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At least 163 records · Page 9
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1972

Low keV electron probe analysis of silicate minerals for Mg, Al, and Si using pure-element standards

Accurate electron probe values for Mg, Al, and Si in silicate minerals may be obtained with pure-element standards. Analysis must be done at low (6 kV) accelerating potential and for best results, the average atomic number of the sample should be within about plus or minus 1 of the atomic number of the pure-element standard. This last requirement is automatically fulfilled for most common silicate minerals, as their average atomic numbers usually fall within the 11 to 15 range. Examples studied include a wet-chemically analyzed cordierite containing 17.71 weight percent Al, for which a value of 17.6 plus or minus 0.3 percent was obtained with the electron probe, and a hornblende containing 19.15 percent Si, which gave 19.0 plus or minus 0.3 percent using the probe method.

Cunningham, G. G.↗
NASA NTRS1971

Xe and Kr analyses of silicate inclusions from iron meteorites.

Measurements have been conducted of the amounts and isotopic composition of Xe and Kr in silicate inclusions of several iron meteorites. It is shown that the Xe and Kr contents are comparable to chondritic values. The isotopic compositions show trapped gas of both chondritic and atmospheric composition. Large spallation effects occur in some of the meteorites; the spallation spectra in some instances differ from those reported for stone meteorites. In several meteorites, very large neutron capture effects on Br and I occur. All samples have pronounced Xe129 excesses which apparently indicate differences in the formation times from chondrites of less than about 100 million years; however, the presence of trapped Xe132 in silicates which were enclosed in molten Fe-Ni and cooled slowly proves that they were not entirely outgassed, so that some of the Xe129 excess may also be trapped.

Bogard, D. D.↗
NASA NTRS1973

Gallium and germanium in the metal and silicates of L- and LL-chondrites.

Concentrations of Ga and Ge in the metal of 31 L-, 8 LL- and 2 H-chondrites, and in the silicates of 12 L- and LL-chondrites have been determined by spectrophotometric methods. The ranges of Ga contents in the metal of L- and LL-chondrites are 1.1 to 36.9 ppm and 1.0 to 34.1 ppm, respectively. The Ge content in the metal is positively correlated with Ga and ranges from 89.1 to 160 ppm and from 126 to 308 ppm for L- and LL-chondrites, respectively. The Ga content in the silicates of L-chondrites varies from 4.0 to 8.9 ppm. The Ga and Ge contents in the metal are clearly lower in unequilibrated than in equilibrated L- and LL-group chondrites. Unequilibrated and equilibrated chondrites are well separated in the plots of Ga vs Ge in the metal, and the L- and LL-groups are also well resolved. The Ga and Ge in the metal are well correlated with petrologic grade. This suggests that Ga and Ge variations in the metal are related to thermal metamorphism. There is evidence of an enrichment of Ga in the metal due to shock reheating.

Chou, C.-L.↗
NASA NTRS1975

A sample holding technique for study of crystal growth in silicate melts

A thin platinum wire loop is an effective way to hold silicate melts during experimentation in a gas-mixing furnace. This method results in a minimum of physical and chemical interaction between the sample and container but maximum interaction between sample and gas mixture. However, volatilization of sodium occurs while the silicate is molten. By minimizing the chance of heterogeneous nucleation, the method is ideal for experimental investigation of the origin of rock textures.

Donaldson, C. H.↗
NASA NTRS1976

Mafic silicates in the Orgueil carbonaceous meteorite

Iron-bearing olivines and pyroxenes occurring in Orgueil may represent a separate population distinct from the magnesian varieties previously reported. Compositions of these iron-bearing silicates are inconsistent with an origin by direct equilibrium condensation in the nebula. Such an origin is more plausible for the magnesian silicates, but lacks conclusive evidence. An extra-solar system origin for either mafic population is possible, though similarly lacking in evidence. About 15% of the olivines, randomly distributed with respect to iron content, retain particle track evidence of a precompaction irradiation.

Kerridge, J. F.↗
NASA NTRS1976

Electrical conductivity measurements on silicate melts using the loop technique

A new method is described for measurement of the electrical conductivity of silicate melts under controlled oxygen partial pressure at temperatures to 1550 C. The melt samples are suspended as droplets on platinum-rhodium loops, minimizing iron loss from the melt due to alloying with platinum, and providing maximum surface exposure of the melt to the oxygen-buffering gas atmosphere. The latter provides extremely rapid equilibration of the melt with the imposed oxygen partial pressure. The loop technique involves a minimum of setup time and cost, provides reproducible results to within + or - 5% and is well suited to electrical conductivity studies on silicate melts containing redox cations.

Waff, H. S.↗
NASA NTRS1976

Infrared observations of ices and silicates in molecular clouds

Spectrophotometric observations from 2 to 4 microns and from 8 to 13 microns of several infrared sources associated with molecular clouds are reported. Narrow absorption features at 3.08 microns, attributed to interstellar ices, appear in all sources with a molecular cloud in the intervening line of sight. All sources showing ice absorptions also show broad absorption features, attributed to cold silicates, from 8 to 13 microns. The observed ice absorption profiles are all quite similar; however, they do not fit in detail Mie theory predictions of extinction for pure H2O or NH3 ices. The ratio of ice-to-silicate optical depths is found to vary, with most sources showing a ratio in the range 0.1-0.4. The ratio of visual extinction to ice absorption is found to increase rapidly from inside to outside the molecular cloud in NGC 2024.

Merrill, K. M.↗
NASA NTRS1977

Solubility of K in Fe-S liquid, silicate-K/Fe-S/liq equilibria, and their planetary implications

Potassium has been found to have extremely limited absolute solubility in Fe-S liquid in the pressure-temperature range of 18 to 40 kbars, 1050 to 1150 C, and fO2 within the field of metallic iron. It also partitioned into a certain silicate phase highly in preference to Fe-S liquid at 30 kbar and 1100 C. The dependence of the partitioning of K between solid silicate and Fe-S liquid on fO2 and compositions of mineral solid solutions have been analyzed. These experimental data, along with those of others, limit the amount of K that could fractionate in Fe-S liquid layers or a core in the early history of the moon and, thus, act as localized heat sources in its thermal history models; the data also seem to argue against a chondritic abundance of potassium for earth. The question of fractionation of enough K-40 in an Fe-S liquid outer core of earth to provide the necesary thermal energy for the geomagnetic dynamo remains unresolved.

Gangully, J.↗
NASA NTRS1978

Tysnes Island - An unusual clast composed of solidified, immiscible, Fe-FeS and silicate melts

An inclusion found in the Tysnes Island gas-rich H4 chondrite is described. The clast consists of two distinct portions, separated by a smooth boundary; the portions are a tear-drop shaped Fe-FeS eutecticlike intergrowth (0.5 cm greatest dimension) and a silicate consisting primarily of olivine in glass. Nickel enrichment is found in the metal at the metal-sulfide boundaries and in nodules within the metal. It is thought that the portions separated from one another as immiscible liquids and that the modal composition of each portion agrees with the compositions predicted for a total melt of an H-group chondrite. The inclusion is discussed in terms of the process of metal-silicate fractionation suggested by Fodor and Keil (1976).

Wilkening, L. L.↗
NASA NTRS1977

Compositional variation in late-stage differentiates in mare lavas, as indicated by silicate melt inclusions

Questions regarding an interpretation of data from silicate melt inclusions are considered, taking into account the fragmental nature of the record, the possible effects of cooling rate on late-stage melt composition, and the crystallization of the trapped melt. New data related to 484 new analyses are provided in a separate table. Textural and mineralogical features and bulk chemical composition for an overall characterization of late-stage differentiates are discussed. A description is presented of a grouping and recognition of rock types on the basis of late-stage inclusion analyses. Attention is given to the bimodality of potassium values and the delineation of differentiation trends. It is found that many of the problems in interpretation and much of the scatter found in the composition of silicate melt inclusions in lunar samples can be attributed to the incomplete nature of the record and to crystallization after trapping.

Roedder, E.↗
NASA NTRS1979

Some possible effects of solid-state deformation on the thermal evolution of ice-silicate planetary bodies

Several ways in which solid-state deformation could be important in the evolution of an ice-silicate body are considered. The considerations suggest several scenarios for the evolution of Ganymede and Callisto which might be tested on the basis of Voyager and Galileo results. Several potential sources of heat may have caused extensive melting early in the history of these bodies, including a high initial luminosity of Jupiter, accretional heating, gravitational segregation of ice and silicates in a homogeneously accreted body, and deformation by synchronous rotation. The analysis leads to the conclusion that two mechanisms - diapirism and solid-state convection - could be sufficient to inhibit the development of an excessive liquid water mantle, or to cause refreezing of such a mantle formed prior to steady-state conditions or from other heat sources.

Parmentier, E. M.↗
NASA NTRS1981

Surface tension of natural silicate melts from 1,200-1,500 C and implications for melt structure

The surface tension between silicate liquid and gas is measured for four lava compositions (limburgite to andesite) from 1,200 to 1,500 C. It is noted that the magnitude of surface tension (gamma) is in the range 350-370 dynes/cm. Variations found in gamma as a function of liquid composition are small and have no obvious relation to liquid composition. Gamma is also found to vary little with furnace atmosphere - air, Ar, CO2, H2, CO and their mixtures. It is found that a relaxation time of hours to days, depending on temperature, is required before reproducible results can be obtained from originally crystalline starting material. The reproducible temperature dependence of gamma for complex silicate liquid solution is found to be small, positive, and a relatively simple function of liquid composition.

Walker, D.↗
NASA NTRS1982

Iron metal production in silicate melts through the direct reduction of Fe/II/ by Ti/III/, Cr/II/, and Eu/II/

The production of metallic iron in silicate melts by chemical reactions of Ti(3+), Cr(2+), and Eu(2+) with Fe(2+) is demonstrated under experimental conditions in a simplified basaltic liquid. These reactions form a basis for interpreting the role of isochemical valency exchange models in explanations for the reduced nature of lunar basalts. The redox couples are individually investigated in the silicate melt to ascertain reference redox ratios that are independent of mutual interactions. These studies also provide calibrations of spectral absorptions of the Fe(2+) and Ti(2+) species in these glasses. Subsequent spectrophotometric analyses of Fe(2+) and Ti(2+) in glasses doped with both iron and titanium and of Fe(2+) in glasses doped with either iron and chromium or iron and europium ascertain the degree of mutual interactions in these dual-doped glasses.

Schreiber, H. D.↗
NASA NTRS1983

Viscous flow behavior of four iron-containing silicates with alumina, effects of composition and oxidation condition

The viscosity of a magma is an important parameter in connection with its effect on geologic processes such as melt segregation, magma vesiculation, and crystal fractionation. Though most models of geologic processes assume relatively low values for the magma viscosity less than 10,000 poise, it would be useful to have an empirical model for estimating viscosities when the process occurs during continuous cooling to a temperature region where the viscosity is expected to be very high. The considered work has been carried out to provide the experimental measurements of viscosity at low temperatures which would be used in formulating the empirical model. Ten iron-containing silicate compositions have been investigated by Klein et al. (1981), and four of these compositions have been selected for the present study with alumina. The study involves substitutions of Al2O3 for FeOx at Na2O/Al2O3 moles greater than one. For the four iron-containing silicate glasses with alumina, the viscosity at a given temperature is found to increase with increasing (Fe + Al).

Klein, L. C.↗
NASA NTRS1984

A search for the 10-micron silicate feature in periodic Comet Grigg-Skjellerup

A 10-micron spectrum of periodic Comet Grigg-Skjellerup was obtained on 22 June 1982 with the UCL array spectrometer at the United Kingdom Infrared Telescope, Mauna Kea. No emission feature is obvious in the spectrum. The observed spectrum can be fit equally well by a model of small hot absorbing grains or by a composite model with less than or equal to 30 percent (3sigma) warm, 'dirty' silicate grains. The latter model is consistent with the silicate abundance in Comet Kohoutek, which did display an emission feature at 10 microns.

Hanner, M.↗
NASA NTRS1985

Bocaiuva - A silicate-inclusion bearing iron meteorite related to the Eagle-Station pallasites

On the basis of its metal composition, the unique Bocaiuva meteorite, which consists of major metal having a high Ge/Ga ratio and minor silicates, appears distantly related to certain iron meteorites with similar Ge contents and similar Ge/Ga ratios. Detailed comparisons with six such irons shows, however, that none of these is closely related to Bocaiuva. The composition and texture of the Bocaiuva metal-silicate assembly indicate mixing in an impact event. It is suggested that the Eagle-Station pallasites were also formed by impact heating rather than by a long-lived internal heat source.

Malvin, D. J.↗
NASA NTRS1985

The infrared characteristics of circumstellar silicate grains

A theoretical study of the infrared emission from circumstellar shells around late-type giants is made, with the aim of deriving the infrared characteristics of the silicate grains condensing in these shells. A large grid of models has been compared with observations of optically visible Miras, IRC sources and OH/IR stars. From fitting the observed relation between the color temperature and the strength of the 10-micron feature, it is concluded that the ratio of the 3.5 to 10-micron absorption efficiencies of the dust is about 0.25, a factor of 2 less than a previous determination. Detailed modeling of the 2 to 13-micron spectrum of OH 26.5 + 0.6, IRC + 10011 and R Cas yielded a similar ratio. These detailed models also show that the shape of the 10-micron feature, particularly around 8 and 13 microns, varies from source to source. The derived 10-micron feature is narrower for larger dust column densities. These observed differences in the intrinsic shape of the 10-micron feature are not due to differences in size of the condensing particles. Probably they are related to structural or compositional differences in the condensing silicates.

Schutte, W.↗
NASA NTRS1986

Hydrous alteration of amorphous silicate smokes - First results

Results of the initial studies of the hydrous alteration of amorphous Mg-SiO smokes indicate that, although these materials readily adsorb water, the silicate structure is much more stable at 360 K than expected. Drastic changes in the relative absorption strengths of the 10- and 20-micron 'silicate' features that appear quite rapidly at 750 K were observed; these observations might have important implications for the interpretation of cometary dust spectra. Observations of the development of 3.4-3.5 micron features possibly due to hydrocarbons in the spectra of processed Mg-SiO smokes have raised the exciting possibility that these amorphous condensates could act as Fischer-Tropsch type catalysts to produce hydrocarbons in the primitive solar nebula.

Nuth, J. A.↗