include Re, Os, Ir, Ru, Pt and Pd. These elements are initially nearly-quantitatively stripped from planetary silicate mantles during core segregation. They then may be re-enriched in mantles via continued accretion sans continued core segregation. This suite of elements and its included long-lived radiogenic isotopes systems (Re-187 (right arrow) Os-187; Pt-190 (right arrow) Os-186) can potentially be used to fingerprint the characteristics of late accreted materials. The fingerprints may ultimately be useful to constrain the prior nebular history of the dominant late accreted materials, and to compare the proportion and genesis of late accretionary materials added to the inner planets. The past ten years have seen considerable accumulation of isotopic and compositional data for HSE present in the Earth's mantle, lunar mantle and impact melt breccias, and Martian meteorites. Here we review some of these data and consider the broader implications of the compiled data.

Walker, R. J.↗
NASA NTRS2005

Os-187/Os-188 and Highly Siderophile Element Systematics of Apollo 17 Aphanitic Melt Rocks

Introduction: Generally chondritic relative abundances and high absolute abundances of the highly siderophile elements (HSE: Ru, Rh, Pd, Re, Os, Ir, Pt, Au) in Earth s upper mantle provide strong evidence that these elements were added to the Earth following the last major interaction between its metallic core and silicate fraction. So called "late accretion" may have added materials comprising as much as 0.8% of the total mass of the Earth and possibly a similar proportion of mass to the Moon. We have begun to study the chemical nature of late accreted materials to the Earth - Moon system by examining the HSE contained in lunar impact-melt rocks. The HSE contained in melt rocks were largely added to the Moon during the period of time from the origin of the lunar highlands crust (4.4- 4.5 Ga) to the end of the late bombardment period (ca. 3.9 Ga). These materials provide the only direct chemical link to the late accretionary period. The chemical fingerprints of the HSE in late accreted materials may enable us to ascertain under what conditions and where in the solar system the late accreted materials formed. The Os-187/Os-188 ratios (reflecting long-term Re/Os), coupled with ratios of other HSE, can be diagnostic for identifying the nature of the impactor. A critical issue, however, will be deconvolving the exogenous from indigenous components.

Puchtel, I. S.↗
NASA NTRS1992

The ancient lunar crust, Apollo 17 region

The Apollo 17 highland collection is dominated by fragment-laden melt rocks, generally thought to represent impact melt from the Serenitatis basin-forming impact. Fortunately for our understanding of the lunar crust, the melt rocks contain unmelted clasts of preexisting rocks. Similar ancient rocks are also found in the regolith; most are probably clasts eroded out of melt rocks. The ancient rocks can be divided into groups by age, composition, and history. Oldest are plutonic igneous rocks, representing the magmatic components of the ancient crust. The younger are granulitic breccias, which are thoroughly recrystallized rocks of diverse parentages. The youngest are KREEPy basalts and felsites, products of relatively evolved magmas. Some characteristics of each group are given.

James, O. B.↗
NASA NTRS1991

Lunar ferroan anorthosite 60025 - Petrology and chemistry of mafic lithologies

Eleven splits from the mafic-mineral-rich part of anorthosite 60025 were studied in order to establish the exact nature and causes of compositional variations in the minerals of lunar ferroan anorthosites. All splits were analyzed by INAA, and five were studied intensively by petrologic techniques. All splits were found to have similar cataclastic textures and show textural evidence of at least two episodes of deformation. The whole-rock split contains mafic minerals having a wide range of compositions and is probably polymict. It is suggested that the rare-earth patterns for all splits can be duplicated safactorily, assuming that the equilibrium liquids had flat, or nearly flat, chondrite-normalized rare-earth patterns. The plagioclases in all splits were found to be identical. Data obtained indicate that in ferroan anorthosites An content in plagioclase and mg' of associated mafic minerals are not strongly correlated.

James, O. B.↗
NASA NTRS1989

Ferroan anorthosite from lunar breccia 64435 - Implications for the origin and history of lunar ferroan anorthosites

A composite clast of ferroan-anorthosite-suite rocks from lunar breccia 64435 is shown to contain three lithologies. The results suggest that the structures of the 64435 composite clast were produced in an early deformation that consisted of extensive granulation followed by pervasive recrystallization, and that some granulitic breccias are nearly monomict. The REE concentrations in the coarse-grained troctolitic anorthosite are explained in terms of mass balance among the equilibrated phases.

James, O. B.↗
NASA NTRS1984

Petrology and geochemistry of lunar dimict breccia 61015

The results of a petrological and geochemical study of the dimict breccia 61015 at the Apollo 16 site are presented and discussed. The breccia consists predominantly of granulated anorthosite and impact melt rock of very high aluminum-basalt composition. It probably formed in the floor of an expanding crater cavity when impact melt generated within the cavity was injected into underlying anorthositic bedrock and solidified rapidly, the anorthosite and melt rock being fragmented by deformation in the later stages of the impact. A possible source crater for the breccia is identified. The breccia has been affected by at least one recent small impact, which produced internal shock-induced melting of the breccia and injected and coated the rock with externally derived melts. The TiO2 content of the coating and vein glasses establish that they cannot be melted soils; their composition requires a mafic, low-TiO2 protolith component.

James, O. B.↗
NASA NTRS1983

Subdivision of the Mg-suite noritic rocks into Mg-gabbronorites and Mg-norites

Mg-suite noritic rocks can be divided into two groups, the Mg-gabbronorites and the Mg-norites. The rocks of these groups differ in ratios of high-Ca pyroxene to total pyroxene, compositions of pyroxene and plagioclase, assemblages of Ti-, Nb-, and Zr-bearing minerals, compositions of chrome spinel, bulk-rock Ti/Sm and Sc/Sm, and measured ages. The two groups probably crystallized from different types of parent magmas. Two hypotheses are offered for the differences in composition of the parent magmas. One hypothesis ascribes the differences to compositional heterogeneity of the mantle source areas. The other hypothesis ascribes the differences to variations in extent of partial melting of the mantle source regions and variations in extent of assimilation of the anorthosite and the highly differentiated residual liquid that were produced during the primordial lunar differentiation.

James, O. B.↗
NASA NTRS1982

Petrology and petrogenesis of lunar breccia 12013

Sample 12013 is extremely rich in incompatible elements (K, P, U, Th, Pb, Ba, Rb, Zr, Nb, and rare earths) relative to other lunar samples, and it contains abundant granitic material composed of silica minerals and K-feldspar. The present investigation provides detailed petrologic and mineralogic descriptions of the rock and a discussion of its genesis and history. The sample is made up of two lithologies, including a mottled gray and white lithology, and a black lithology. A detailed petrology of the gray breccia is presented, taking into account lithic clasts, mineral clasts, deformation textures in clasts, the matrix, and felsite. A detailed petrology of the black breccia is also provided. Attention is given to a model for the formation of the breccia, an evaluation of the possible genetic relationships between the various components, and some constraints on the nature of the source area.

Quick, J. E.↗
NASA NTRS1982

A reexamination of the RB-SR isotopic systematics of lunar breccia 12013

Lunar breccia 12013 is one of the few rocks for which isotopic evidence has been interpreted as indicating a 4.5-AE age, and it is the only lunar rock which contains abundant granitic material that may date back to the initial lunar differentiation. An investigation of 12013 conducted by Quick et al. (1981) has led to the conclusion that 12013 is an extremely complex mixture of impact-generated melt and clastic components of uncertain affinities. It was found that the granitic component in 12013 need not be any older than 4.16-4.17 AE. In the present study a model is presented for the Rb-Sr evolution of 12013 which explains the isotopic data without resorting to a 4.5-AE age for any component. Attention is given to petrographic constraints, isotopic investigations, and an evaluation of the Rb-Sr isotopic data. It is concluded that lunar rock 12013 is an extremely complex polymict breccia in which the Rb-Sr isotopic systematics have been greatly influenced by mixing during breccia formation and by subsequent reequilibration.

Quick, J. E.↗
NASA NTRS1982

Petrologic and age relations of the Apollo 16 rocks - Implications for subsurface geology and the age of the Nectaris basin

In connection with its proximity to the Nectaris basin, the Apollo 16 site is the prime lunar sampling site for dating the Nectaris impact. It is found that the Ar-40/Ar-39 data set upper limits on the time of formation of the major types of breccia at the Apollo 16 site. These are 3.92 b.y. for the feldspathic fragmental breccias, and 3.92 b.y. for the dimict breccias. The data establish that the major subsurface units at the site were deposited no longer than 3.92 b.y. ago. Recent developments indicate that the bulk of the material at the site probably has Nectarian or pre-Nectarian ages. An age of 3.9 b.y. must be a rough upper limit to the age of the Nectaris impact. This limit must be verified by additional studies.

James, O. B.↗
NASA NTRS1980

Petrology of mare-type basalt clasts from consortium breccia 73255

Breccia 73255 contains sparse small clasts of basalts that have mare affinities; the basalts are members of a single differentiated suite. The clasts have been fractured throughout and locally granulated. Textural and compositional evidence indicates that the fracturing and granulation were produced by the 73255 breccia-forming event, and this event took place before the basalts had completely solidified. Thus, it appears that the eruption of the basalts took place at about the same time as the formation of the 73255 breccia, about 3.9 b.y. ago. The mineral assemblages and modes of the basalt clasts are those typical of mare basalts, but the clasts are not identical in detail with any basalts returned from the mare surfaces. They are instead most similar to the 14053-type basalts from the Apollo 14 site.

James, O. B.↗
NASA NTRS1980

Rocks of the early lunar crust

Data are summarized which suggest a model for the early evolution of the lunar crust. According to the model, during the final stages of accretion, the outer part of the moon melted to form a magma ocean approximately 300 km deep. This ocean fractionated to form mafic and ultramafic cumulates at depth and an overlying anorthositic crust made up of ferroan anorthosites. Subsequent partial melting in the primitive mantle underlying the crystallized magma ocean produced melts which segregated, moved upward, intruded the primordial crust, and crystallized to form layered plutons consisting of Mg-rich plutonic rocks. Intense impact bombardment at the lunar surface mixed and melted the rocks of the two suites to form a thick layer of granulated debris, granulitic breccias, and impact-melt rocks.

James, O. B.↗
NASA NTRS1979

Consortium breccia 73255 - Genesis and history of two coarse-grained 'norite' clasts

A study of two clasts of coarse-grained anorthositic-noritic-troctolitic-suite norites from the fragment-laden melt rock 73255 is presented. Both clasts are igneous rocks crystallized from melts that were probably internally generated; clast 27,80 is a cumulate, and the parent magmas of both rocks probably crystallized below the lunar surface. Despite similar history, the parent rocks of the two clasts appear to be derived from distinct magma types: the 27,80 is characterized by plagioclase and orthopyroxene as the major constituents and by a high K, Nb, and Zr content, while the 27,45 type also contains augite and has a low content of K, Nb, and Zr.

James, O. B.↗
NASA NTRS1979

Consortium breccia 73255 - Laser /Ar-39/-/Ar-40/ dating of aphanite samples

Laser (Ar-39)-(Ar-40) studies of clasts and groundmass in breccia 73255 are presented. They show a variety of ages indicating that some materials lost argon from sites that outgas at low temperature, while other materials have retained argon generated before the breccia-forming event. The estimate for the time of the breccia-forming event from thermal release studies is compared to the upper limit of the event from the laser studies; this work also shows that ages in excess of 4.0 G.y. determined on rocks containing devitrified maskelynite clasts probably have no chronological significance.

Eichhorn, G.↗
NASA NTRS1978

Laser /39/Ar-/40/Ar dating of two clasts from consortium breccia 73215

A laser Ar-39-Ar-40 study of the components of an ANT-suite anorthositic gabbro and a black aphanite from a consortium breccia is reported. A wide range of K-Ar ages is found for the plagioclase in the anorthositic gabbro; at the centers of the largest grains is material showing the greatest age (older than 4.11 billion years) while the youngest material (3.81-3.88 billion years) is found near the grain margins. Partial outgassing of the clasts upon incorporation into the breccia could account for the age patterns. The black aphanite clast appears to be cogenetic with the aphanite that forms the breccia matrix. The time of crystallization of a lunar granite has also been measured by the laser technique.

Eichhorn, G.↗
NASA NTRS1977

Lunar highlands breccias generated by major impacts

The processes that may have been involved in the formation of most of the major types of lunar breccias are discussed. Some of the types of highlands breccias that may have originated in large impacts are identified.

James, O. B.↗