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Oxygen Isotopes of Anhydrous Primary Minerals Show Kinship Between Asteroid Ryugu and Comet 81P/Wild2

The extraterrestrial materials returned from asteroid (162173) Ryugu consist predominantly of low-temperature aqueously formed secondary minerals and are chemically and mineralogically similar to CI (Ivuna-type) carbonaceous chondrites. Here we show that high-temperature anhydrous primary minerals in Ryugu and CI chondrites exhibit a bimodal distribution of oxygen isotopic compositions: 16 O-rich (associated with refractory inclusions) and 16 O-poor (associated with chondrules). Both the 16 O-rich and 16 O-poor minerals probably formed in the inner solar protoplanetary disk and were subsequently transported outwards. The abundance ratios of the 16 O-rich to 16 O-poor minerals in Ryugu and CI chondrites are higher than in other carbonaceous chondrite groups, but are similar to that of comet 81P/Wild2, suggesting that Ryugu and CI chondrites accreted in the outer Solar System closer to the accretion region of comets.

Noriyuki Kawasaki↗

Meteorite regolithic breccias

In addition to endogenic processes such as heating and aqueous activity, meteorite parent bodies were subjected also to exogenic processing brought about by the impact of the other solar-system objects. Such impacts can produce a variety of effects, ranging from shock metamorphism of individual mineral grains to production of breccias; i.e., rocks consisting of mixtures of disparate lithic units. The present paper reviews recent studies of such breccias, which have generated significant information about the accretional growth of parent bodies, as well as their evolution, composition, stratigraphy, and geological processing.

Bunch, T. E.↗

Asteroidal Differentiation Processes Deduced from Ultramafic Achondrite Ureilite Meteorites

Ureilites are the second largest achondrite group. They are ultramafic achondrites that have experienced igneous processing whilst retaining some degree of nebula-derived chemical heterogeneity. They differ from other achondrites in that they contain abundant carbon and their oxygen isotope compositions are very heterogeneous and similar to those of the carbonaceous chondrite anhydrous mineral line. Their carbonaceous nature and some compositional characteristics indicative of nebular origin suggest that they are primitive materials that form a link between nebular processes and early periods of planetesimal accretion. However, despite numerous studies, the exact origin of ureilites remains unclear. Current opinion is that they represent the residual mantle of an asteroid that underwent silicate and Fe-Ni-S partial melting and melt removal. Recent studies of short-lived chronometers indicate that the parent asteroid of the ureilites differentiated very early in the history of the Solar System. Therefore, they contain important information about processes that formed small rocky planetesimals in the early Solar System. In effect, they form a bridge between nebula processes and differentiation in small planetesimals prior to accretion into larger planets and so a correct interpretation of ureilite petrogenesis is essential for understanding this critical step.

Downes, Hilary↗

Accretion, metamorphism, and brecciation of ordinary chondrites - Evidence from petrologic studies of meteorites from Roosevelt County, New Mexico

The olivines and pyroxenes from twenty-nine ordinary chondrites from Roosevelt County, New Mexico are examined. The mineralogical properties of the chondrites studied are described. Correlations between mineral compositions and petrologic type and between petrologic type and bulk chemistry are analyzed. It is observed that mean CaO concentrations in olivine show significant variations among equilibrated chondrites, but these are not correlated with petrologic type; the degree of heterogeneity of FeO concentrations in olivines of types 4-6 is not correlated with the degree of metamorphism; and mean FeO concentrations of silicates show average increases of 3-5 percent from type 4 to type 6 in each group.

Scott, Edward R. D.↗

Oriented Mineral Transformation in a Dark Inclusion from the Leoville Meteorite

Dark inclusions (DIs) in chondrites and achondrites are dark gray to black fragments that include a wide variety of materials that have experienced very different petrologic histories. Based on the law of inclusions, they are rocks that accreted prior to and are older than their host meteorites and possibly rep-resent an earlier generation of material. The origin of these inclusions and their relationship to their host meteorites is not always clear. They are interesting in that they represent lithologies that experienced different parent body histories than their host meteorites and are either exotic components or originated from different regions of the meteorite parent body. In many cases, DIs in CV chondrites have been altered to greater degrees than their host meteorites suggesting pre accretionary alteration [e.g., 1,2,3]. There is debate concerning whether or not these DIs record an earlier era of aqueous alteration and subsequent thermal metamorphism, and how these processes may have also affected the host CV materials. The present study is a description of a dark inclusion found in the Leoville meteorite (specifically, thin section USNM 3535-1). This inclusion has some interesting features that have considerable relevance for this discussion.

Buchanan, P. C.↗

Mineralogical Analysis of Calcium-Aluminum-Rich Inclusions Provides Insight Into Post-Formation Processes

Introduction: Calcium-aluminum inclusions (CAIs) are cm- to mm-sized intergrowths of refractory phases found in chondritic meteorites [1]. Their mineral compositions closely match the compositions of the solids thought to condense from an extremely hot (>1500K) gas with a bulk solar composition [2-4], suggesting that CAIs were the earliest solids within the Solar System [2-4]. These inclusions provide invaluable insights into the conditions and dynamics of the early Solar System. CAIs must be transported from their formation region near the protosun to the chondrite parent-body accretion region. The nature of their journey could affect how, when, and where the secondary processes recorded in these CAIs occurred [4]. Did these secondary processes occur in the solar nebula or during accretion with the parent body, or both? How were the CAIs affected by varying thermochemical processes? To better answer these questions, we have undertaken an in-depth, textural study of the secondary alteration of select CAI samples. Methods: We chose three CAIs that experienced a range of post-formation processing to gain better understanding of secondary alteration based on previous preliminary examination [5]. Representative CAIs were chosen from NWA 5508 (CV3), NWA 12772 (CV3), and Coolidge (CL4) carbonaceous chondrites. We used scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) techniques for detailed chemical, mineralogical, and textural analysis of the CAIs. Backscattered electron (BSE) images and X-ray elemental maps were taken of Coolidge and NWA 5508 using the Lunar and Planetary Institute (LPI) Phenom SEM. The JEOL 7900F SEM at NASA Johnson Space Center (JSC) was used to obtain energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) chemical maps of all samples. High resolution EBSD analysis identified the mineral phases and textures, providing key information on their nature. Based on the SEM and EBSD data, minerals of interest were selected for quantitative chemical electron probe micro-analysis (EPMA) using the JEOL JXA-8530F at NASA JSC. Results and Discussion: The EDS maps show that the NWA 5508 and NWA 12772 CAIs designated “Saguaro” and “Hoopoe” respectively [5] are enriched in calcium while the Coolidge CAI designated “Cottonwood” is aluminum and magnesium rich. Saguaro. A ~1.5cm diameter igneous Type B CAI with a rounded shape. The dominant phases are melilite, spinel, and Al-Ti pyroxene with minor anorthite. Spinel is subhedral and occurs in clusters. Some of these clusters have a circular geometry which encloses other minerals, known as a palisade structure [6] (Fig. 1). Some palisades form near perfect circles while others are more irregular in shape. Melilite in Saguaro ranges in size from coarse (>250m) to fine-grained (5-7m) and forms intergrown laths. A third of the melilite grains exhibit simple twinning about their <001> axis. The spinel palisades and twinned melilite in Saguaro suggest an igneous history, and the lack of secondary minerals suggests minimal aqueous alteration. At some point in time after the initial condensation of the minerals and formation of the inclusion, the sample was remelted and quickly solidified. The formation of the palisades is still heavily debated. One hypothesis is that the palisades are the rims of smaller CAIs that accreted early on, essentially acting as xenoliths within the larger CAIs [7]. Another hypothesis suggests an igneous origin for palisade structures [6-8] wherein the melt traps gas bubbles, and the spinel nucleates on the surface of this bubble. Based on the WDS spot analyses of 41 melilite grains using EPMA, the data suggest that the composition inside and outside the palisades is nearly identical. This finding indicates that these palisades are likely not exogenous but rather formed from melt-vapor reactions. Our results are consistent with studies by Simon and Grossman,1997 [6] and Zhang et al. (2019) [8]. Hoopoe. A ~0.5cm compact Type A CAI with an irregular shape. The dominant mineral phases are melilite, spinel, and hibonite with minor amounts of anorthite, augite, and perovskite. The melilite ranges in size from ~500 to 50µm. The larger melilite grains have simple twinning along the <001> axis like melilite in Saguaro. Melilite in Hoopoe exhibits crystal-plastic strain with misorientation dominantly about the <010> and <110> axes. Spinel shows subhedral to euhedral morphology and appears in clusters. Hibonite grains are similar to spinel in habit and size but show more plastic strain. The two minerals are often found together with one appearing to replace the other. Perovskite appears in fine grained recrystallized regions alongside fine augite and spinel. The abundant strain and deformation features in the melilite and hibonite suggest that Hoopoe experienced shock. This shock could have occurred in the nebula [9] or from an impact of another body on the parent body asteroid. The appearance of fine-grained (<10m) areas of augite, perovskite, and spinel in the dominantly coarse-grained inclusion suggest recrystallization, possibly due to the sudden increase in pressure and temperature. Cottonwood. This ~0.5cm CAI exhibits distinct mineralogy and textures suggesting a high degree of alteration. It is irregular in shape. The dominant mineral phases are spinel and anorthite with minor amounts of augite and rutile. The two main texture types can be seen in Fig. 2. The first type consists of coarse euhedral to subhedral spinel and anorthite. The second includes fine grained spinel, anorthite, rutile, and iron sulfides. Within these fine-grained regions, the anorthite grains are clustered into domains exhibiting the same crystallographic orientation. Rutile exclusively occurs with fine anorthite indicating a potential relationship between the two. Cottonwood has a clear and unbroken Wark-Lovering [10] rim (Fig. 2) on one side that consists of a sequence of spinel followed by anorthite and an outer layer of augite. The abundance of the fine-grained regions containing iron oxides and iron sulfides, secondary phases such as rutile, and oriented anorthite grains is evidence for recrystallization associated with a high degree of thermal metamorphism. The EPMA analyses on both coarse- and fine-grained spinel show that the fine spinel grains are more enriched in Cr (1-2 wt. %) than their coarse counterparts (0.1-0.5 wt. %). The data suggest thermal metamorphism drove chemical exchange of the previously refractory inclusion, introducing chromium and iron as well as sulfur, which is moderately volatile. Conclusions: The three CAIs analyzed record distinct secondary nebular and parent body processes. Saguaro melted in the nebula as seen by the twinned melilite and spinel palisades. Hoopoe experienced intense shock which deformed its melilite and recrystallized perovskite, augite, and spinel in fine-grained regions. Cottonwood shows evidence of recrystallization and chemical changes consistent with thermal metamorphism occurring after accretion into the parent-body.

V E Burnette↗

Microcrystals and Amorphous Material in Comets and Primitive Meteorites: Keys to Understanding Processes in the Early Solar System

Comets, fine-grained matrices of chondrites, and chondritic interplanetary dust particles (IDPs) are each composed of both crystalline and amorphous silicates. The primitive solar nebula, in which comets and asteroids accreted, was formed from the collapsed core of a Giant Molecular Cloud, that, in turn, condensed from materials present in the interstellar medium (ISM). Despite observations that reveal the presence of crystalline magnesium silicate minerals in the shells of very high mass-loss-rate stars [1,2], typical silicate grains in the ISM are most likely to be amorphous, given their relatively long residence time in such a high radiation environment. An upper limit of ~3% crystalline grains can be derived from their non-detection in spectra of ISM solids [3]. If the vast majority of grains that enter the primitive solar nebula are amorphous, then the observation of crystalline dust in comets and primitive chondrite matrices indicates the action of specific processes required to transform the amorphous starting materials into the crystals that are observed.

Nuth, J. A.↗

Early Aqueous Alteration of Ryugu’s Parent Body – Insight from In-situ Isotopic Analyses

The Hayabusa2 mission returned approximately 5.4 g of highly aqueously-altered material resembling the CI (Ivuna-type) chondrites from the C-type asteroid Ryugu. To understand the timing and duration of aqueous alteration on Ryugu’s parent body, we measured the 53Mn-53Cr (t1/2 = 3.7 Myr) ages of dolomite, breunnerite, and Ca-carbonate minerals in Ryugu particles A0037 and C0009 using secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS) with the UCLA CAMECA ims-1290 instrument with Hyperion II oxygen plasma source. Using these carbonate formation ages, we estimate the accretion time and size of Ryugu’s parent body to have been within the first 1.8 million years of Solar System history in a planetesimal less than ~20 km in diameter, or within a larger body which was disrupted and reassembled. To further constrain the conditions of aqueous alteration, we measured the δ13C, δ18O, and Δ17O of Ryugu dolomite, Ca-carbonate, and magnetite using the UCLA CAMECA ims-1290. The results of our stable isotopic analyses show that the earliest stages of aqueous alteration occurred at low temperatures (between 0 and 20 °C), that the initial fluid was enriched in the heavy 13C, 17O and 18O isotopes, and that the fluid evolved towards lighter carbon and oxygen isotopic compositions as alteration proceeded.

Astromaterials↗

Evaluation of the Strecker synthesis as a source of amino acids on carbonaceous chondrites

The Strecker synthesis (SS) has been proposed as the source of amino acids (AA) formed during aqueous alteration of carbonaceous chondrites. It is postulated that the aldehyde and ketone precursors of the meteoritic AA originated in interstellar syntheses and accreted on the meteorite parent body along with other reactant species in cometesimal ices. The SS has been run with formaldehyde, acetyldehyde, propionaldehyde, acetone, and methyl ketone as starting materials. To study the effect of minerals on the reaction, the SS was run in the presence and absence of dust from the Allende meteorite using deuterated aldehydes and ketones as starting materials. The products were studied by GC/MS. With the exception of glycine, the retention of deuterium in the AA was greater than 90 pct. Some D exchange with water does occur, however, and determination of the rate of exchange as a function of pH and temperature may allow some bounds to be placed on the duration of parent body aqueous alteration. The retention of D by the AA under conditions studied thus far is consistent with the model that a SS starting from interstellar aldehydes and ketones led to the production of meteoritic AA.

Lerner, N. R.↗

Size distributions in two porous chondritic micrometeorites

Quantitative size measurements of granular units (GUs), and nm-sized minerals in these units, in two porous chondritic micrometeorites are investigated. The matrix of these micrometeorites consist of loosely packed, 0.1 micron-sized, GUs. These objects were a major component of the solar nebula dust that accreted into protoplanets. The matrix in micrometeorite W7010*A2 has a fractal dimension with a small coefficient that supports efficient sticking of carbon-rich GUs during accretion. The fractal nature of the matrix provides a way to calculate the density using the aggregate size. The resulting very low density for porous chondritic micrometeorites is 0.08-0.14 g/cu cm, which supports the view that they are the solid debris from unconsolidated solar system bodies. Chondritic GUs contain ultrafine olivines, pyroxenes, and sulfides, embedded in hydrocarbons and amorphous carbons. Nanocrystals in the micrometeorites W7010*A2 and U2015*B show log normal size distributions. The high incidence of disk-shaped grains, a changeover from disk-shaped to euhedral grains, the unevolved nature of the size distributions, and multiple populations for grains less than 127 nm in size, are consistent with continuous postaccretion nucleation and growth in amorphous GUs, including coarsening via Ostwald ripening.

Rietmeijer, Frans J. M.↗

Alteration and formation of rims on the CM parent body

All types of coarse-grained components in CM chondrites are surrounded by fine-grained dust coatings, but the origin of these rims is not yet clear. Although a strictly nebular origin seems likely for rims in the relatively unaltered type 3 chondrites, the rims in CM chondrites are dominated by secondary alteration phases. It has been argued that either the coarse-grained cores accreted altered rim materials while still in the nebula or that alteration of primary rim phases occurred on the CM parent body. To constrain the origin of alteration phases in rim material, we have analyzed the textures and mineral associations from 10 CM chondritic falls by optical and scanning electron microscopy. Our results indicate that the secondary phases in CM chondritic rims were produced by parent body fluid-rock interactions which redefined some primary rim textures and may have produced, in some cases, both coarse-grained components and the rims that surround them. Textural features demonstrate the interactive exchange of alteration fluids between rims, matrix, and chondrules on the CM parent body. For example, most matrix-rim contacts are gradational, suggesting the synchronous alteration of both components. Several observations suggest the possibility of in situ rim production. For example, tochilinite and phyllosilicates commonly form rims around matrix carbonates, which are generally believed to have precipitated from alteration fluids on the CM parent body. This suggests that the rims surrounding matrix carbonates may also have been produced by alteration processes. Partially replaced chondrule olivines bear a striking resemblance to many rimmed olivines in the matrix which suggests, by analogy, that site-specific precipitation of S-bearing phases may also be responsible for the occurrence of many tochilinite-rich rims around isolated matrix olivines. Non-silicate rims precipitate around olivines of any composition, but the process is most effective for fayalitic olivines. Most of the remaining olivines in CM chondrites are relatively Mg-rich, which suggests that the precipitation of S-bearing rims on olivines may not have been an important process in the aqueous alteration of CM chondrites. We conclude that: (1) precursor rim materials in CM chondrites were subjected to pervasive aqueous alteration on the CM parent body; and (2) textures and mineral associations observed in CM chondrites also suggest the possibility of in situ rim production.

Browning, Lauren B.↗

Aqueous Alteration on the Ryugu Parent Body Constrained by Chemical Equilibrium Models

The composition of solid samples returned from the asteroid 162173 Ryugu byHayabusa2 indicates aqueous alteration of rocks that formed a parent body of Ryugu [1, 2]. As on parent bodies of carbonaceous chondrites [3-5], Ryugu materials could have went through (1) accretion of anhydrous and reduced rocky grains together with water-rich ices, (2) melting of ices in the body’s interior through release of radiogenic heat [6], and (3)aqueous alteration of rocky and organic materials that produced secondary minerals, salt- and organic-bearing water solutions, gases, and altered organic matter. Although the bulk chemical composition and major mineralogy (phyllosilicates, magnetite, pyrrhotite, carbonates, phosphates, etc.) of Ryugu [1,2]are similar to those of CI carbonaceous chondrites [3-5, 7], the lack of sulfates and a deficiency of oxygen in the returned samples suggest a distinct alteration pathway. Chondritic materials [3-5] do not indicate complete chemical equilibration though low-temperature parent body processes. However, calculations of chemical equilibria in modeling rock-water-gas type systems[e.g., 8, 9], could assess deviations of chondritic materials from equilibrium conditions and constrain partitioning of chemical elements between solid, aqueous, and gas phase for different stages of alteration. Here we constrained speciation of solid, aqueous, and gaseous phases during aqueous alteration on the Ryugu parent body through chemical equilibrium calculations.

M Yu Zolotov↗

Chondrule remelting: Evidence from coarse-grained chondrule rims and compound chondrules

The meteorites that best preserve the nebular record are the type 3 ordinary (OC) and carbonaceous chondrites; their major components include chondrules and chondrule fragments, refractory and mafic inclusions, FeO-rich silicate matrix material. Many chondrules are surrounded by nms; these can be divided into two major types: (1) fine-grained rims, which are composed of matrix material; and (2) igneous or coarse-grained rims, which have igneous textures and larger, less-ferroan mafic silicate grains. Fine-grained rims surround most of the chondrules in the least-equilibrated type 3 ordinary and carbonaceous chondrites. They were most likely derived via collapse of clumps of nebular dust that accreted around coarse objects such as chondrules and inclusions. Coarse-grined or igneous rims surround approximately 10% of the chondrules in type 3 OC and approximately 50% of the chondrules in CV3 chondrites as well as some chondrule fragments and isolated mineral grains. They probably formed by partly melting finer-grained dust-rich precursors and admixed chondrule fragments.

Rubin, A. E.↗

Liquidus Phases of the Richardson H5 Chondrite at High Pressures and Temperatures

Part of early mantle evolution may include a magma ocean, where core formation began before the proto-Earth reached half of its present radius. Temperatures were high and bombardment and accretion were still occurring, suggesting that the proto-Earth consisted of a core and an at least partially liquid mantle, the magma ocean. As the Earth accreted, pressure near the core increased and the magma ocean decreased in volume and became shallower as it began to cool and solidify. As crystals settled, or floated, the composition of the magma ocean could change significantly and begin to crystallize different minerals from the residual liquid. Therefore, the mantle may be stratified following the P-T phase diagram for the bulk silicate Earth. To understand mantle evolution, it is necessary to know liquidus phase relations at high pressures and temperatures. In order to model the evolution of the magma ocean, high pressure and temperature experiments have been conducted to simulate the crystallization process using a range of materials that most likely resemble the bulk composition of the early Earth.

Channon, M.↗

Tracing the Source of Carbon Oxides on the Large Moons of Uranus

The Uranian moons Ariel, Umbriel, Titania, and Oberon are enriched in CO 2 mixed with CO, but the origin(s) of these carbon oxides, be they primarily native or radiolytic, remain(s) uncertain. Using data collected by NIRSpec on the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), we measured the spectral signature of CO 2 and other carbon oxides to help disentangle these hypotheses. Through comparison to laboratory data, we find that many of the detected spectral features are consistent with CO 2 ice, including 12 CO2 scattering peaks (4.15–4.26 μm), multilobe 13 CO 2 bands (4.35–4.43 μm), and CO 2 biphonon and triphonon modes (4.80–5.25 μm). Our measurements show that CO 2 and CO are concentrated on the trailing hemispheres of the inner moons Ariel and Umbriel, potentially supporting a radiolytic production hypothesis, consistent with prior ground-based results. However, many of the identified spectral features are only observed in thick crystalline ice deposits measured in the laboratory, which may be difficult to form via radiolysis of carbon-bearing material mixed in icy regoliths. Similarly, the data exhibit weak 4.02 and 4.40 μm bands, hinting at the presence of carbonate minerals and 13 CO 2 clathrates, respectively, possibly formed in the interiors of these moons. Furthermore, JWST has revealed that CO 2 is widespread at Uranus, present in its system of rings, ring moons, and irregular satellites, consistent with its largest moons accreting CO 2 and other carbon oxides from the Uranian subnebula. We conclude that exposed carbon oxides are potentially native, with their surface distributions shaped by charged particle irradiation and seasonal sublimation–condensation cycles.

Ice spectroscopy↗

Did the Pre-RNA World Rest Upon DNA Molecules?

The isolation of a DNA sequence that catalyzes the ligation of oligodeoxynucleotides via the formation of 3' - 5' phosphodiester linkage significance in selection experiments has been reported. Ball recently used this to discuss the possibility that natural DNA molecules may have formed in the primitive Earth leading to the origin of life. As noted by Ferris and Usher, if metabolic pathways evolved backwards, it could be argued that the biosynthesis of 2-deoxyribose from ribose suggests that RNA came from DNA. As summarized elsewhere, there are several properties of deoxyribose which could be interpreted to support the possibility that DNA-like molecules arose prior to the RNA world. For example, 2-deoxyribose is slightly more soluble than ribose (which may have been an advantage in a drying pool scenario), may have been more reactive under possible prebiotic conditions (it forms a nucleoside approx. 150 times faster than ribose with the alternative base urazole at 25 C), while it decomposes in solution (approximately 2.6 times more slowly than ribose at 100 C). Other advantages of DNA over RNA are that it has one fewer chiral center, has a greater stability at the 8.2 pH value of the current oceans, and does not has the 2'5' and 3'5' ambiguity in polymerizations. Yet, there is strong molecular biological and biochemical evidence that RNA was featured in the biology well before the last common ancestor. The presence of sugar acids, including both ribo- and deoxysugar acids, in the 4.6 Ga old Murchison meteorite suggest that both may have been available in the primitive Earth, derived from the accretion of extraterrestrial sources and/or from endogenous processes involving formaldehyde and its derivatives. However, the abiotic synthesis of deoxyribose, ribose, and other sugars from glyceraldehyde and acetaldehyde under alkaline conditions is inefficient and unespecific. Although sugars are labile compounds, the role of cyanamide or borate minerals in the stabilization of the cyclic forms of ribose and other pentoses has recently been demonstrated. Nonetheless, the assumption either RNA or DNA was the first genetic material needs to be supplemented by laboratory models demonstrating that the prebiotic synthesis of activated beta-D-(deoxy)ribonucleotides and their polymers was feasible. As of today such evidence is lacking, and there is no convincing synthesis of any nucleotide, since all model experiments produce complex mixtures of products in which there is no preferential synthesis of chiral D-nucleotides. This strongly suggests that both DNA and RNA may have been preceded by pairing structures much simpler than extant nucleic acids. It is doubtful that DNA molecules, or indeed other (de0xy)ribofuranoid oligonucleotides formed the basis of these as yet undescribed pre-RNA worlds.

Lazcano, Antonio↗

Nebula Models of Non-Equilibrium Mineralogy: Wark-Lovering Rims

Introduction: The meteorite record contains several examples of minerals that would not persist if allowed to come to equilibrium with a cooling gas of solar composition. This includes all minerals in CAIs and AOAs. Their survival is generally ascribed to physical removal of the object from the gas (isolation into a large parent object, or ejection by a stellar wind), but could also result from outward radial diffusion into cooler regions, which we discuss here. Accretion of CAIs into planetesimals has also been relied on to preserve them against loss into the sun. However, this suggestion faces several objections. Simple outward diffusion in turbulence has recently been modeled in some detail, and can preserve CAIs against loss into the sun [2]. Naturally, outward radial diffusion in turbulence is slower than immediate ejection by a stellar wind, which occurs on an orbital timescale. Here we ask whether these different transport mechanisms can be distinguished by nonequilibrium mineralogy, which provides a sort of clock. Our application here is to one aspect of CAI mineralogy - the Wark-Lovering rims (WLR); even more specifically, to alteration of one layer in the WLR sequence from melilite (Mel) to anorthite (An).

Cuzzi, J. N.↗

Low to Extremely Low Water Abundances Measured in Nominally Anhydrous Minerals in Mafic to Granitic Apollo Rock Clasts

Lunar sample-based volatile studies have focused on assessing the inventory and distribution of water in the Moon. Some have focused on the relatively young mare basalts and pyroclastic glasses, which result from partial melting of the relatively young lunar mantle. Less certain is the water inventory for the oldest materials available, which have the greater potential to record the earliest history of volatiles in the Moon (and thus provide evidence for the "wet" vs. "dry" accretion hypotheses of the Earth-Moon system. Studies of volatiles in ancient lunar rocks have largely focused on apatite. One recent FTIR (Fourier Transform Infrared Radiometer) study of plagioclase reported a relatively "wet" (approximately 320 parts per million) magma for primordial ferroan anorthosites (FANs). Another, a NanoSIMS study of alkali feldspar, reported a "wet" (approximately 1 weight percentage) felsic magma, but due to the differentiation processes required for silicic magmatism in the lunar crust, predicted an essentially "dry" (less than 100 parts per million) bulk Moon. Thus, despite evidence that appears to complicate the early "dry" Moon paradigm, there is no apparent unanimity among the measurements, even those on apatite. This disparity is clearly seen by the order of magnitude different water estimates for lunar "alkali-rich suite rocks" (Fig. 1). Some of the apparent differences may be explained by recent improvements in the apatite-based water estimates that better account for relative compatibilities of OH-, Cl, and F. In the present work, we seek to expand our understanding of the volatile abundances in early formed lunar magmas, their source reservoirs, and to address the potential role that felsic magmas play on the lunar hydrogen budget over time by employing NanoSIMS analysis of nominally anhydrous minerals.

Simon, J. I.↗