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Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

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At least 361 records · Page 20
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1989

Geochemical evolution of Cenozoic-Cretaceous magmatism and its relation to tectonic setting, southwestern Idaho, U.S.A

The relationships between Cretaceous to Neogene magmatism and the tectonic setting of southwestern and central Idaho are evaluated. An overview of the tectonics and geology of the northwestern U.S. is presented. Major element, trace element, and Sr, Pb, and Nd isotopic data for the region are used to place constraints on magma source characteristics, the manner in which the magmatic sources evolved through time, and the nature of interactions among mantle and crustal domains in response to changing tectonic environment.

Norman, Marc D.↗
NASA NTRS2004

Lunar and Planetary Science XXXV: Meteorites

The session "Meteorites" included the following reports:Description of a New Stony Meteorite Find from Bulloch County, Georgia; Meteorite Ablation Derived from Cosmic Ray Track Data Dhofar 732: A Mg-rich Orthopyroxenitic Achondrite Halogens, Carbon and Sulfur in the Tagish Lake Meteorite: Implications for Classification and Terrestrial Alteration; Electromagnetic Scrape of Meteorites and Probably Columbia Tiles; Pre-Atmospheric Sizes and Orbits of Several Chondrites; Research of Shock-Thermal History of the Enstatite Chondrites by Track, Thermoluminescence and Neutron-Activation (NAA) Methods; Radiation and Shock-thermal History of the Kaidun CR2 Chondrite Glass Inclusions; On the Problem of Search for Super-Heavy Element Traces in the Meteorites: Probability of Their Discovery by Three-Prong Tracks due to Nuclear Spontaneous Fission Trace Element Abundances in Separated Phases of Pesyanoe, Enstatite Achondrite; Evaluation of Cooling Rate Calculated by Diffusional Modification of Chemical Zoning: Different Initial Profiles for Diffusion Calculation; Mineralogical Features and REE Distribution in Ortho- and Clinopyroxenes of the HaH 317 Enstatite Chondrite Dhofar 311, 730 and 731: New Lunar Meteorites from Oman; The Deuterium Content of Individual Murchison Amino Acids; Clues to the Formation of PV1, an Enigmatic Carbon-rich Chondritic Clast from the Plainview H-Chondrite Regolith Breccia ;Numerical Simulations of the Production of Extinct Radionuclides and ProtoCAIs by Magnetic Flaring.

Source record↗
NASA NTRS1988

Fine-scale traverses in cumulate rocks, Stillwater Complex: A lunar analogue study

The objective was to document finite-scale compositional variations in cumulate rocks from the Stillwater Complex in Montana and to interpret these data in the context of planetary magma fractionation processes such as those operative during the formation of the Earth's Moon. This research problem involved collecting samples in the Stillwater Complex and analyzing them by electron microprobe, X-ray fluorescence (XRF), and instrumental neutron activation analysis (INAA). The electron microprobe is used to determine the compositions of cumulus and intercumulus phases in the rocks, the XRF is used to determine the bulk-rock major element and trace element (Y, Sr, Rb, Zr, Ni, and Cr) abundances, and the INAA lab. is used to determine the trace element (Sc, Co, Cr, Ni, Ta, Hf, U, Th, and the REE) abundances of mineral separates and bulk rocks.

Elthon, Donald↗
NASA NTRS1976

Closure and ratio correlation analysis of lunar chemical and grain size data

Major element and major element plus trace element analyses were selected from the lunar data base for Apollo 11, 12 and 15 basalt and regolith samples. Summary statistics for each of the six data sets were compiled, and the effects of closure on the Pearson product moment correlation coefficient were investigated using the Chayes and Kruskal approximation procedure. In general, there are two types of closure effects evident in these data sets: negative correlations of intermediate size which are solely the result of closure, and correlations of small absolute value which depart significantly from their expected closure correlations which are of intermediate size. It is shown that a positive closure correlation will arise only when the product of the coefficients of variation is very small (less than 0.01 for most data sets) and, in general, trace elements in the lunar data sets exhibit relatively large coefficients of variation.

Butler, J. C.↗
NASA NTRS2005

Re-187 Os-187 Isotopic and Highly Siderophile Element Systematics of Group IVB Irons

Study of the magmatic iron meteorite groups permits constraints to be placed on the chemical and isotopic composition of parent bodies, and the timing of, and crystal-liquid fractionation processes involved in the crystallization of asteroidal cores. Here we examine Re-Os isotopic and trace elemental systematics of group IVB irons. Compared to most irons, the irons comprising this group are enriched in some of the most refractory siderophile elements, yet highly-depleted in most volatile siderophile elements. These characteristics have been attributed to processes such as high temperature condensation of precursor materials and oxidation in the parent body. Most recently it has been suggested that both processes may be involved in the chemical complexity of the group. Here, high precision isotopic and highly siderophile element (HSE) concentrations are used to further examine these possible origins, and the crystallization history of the group. In addition, we have begun to assess the possibility of relating certain ungrouped irons with major groups via multi-element, trace element modeling. In a companion abstract, the isotopic and trace element systematics of the ungrouped iron Tishomingo are compared with the IVB irons.

Honesto, J.↗
DOE OSTI2020

Flue Gas Desulfurization Wastewater Composition and Implications for Regulatory and Treatment Train Design

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is currently revising its regulations on trace element discharges from flue gas desulfurization (FGD) wastewater.<br>In this work, we expand a predictive model of trace element behavior at coal-fired power plants (CFPPs) to estimate the trace element concentration of FGD wastewater at the plant level. We demonstrate that variation in trace element concentrations in FGD wastewater can span several orders of magnitude and is a function of both coal rank and installed air pollution control devices. This conclusion suggests that the benefits and costs of FGD wastewater treatment for the median plant will poorly describe the actual benefits and costs over the full range of existing CFPPs.

Mauter, Meagan↗
NASA NTRS2024

Review of melt inclusions in lunar rocks: constraints on melt and mantle composition and magmatic processes

Mineral-hosted melt inclusions provide a window into magmatic processes and pre-eruptive liquid compositions. Because melt inclusions are small (typically < 100 µm), the study of lunar melt inclusions is enabled by advancements of microbeam instrumental techniques. In the 1970s immediately following the Apollo and Luna missions, major and minor oxide concentrations of lunar melt inclusions were measured using electron microprobes. The data were used to understand magma evolution, and they revealed the immiscibility of two silicate liquids in the late stage of lunar magma evolution. More recently, the development of secondary ion mass spectrometry as well as laser ablation–inductively coupled plasma–mass spectrometry has enabled the measurement of key volatile elements and other trace elements in lunar melt inclusions, down to about the 0.1 ppm level. The applications of these instruments have ushered in a new wave of lunar melt inclusion studies. Recent advances have gone hand in hand with improved understanding of post-entrapment loss of volatiles. These studies have provided deep insights into pre-eruptive volatiles in lunar basalts, the abundance of volatiles in the lunar mantle, the isotopic ratios of some volatile elements, and the partition of trace elements between host olivine and melt inclusions. The recent studies of lunar melt inclusions have played a critical role in establishing a new paradigm of a fairly wet Moon with about 100 ppm H2O in the bulk silicate Moon (rather than a “bone-dry” Moon) and have been instrumental in developing an improved understanding of the origin and evolution of the Moon.

Youxue Zhang↗
NASA NTRS1972

Chemical composition of sawdust from lunar rock 12013 and comparison of a Java tektite with the rock.

Abundances of 11 major and minor elements and 11 trace elements have been determined by instrumental neutron activation analysis of two Apollo 12013 rock fragments, a sample of rock 12013,17 sawdust, and a Java tektite (J2). Although the abundances of major elements in tektite J2 are similar to those of rock 12013, comparison of the minor and trace elements shows that no fragment of sawdust or rock 12013 that has been analyzed to date is chemically similar to tektite glass. Rock sawdust is representative of ?whole rock' composition only if the amount of contamination from the sawing process is known. After appropriate correction for saw wire contamination, analyses of sawdust yield fairly accurate averaged elemental compositions of complex clastic lunar and other rocks.

Showalter, D. L.↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Additional Trials & Tribulations in Synthesizing a Sulfide Standard

Well-characterized sulfide reference materials that can serve as matrix-matched calibrants for in-situ trace element analyses via laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) remain elusive. Here, we describe the creation an in-house sulfide standard at NASA JSC that will be used to measure siderophile and chalcophile trace elements in low pressure experimental products, specifically pentlandite ([FeNi]9S8) and pyrrhotite ([FeNi]1-xS), as well as natural sulfides in terrestrial and meteoritic mineral assemblages. Recent methods in creating a homogenous sulfide standard include pressed pellets, synthesized chips, or fused glass [e.g. 1-3]. Other studies, however, have had success in forming homogenous FeS standards via synthesization methods [e.g. 4-6]. We present a variation of the method described in [4], in which we create a pyrrhotite standard doped with a variety of trace elements (Zn, As, Se, Mo, Ru, Rh, Pd, Sn, Sb, Te, W, Os, Ir, Pt, Au) at ~10-40 ppm and Cu at ~200 ppm. Sulfide compositions were constructed using Fe and Ni metal and elemental sulfur powders. Trace elements were added to elemental sulfur from Atomic Absorption Spectroscopy (AAS) elemental standards as either nitrate or chloride solutions to prevent oxidation of the metal powders. The dried sulfur mixture was mixed with Fe and Ni powders and mechanically mixed before two aliquots were placed in separate SiO2 tubes. Each tube was held under vacuum for ~30 minutes, sealed under vacuum, and then heated at 800C for 48 hours. Like [4], the synthesis products were composed of pourous sulfide crystals. Major element analyses of both experimental aliquots, collected using an Electron Probe Microanalyser (EPMA), yield indistinguishable major element compositions (uncertainties in 2SE & 2RSE[%]), with an average of 57.90  0.09 (0.16 %), 4.95  0.03 (0.55 %), and 39.70  0.14 (0.34 %), for Fe, Ni, and S, respectively. Trace element data were measured using a Photon Machines 193nm laser ablation system coupled to a Thermo-Scientific Element-XR ICP-MS. Spot sizes were limited to 50 μm due to the porous nature of the sulfide target material. Trace element abundances, normalized to Fe as an internal standard, were also found to be homogenous between the two aliquots, with weighted mean 2RSE (%) values of <3.0 for all trace elements. Synthesized products were re-powdered and absolute concentrations measured via solution ICP-MS. Although the sulfide appears to be homogenous, sintering experiments will be performed to more closely match the standard density to natural sulfides and minimize differences in ablation behavior. Improved density also allows for higher sensitivity (i.e. more compact target material) and larger spot sizes or traverses, as void space is eliminated. Additional major and trace element analyses on the products of the sintering experiments will be undertaken.

Jacob B Setera↗