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Wark, D. A.

Publications and source records attributed to Wark, D. A..

8 records
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1988

Primitive material surviving in chondrites - Refractory inclusions

The refractory inclusions embedded in the matrix of many carbonaceous and some ordinary or enstatite chondrites exhibit mineralogical and bulk composition characteristics which correlate with the first, or highest-temperature, condensation products that have been predicted to form from a hot, but cooling, solar nebula. These inclusions' isotopic compositions indicate presolar nucleosynthetic processes that have contributed to the production of the elements from which the solar system was formed; subsequently, the inclusions experienced melting, recrystallization, and alteration histories that have obscured the formation processes.

Macpherson, Glenn J.↗
NASA NTRS1987

Trace element and petrologic clues to the formation of forsterite-bearing Ca-Al-rich inclusions in the Allende meteorite

New trace element and petrographic data are presented for the TE, 818a, 110-A forsterite-bearing Ca-Al-rich inclusions (CAIs) from the Allende meteorite; these form a continuum with type B1 and B2 CAIs, and are here accordingly designated 'type B3'. Evidence is adduced to the effect that 818a was strongly reheated and modified in the nebula after its initial crystallization. A three-stage formation process is required for 818a, involving crystallization of the primary CAI, reheating and partial volatilization of Mg and Si from the outer portion of the CAI, and a metasomatic alteration of the melilite-rich mantle.

Wark, D. A.↗
NASA NTRS1987

Plagioclase-rich inclusions in carbonaceous chondrite meteorites - Liquid condensates?

The characteristics and formation of coarse-grained, plagioclase-rich inclusions are investigated. The textures, mineralogical compositions, and initial Al-26/Al-27 ratios for the plagioclase-rich inclusions are described. It is observed that plagioclase-rich inclusions in carbonaceous chondrites are either Ca-Al-rich inclusions (CAIs) composed of 30-60 vol pct anorthite, and less than 35 vol pct Ti-Al-pyroxene and melilite, or CA chondrites composed of plagioclase, pyroxene, olivine, spinel, and melilite. It is observed that CA chondrules are chemically and mineralogically the most similar components shared by carbonaceous and ordinary chondrites. The textural changes observed in the inclusions are examined. The data reveal that the CAIs have three textural groups: coarse anorthite laths, equigranular anorthite and Ti-Al-pyroxene, and lacy Ti-Al-pyroxene and fine-grained anorthite.

Wark, D. A.↗
NASA NTRS1986

Evidence for successive episodes of condensation at high temperature in a part of the solar nebula

A polished thin section of a Ca-Al-rich inclusion CAI 3643 from the Allende meteorite has been studied by means of light and scanning electron microscopes, and electron and proton microprobes. The appearance and the mineral composition of the inclusion's three concentric layers: core, mantle, and crust are described. Despite differences in texture and composition, the three layers display a continuity in their modal mineralogical compositions, their extreme Al2O3 enrichments (53-69 percent, compared to 25-45 percent in other CAIs), and their trace element complementarity. This implies that all the layers of CAI 3643 have formed from the same cooling gaseous reservoir within a limited interval of time and space, consistent with an origin in a local transient heating event in the CV chondrite formation region of the nebula.

Wark, D. A.↗
NASA NTRS1984

Unexplained Fe, Ni and S anomalies in CV chondrite components

Large negative anomalies in Fe, Co, Ni, S and Se are present in Allende Type B Ca-Al-rich inclusions (CAI's). Based on compilations of all the known published analyses, Allende chondrules, aggregates and other types of CAI's also display anomalies. These observations show that: (1) since Fe, Co, Ni, S and Se are more depleted than elements bracketing them in volatility (such as Pt and Au, and Su and Cd), the anomalies were not produced during the volatility dependent, high temperature CAI forming processes; (2) since Pt, Au, Ge and other siderophiles are not as depleted as Fe, Co and Ni, the anomalies are not due to a metal/silicate fractionation; (3) the association of Fe, Co, and Ni anomalies with S and Se anomalies suggests that the anomalies are due to the removal of FeNi sulfide; and (4) since these anomalies occur in all types of Allende inclusions, aggregates and chondrules, the Allende parental material must have undergone sulfide loss before the formation of these components.

Wark, D. A.↗
NASA NTRS1982

The nature and origin of type B1 and B2 Ca-Al-rich inclusions in the Allende meteorite

The Type B Ca-Al-rich inclusions in the Allende carbonaceous chondrite form a continuous range from the mineralogically concentrically zoned B1 subtype to the unzoned B2 subtype. These subtypes differ in (1) structure, texture, grain size and shape, (2) mineralogical proportions and compositions, (3) accessory mineralogy, (4) relative abundance of spinel framboids, (5) rim layering, (6) major element chemistry, and (7) degree of secondary alteration. These differences, together with observations on the crystallization of synthetic melts, suggest that the B1 inclusions crystallized relatively rapidly from molten parental material while B2 types crystallized relatively slowly close to the solidus from material that had not been completely melted. The same data are used to construct an evaporative residue model for the origin of the parental Type B materials. In the model, dust in the protosolar nebula was heated with removal of more volatile elements, leaving completely melted (Type B1) residues at the highest temperatures and incompletely melted, less highly evaporated (Type B2) residues at lower temperatures.

Wark, D. A.↗
NASA NTRS1982

Evolution of Ca-Al-rich bodies in the earliest solar system Growth by incorporation

Thirty different Allende Ca-Al-rich inclusions (CAIs), 11 of type A and 19 of type B, were examined for spinel palisades and framboids, and the possible origins of these structures are discussed. Possible mechanisms for in situ formation of palisades are assessed, all of them either being rejected outright or considered highly implausible. The evidence for external formation and incorporation of palisade bodies is then assessed, and possible mechanisms are considered. It is proposed that type B CAIs are residues from the heating and incomplete evaporation of interstellar dust during the accretion of the protosolar nebula, and that type A CAIs are later condensates from completely evaporated dust whose exotic O-16-rich component became more diluted in the gas phase.

Wark, D. A.↗