Physics
Scientific paper
Dec 2008
adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2008agufm.v51h..07m&link_type=abstract
American Geophysical Union, Fall Meeting 2008, abstract #V51H-07
Physics
1028 Composition Of Meteorites (3662, 6240), 1043 Fluid And Melt Inclusion Geochemistry, 1160 Planetary And Lunar Geochronology, 5420 Impact Phenomena, Cratering (6022, 8136)
Scientific paper
The Benccubbin meteorite is a member of the CB peculiar meteorite family, which all have reduced silicates, metal zoning, solar Ni/Co and large enrichments in 15N, that have been regarded as relics of their very primitive character. However, these meteorites also show tugsten isotopic ratios suggesting metal differentiation events several Ma after start of solar system formation. The Benccubbin mineralogy is best explained as being an heterogeneous planetary regolith containing clasts of different origins (e.g., CO, CI chondrules and clasts, silicates of unknown origin). This meteorite presents evidence of having been impacted, such as melt, temperature gradient recorded at the silicate/metal interface, and textures indicative of rapid cooling. Notably, Benccubbin contains vesicles in several phases : partially molten silicate clasts and CO chondrules, impact melt, and the so-called bubble grains 1. We have analysed several Benccubbin mineral and metal phases for N and noble gas isotopes and abundances by both laser fusion and vacuum crushing. 15N-rich nitrogen (d15N up to +1,000 per mil) is ubiquituous, particularly inside vesicles, and is associated with noble gases. Notably, N and noble gases appear to have largely exchanged between silicate and vesicles, reaching locally equilibrium partitioning. Gases are still released after extensive crushing up to 4,000 strokes, in contrast to the case of MORB glasses and suggesting a foam-like, decompression structure of the impacted melt. N and Ar correlate well, showing that the N solubility was comparable to that of Ar and therefore that the redox conditions were above IW, according to 2. From the N content of the glass, we estimate that it equilibrated with a vapor plume in which the pressure of nitrogen was ~300 Bar. Radiogenic 40Ar is present inside the vesicles, showing that the vesiculation event was not an early process. Ar-Ar dating of Benccubbin suggests involvement in an impact around 4.2 Ga. In contrast to very variable N and primordial noble gas contents among different phases, cosmogenic 3He, 21Ne and 38Ar abundances are uniform, and vesicles contain little cosmogenic isotopes, showing that space exposure occurred after the vesicle forming impact event. Hence the event that led to the ejection of the Benccubbin meteorite was distinct from the vesiculation one, and occurred 40-50 Ma ago according to cosmogenic 3He, 21Ne and 38Ar isotopes and 38Ar-37Ar correlation. Noble gases have been well preserved in vesicles from cosmic ray isotope contributions, permitting to determine their origin precisely despite extensive exposure in space. Noble gases present Q-like isotopic ratios but highly fractionated abundances with respect to Q. The fact that comets are definitely rich in 15N 3 and may also have Q-like noble gas signature in their refractory phases 4 is suggestive of a possible link between cometary matter and CBs. 1. Perron, C., Fieni, C. and Guilhaumou, N. Geochim.Cosmochim. Acta 72, 959-977 (2008). 2. Libourel, G., Marty, B. and Humbert, F. Geochim. Cosmochim. Acta 67, 4123-4135 (2003). 3. Bockelee-Morvan, D. et al. Large excess of heavy nitrogen in both hydrogen cyanide and cyanogen from comet 17P/Holmes. Ap J.679, L49-L52 (2008). 4. Marty, B. et al. Science 319, 75-78 (2008).
Kelley Simon P.
Marty Bernard
Turner Gary
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