Meteoritics & Planetary Science, Volume 44, Number 6 (2009)
http://hdl.handle.net/10150/641223
2024-03-28T09:17:20ZSystematic study of universal-stage measurements of planar deformation features in shocked quartz: Implications for statistical significance and representation of results
http://hdl.handle.net/10150/656585
Systematic study of universal-stage measurements of planar deformation features in shocked quartz: Implications for statistical significance and representation of results
Ferrière, L.; Morrow, J. R.; Amgaa, T.; Koeberl, C.
The presence of shocked quartz is one of the key lines of evidence for the impact origin of rocks. Crystallographic orientations of planar deformation feature (PDF) sets in shocked quartz have been used to constrain the peak shock pressure that these grains have experienced. So far no systematic and comparative studies of the various orientation measurement methods and their biases are available. Therefore, three shocked-quartz-bearing thin sections from a meta-greywacke clast in breccia, a biotite-gneiss, and a sandstone, respectively, were independently analyzed by three operators (two experienced and one inexperienced) using a four-axis universal-stage (U-stage), in order to evaluate the quality, precision, repeatability, and representativeness of U-stage measurements. Based on the indexing of PDF sets using a new version of the commonly used stereographic projection template, the study of 1751 PDF set orientations in 666 quartz grains in three different shocked rocks shows that differences in abundance and orientation of various PDF sets, as measured by the three separate operators, are rather limited. The precision of U-stage measurements depends mainly on the number of PDF sets investigated, as the ability level of the operator (experienced versus inexperienced) is only responsible for minor deviations in the number of unindexed planes. The frequency percent of dominant PDF planes may vary by up to 20 percentage points (pp) or 81% for a given crystallographic orientation when only 25 sets are measured. When 100 PDF sets are measured, however, this deviation in dominant orientations is reduced to about 7 pp or 28%. We recommend the use of a new stereographic projection template, which plots the pole positions of five additional, commonly occurring PDF orientations, as it can allow indexing of up to 12 pp more PDF planes; these are planes that would previously be considered unindexed and potentially regarded as errors of measurement. Our results suggest that by following a strict measurement procedure, the reproducibility of Ustage measurements is good and the results of different studies can be readily compared. However, it is critical that published PDF orientation histograms clearly define what type of frequency measurement is used, whether or not unindexed PDF sets are included in the frequency calculations, the numbers of grains and sets analyzed, and the relative proportions of each PDF set population that are combined in the histograms. This information appears to be essential for effectively comparing datasets from different studies.
2009-01-01T00:00:00Z39Ar-40Ar "ages" and origin of excess 40Ar in Martian shergottites
http://hdl.handle.net/10150/656584
39Ar-40Ar "ages" and origin of excess 40Ar in Martian shergottites
Bogard, D.; Park, J.; Garrison, D.
We report new 39Ar-40Ar measurements on 15 plagioclase, pyroxene, and/or whole rock samples of 8 Martian shergottites. All age spectra suggest ages older than the meteorite formation ages, as defined by Sm-Nd and Rb-Sr isochrons. Employing isochron plots, only Los Angeles plagioclase and possibly Northwest Africa (NWA) 3171 plagioclase give ages in agreement with their formation ages. Isochrons for all shergottite samples reveal the presence of trapped Martian 40Ar(40Arxs), which exists in variable amounts in different lattice locations. Some 40Arxs is uniformly distributed throughout the lattice, resulting in a positive isochron intercept, and other 40Arxs occurs in association with K-bearing minerals and increases the isochron slope. These samples demonstrate situations where linear Ar isochrons give false ages that are too old. After subtracting 40Ar* that would accumulate by 40K decay since meteorite formation and small amounts of terrestrial 40Ar, all young age samples give similar 40Arxs concentrations of ~1-2 x 10^(-6) cm^3/g, but a variation in K content by a factor of ~80. Previously reported NASA Johnson Space Center data for Zagami, Shergotty, Yamato (Y-) 000097, Y-793605, and Queen Alexandra Range (QUE) 94201 shergottites show similar concentrations of 40Arxs to the new meteorite data reported here. Similar 40Arxs in different minerals and meteorites cannot be explained as arising from Martian atmosphere carried in strongly shocked phases such as melt veins. We invoke the explanation given by Bogard and Park (2008) for Zagami, that this 40Arxs in shergottites was acquired from the magma. Similarity in 40Arxs among shergottites may reveal common magma sources and/or similar magma generation and emplacement processes.
2009-01-01T00:00:00ZThe plausible sources of 26Al in the early solar system: A massive star or the X-wind irradiation scenario?
http://hdl.handle.net/10150/656582
The plausible sources of 26Al in the early solar system: A massive star or the X-wind irradiation scenario?
Sahijpal, S.; Gupta, G.
A quantitative analysis is presented for the irradiation contributions of the short-lived nuclides, specifically 26Al, by the X-wind scenario in the early solar system. The analysis is based on the comprehensive numerical simulations of the scenario that involves thermal processing of protoCAIs during the decades long X-wind cycle. It would be difficult to explain the canonical value of 26Al/27Al in Ca-Al-rich inclusions on the basis of its inferred irradiation yields. Hence, the bulk inventory of 26Al in the early solar system was not produced by the X-wind scenario. We suggest the predominant occurrence of gradual flares compared to impulsive flares in the early solar system as in the case of the modern solar flares. One tenth of the bulk 26Al was only produced by irradiation in case the entire solar inventory of 10Be was produced by local irradiation. The bulk 26Al inventory along with 60Fe was probably synthesized by a massive star. We present a qualitative model of the astrophysical settings for the formation of the solar system on the basis of a survey of the presently active star forming regions. We hypothesize that the formation of the solar system could have occurred almost contemporaneously with the formation of the massive star within a single stellar cluster. As the massive star eventually exploded as supernova Ib/c subsequent to Wolf-Rayet stages, the short-lived nuclides were probably injected into the solar proto-planetary disc. The dynamically evolving stellar cluster eventually dispersed within the initial ~10 million years prior to the major planetary formation episodes.
2009-01-01T00:00:00ZLabile trace elements in basaltic achondrites: Can they distinguish between meteorites from the Moon, Mars, and V-type asteroids?
http://hdl.handle.net/10150/656583
Labile trace elements in basaltic achondrites: Can they distinguish between meteorites from the Moon, Mars, and V-type asteroids?
Wolf, S. F.; Wang, M.-S.; Lipschutz, M. E.
We report data for 14 mainly labile trace elements (Ag, Au, Bi, Cd, Cs, Ga, In, Rb, Sb, Se, Te, Tl, U, and Zn) in eight whole-rock lunar meteorites (Asuka [A-] 881757, Dar al Gani [DaG] 262, Elephant Moraine [EET] 87521, Queen Alexandra Range [QUE] 93069, QUE 94269, QUE 94281, Yamato [Y-] 793169, and Y-981031), and Martian meteorite (DaG 476) and incorporate these into a comparative study of basaltic meteorites from the Moon, Mars, and V-type asteroids. Multivariate cluster analysis of data for these elements in 14 lunar, 13 Martian, and 34 howardite, eucrite, and diogenite (HED) meteorites demonstrate that materials from these three parents are distinguishable using these markers of late, low-temperature episodes. This distinguishability is essentially as complete as that based on markers of high-temperature igneous processes. Concentrations of these elements in 14 lunar meteorites are essentially lognormally distributed and generally more homogeneous than in Martian and HED meteorites. Mean siderophile and labile element concentrations in the 14 lunar meteorites indicate the presence of a CI-equivalent micrometeorite admixture of 2.6%. When only feldspathic samples are considered, our data show a slightly higher value of 3.4% consistent with an increasing micrometeorite content in regolith samples of higher maturity. Concentrations of labile elements in the 8 feldspathic samples hint at the presence of a fractionated highly labile element component, possibly volcanic in origin, at a level comparable to the micrometeorite component. Apparently, the process(es) that contributed to establishing lunar meteorite siderophile and labile trace element contents occurred in a system open to highly labile element transport.
2009-01-01T00:00:00Z