Other
Scientific paper
Jul 1993
adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=1993metic..28..466z&link_type=abstract
Meteoritics, vol. 28, no. 3, volume 28, page 466
Other
6
Chondrules, Metal, Nebula, Reduction, Renazzo
Scientific paper
The positive Co-Ni correlation and Cr, P contents of metal in CR chondrites have generally been taken to indicate their primitive nature, probably inherited from condensation [1,2]. Si in the metal of primitive chondrites has also been reported and interpreted as a condensation heritage [3,4]. However, Cr, P, and Si (dissolved or in the form of inclusions) in metal of any CR chondrule generally fall within a +-10% range, though large interchondrule variations exist [5]. We have shown that Cr and Si in metal are in equilibrium with Fo and En in silicates, due to the reducing conditions that prevailed during chondrule formation [6]. In the present paper, we show that the Co-Ni trend was also established during chondrule formation out of heterogeneous precursor material with a variable Co/Ni ratio. Chondrules in Renazzo are classified as highly molten (HM), in which metal has been expelled to form a mantle outside the chondrule, medium molten (MM), with metal inside and at the periphery, and with evidence for grain coalescence, and little melted (LM), in which metal is only present in the form of small blebs dispersed among the silicates. In HM chondrules, Ni and Co concentrations are extremely homogeneous, comparatively low and in the cosmic ratio. In LM chondrules, quite the opposite: Ni and Co spread over a large range and the amount of scatter increases with decreasing degree of melting of the chondrule. In addition, they do not correlate along the cosmic ratio, but show a negative correlation if any. This heterogeneity is present not only from grain to grain in these chondrules, but also in individual metal grains. Such a heterogeneity is also exhibited in Cr and P abundances that span a much larger range than the +-10% found in the other chondrules. These results indicate that chondrule formation is responsible for the homogenization of Co and Ni contents of metal grains through coalescence and mixing. The less melted objects give an idea of the nature of metal in chondrule precursors, extremely heterogeneous and fine grained (each small heterogeneous metal bleb might be the result of partial melting of one or of coalescence and imperfect mixing of a few such grains). Co and Ni in these individual grains were not in the cosmic ratio, but wide sampling of dust in each chondrule precursor insured that this ratio was attained after mixing and homogenization, as seen in HM chondrule metal grains and from mean values of Co and Ni in LM chondrules. In MM chondrules, scatter of Ni and Co data are, as expected, intermediate between those of HM and LM chondrules, but Co and Ni are close to the cosmic ratio. The scatter is mostly due to addition of variable quantities of iron in the reduction during chondrule formation, which is responsible for Cr and Si integration into metal. Further evidence of such a process can be found in the less molten of these objects, in which metal grain coalescence is limited and peripheral grains are still different from inside grains. In these cases, Co and Ni distributions are clearly bimodal, high in inside grains, low in peripheral grains. Co/Ni in these two populations are somewhat scattered around the cosmic ratio, but their means (Ni: 7.75 = +- 0.24, Co: 0.36 +- 0.04, and Ni: 4.39 +- 0.34, Co: 0.23 +- 0.02, e.g., in the case of chondrule AL1) are very close to the cosmic ratio. This is in good agreement with the low values found in the homogeneous mantle grains of HM chondrules and, as noted by Lee et al. [7], indicates that the reducing agent was external to the chondrule. Cr abundances of these peripheral metal grains, however, match Cr abundances of the interior ones in these chondrules. This indicates that the redox state of all these grains was attained simultaneously and controlled by equilibrium with chondrule silicates. Slightly more extensive reduction of the latter close to the chondrule surface that added more Fe to peripheral metal grains resulted in only a minor variation of the Cr partition coefficient: it consequently also induced Cr addition, the Cr/Fe ratio varying only marginally. Therefore, we believe unlike [7] the process to have been nebular, and the reducing agent the nebular gas, although equilibrium with this gas was clearly not attained. References: [1] Weisberg M. K. et al. (1993) GCA, 57, 1567-1586. [2] Grossman L. and Olsen E. (1974) GCA, 38, 173-187. [3] Grossman L., et al. (1979) Science, 206, 449-451. [4] Rambaldi E. R. et al. (1980) Nature, 287; Nature, 293, 558-561. [5] Zanda B. et al. (1991) LPSC XXII, 1543-1544. [6] Hewins R. H. and Zanda B. (1992) Meteoritics, 27, 233. [7] Lee M. S. et al. (1992) GCA, 56, 2521-2533.
Bourot-Denise Michèle
Hewins Roger H.
Zanda Brigitte
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