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At least 487 records · Page 27

Impact conditions required for formation of melt by jetting in silicates

It is demonstrated that the process of jetting which occurs when particles collide at oblique angles may produce melt at much lower velocities than are required for melt production in head-on collisions. The minimum velocities of impact required for jetting in aluminum, bronzitite, dunite, and quartz are calculated by the method of shock polars. The analysis, which depends on stated assumptions about attained pressures and the occurrence of jetting, uses shock-velocity particle-velocity equations of state with three shock regimes. The treatment indicates that jetting should arise in bronzitite, dunite, and quartz at relative velocities as low as 1-2 km/sec. At such velocities material which passes near the stagnation point in the jet-forming region is subjected to sufficiently high pressures so that it is probably melted.

Kieffer, S. W.↗

Condensation of nonequilibrium phases of refractory silicates from the vapor

Silicon monoxide solid was evaporated in a bell jar containing reducing, neutral, or oxidizing atmospheres at pressures of a few torr. The vapor invariably condensed as smoke-sized particles of silicon sesquioxide, Si2O3. The condensation of a solid whose composition differs from that of the parent gas and is apparently the least stable of the three solid species illustrates the importance of specific nucleation effects in the condensation process. This result has significant implications for theories of formation of grains in space.

Day, K. L.↗

Silicate petrography, classification, and origin of the mesosiderites - Review and new observations

A classification of mesosiderites proposed by Powell (1971) is modified and expanded to include impact melts. A petrographic study of all 20 mesosiderites reveals that most contain a complex assemblage of mineral, lithic, and metal clasts. The occurrence of lithic fragments in most mesosiderites and the subsequent metamorphism of the group indicate that they are highly evolved meteorites. A comparison with inferred lunar analogs indicates that the bulk of the mesosiderites can be considered annealed crystalline matrix breccias and may be meteoritic equivalents of granulitic impactites described by Warner et al. (1977).

Floran, R. J.↗

High modulus rare earth and beryllium containing silicate glass compositions

Glass compositions having a Young's modulus of at least 16 million psi and a specific modulus of at least 110 million inches consisting essentially of approximately, by weight, 20 to 43% SiO2, 8 to 21% Al2O3, 4 to 10% BeO, 27 to 58% of at least one oxide selected from a first group consisting of Y2O3, La2O3, Nd2O3, Ce2O3, Ce2O3, and the mixed rare earth oxides, and 3 to 12% of at least one oxide selected from a second group consisting of MgO, ZrO2, ZnO and CaO are described. The molar ratio of BeO to the total content of the first group oxides is from 1.0 to 3.0.

Bacon, J. F.↗

Observations of silicate reststrahlen bands in lunar infrared spectra

Thermal emission spectra of three lunar sites (Apollo 11, Descartes Formation, and Tycho central peak) are measured in the 8-14 micron spectral range. Transmission and instrument effects are accounted for by forming ratios of the Descartes and Tycho spectra to the Apollo 11 spectrum. The ratio spectra are compared with ratios of published laboratory spectra of returned lunar samples and also with ratio spectra calculated using the Aronson-Emslie (1975) model. The comparisons show pyroxene bands in the Descartes ratio spectrum and plagioclase bands in the Tycho ratio spectrum. The Tycho spectrum is found to be consistent with the existence of fine plagioclase dust (approximately 1 micron) at the rock surface and a higher-than-usual sodium content of the plagioclase.

Potter, A. E., Jr.↗

Laboratory measurements of amorphous silicate smokes and the infrared spectra of oxygen-rich stars

The infrared spectra of smokes condensed from SiO-H2 and Mg-SiO-H2 vapors and of smoke samples annealed for various times at 1000 K and 1250 K are presented. The spectra of these materials show features in the 8-25 micron interval in addition to the well-known bands near 10 and 20 microns. It is suggested that these features may correspond to weak structures that can be seen in the infrared spectra of oxygen-rich stars. Observations are needed to determine the reality and characteristics of such weak features.

Nuth, J. A.↗

Absence of silicic volcanism on Mars - Implications for crustal composition and volatile abundance

It is believed that explosive basic to ultrabasic eruptions may be responsible for small cinder conelike features on Mars and perhaps for the ancient flank-scoured paterae. Eruptions of this type may have been driven by near-surface water/ice-magma interactions or volatile rich magmas. Noting that the paterae represent a unique style of volcanism that stopped approximately 2 b.y. ago, it is suggested that the volatiles associated with these features were derived from mantle sources and that the cessation of patera formation may coincide with the termination of the period of maximum planetary degassing. Since approximately 2 b.y. ago volcanism has been dominantly effusive, except for such minor explosive ash events as those that blanketed part of the summit of Hecates Tholus. It is proposed that such eruptions were driven by volatiles generated by differentiation of a magma chamber, similar to Icelandic explosive eruptions.

Francis, P. W.↗

Metal-silicate relationships in differentiated meteorites

A wide range of analytical and experimental techniques were used to determine the nature and origin of meteoritc materials, and its significance in the early history of the solar system. The results on four major topics are summarized: howardites, mesosiderites, diogenites, and chrondules.

Hewins, R. H.↗

Chemical stratification in the silicate earth

A primary stratigraphic model is presented for the distribution of depleted, enriched, and primordial isotopic mantle components that have been formed by the transport of magmas at the begining of geological history. Depleted midoceanic ridge basalt source regions were established in the uppermost part of the upper mantle, while the primordial mantle was located at the middle and deepest regions of an upper mantle which was processed by anhydrous melting and crystallization. The lower mantle became heterogeneous, with enrichments at the top and depletions elsewhere. It is suggested that the present day isotopic structure of the mantle has inherited elements of this primary stratification.

Herzberg, C. T.↗

Dynamic crystallization of silicate melts

Two types of furnaces with differing temperature range capabilities were used to provide variations in melt temperatures and cooling rates in a study of the effects of heterogeneous nucleation on crystallization. Materials of chondrule composition were used to further understanding of how the disequilibrium features displayed by minerals in rocks are formed. Results show that the textures of natural chondrules were duplicated. It is concluded that the melt history is dominant over cooling rate and composition in controlling texture. The importance of nuclei, which are most readily derived from preexisting crystalline material, support an origin for natural chondrules based on remelting of crystalline material. This would be compatible with a simple, uniform chondrule forming process having only slight variations in thermal histories resulting in the wide range of textures.

Russell, W. J.↗

Experimental methods for quenching structures in lunar-analog silicate melts: Variations as a function of quench media and composition

Compositions analogous to lunar green, organge, and brown glasses were synthesized under consistent conditions, then quenched into a variety of different media when the samples were removed from the furnace. Iron valence and coordination are a direct function of quench media used, spanning the range from brine/ice (most effective quench), water, butyl phthalate, silicone oil, liquid nitrogen, highly reducing CO-CO2 gas, to air (least efficient quench). In the green and brown glasses, Fe(3+) in four-fold and six-fold coordination is observed in the slowest-quenched samples; Fe(2+) coordination varies directly with quench efficiency. Less pronounced changes were observed in the Ti-rich orange glass. Therefore the remote-sensed spectrum of a glass-bearing regolith on the Moon may be influenced by the process by which the glass cooled, and extreme caution must be used when comparing spectra of synthetic glass analogs with real lunar glasses.

Dyar, M. D.↗