Search

We present compositional data for 358 lithic fragments (2–4-mm size range) and 15 soils (

Geochemical data for a comprehensive suite of over 700 samples of massif anorthosite and associated rocks from the Adirondack Mountains, New York, exhibit a ubiquitous mixed tholeiitic and calc-alkaline signature indicating a complex petrogenesis. The origin and relationship of massif anorthosite to associated rocks has been a major petrological problem despite decades of study. The Adirondack Mountains is one of the best areas to study these rocks because it contains one of the world9s most abundant occurrences of massif anorthosite and associated rocks forming bedrock over thousands of square kilometers. The suite of rocks analyzed includes both anorthosite suite rocks, consisting of anorthosites, leucogabbros, gabbros, oxide apatite gabbronorites (OAGNs), and oxide gabbronorites (OGNs) (defined in text), and mangerite suite rocks consisting of jotunites, monzodiorites, mangerites, and charnockites. Representative major-element compositions were determined largely by X-ray fluorescence (XRF) analysis for 352 massif anorthosites and associated rocks and a variety of trace elements were determined by XRF, instrumental neutron activation analysis (INAA), and inductively coupled plasma mass spectroscopy (ICP-MS) for 296 massif anorthosites and associated rocks. All rock types show a mixture of tholeiitic and calc-alkaline compositional characteristics with major elements exhibiting a strong iron enrichment tholeiitic trend and trace elements showing a depletion of Nb and Ta characteristic of calc-alkaline rocks. Prior to this study the geochemistry of these rocks in the Adirondacks has been only poorly characterized from scattered local studies. The anorthosite suite of rocks exhibits two distinct compositional trends. Massif anorthosites, leucogabbros, gabbros, OAGNs, OGNs, along with jotunites, separate into two distinct compositional trends on P 2 O 5 -MgO and TiO 2 -MgO diagrams, whereas monzodiorites, mangerites, and charnockites have only one compositional trend. Two trends in anorthosites are caused by two varieties of anorthosite: one type with a characteristic mineralogy dominated by plagioclase plus pyroxene and another type dominated by plagioclase plus oxide minerals and apatite. Mafic enclaves at some localities near the margins of anorthosite masses contain gabbro, OGN, and OAGN in close spatial association, suggesting they represent crystallization from the same or similar parental magmas at different stages of evolution.

The regolith of the Apollo 16 lunar landing site is composed mainly of feldspathic lithologies but mafic lithologies are also present. A large proportion of the mafic material occurs as glass. We determined the major element composition of 280 mafic glasses (>10 wt% FeO) from six different Apollo 16 soil samples. A small proportion (∼5%) of the glasses are of volcanic origin with picritic compositions. Most, however, are of impact origin. Approximately half of the mafic impact glasses are of basaltic composition and half are of noritic composition with high concentrations of incompatible elements. A small fraction have compositions consistent with impact mixtures of mare material and material of the feldspathic highlands. On the basis of major-element chemistry, we identified six mafic glass groups: VLT picritic glass, low-Ti basaltic glass, high-Ti basaltic glass, high-Al basaltic glass, KREEPy glass, and basaltic-andesite glass. These glass groups encompass ∼60% of the total mafic glasses studied. Trace-element analyses by secondary ion mass spectroscopy for representative examples of each glass group (31 total analyses) support the major-element classifications and groupings. The lack of basaltic glass in Apollo 16 ancient regolith breccias, which provide snapshots of the Apollo 16 soil just after the infall of Imbrium ejecta, leads us to infer that most (if not all) of the basaltic glass was emplaced as ejecta from small- or moderate-sized impacts into the maria surrounding the Apollo 16 site after the Imbrium impact. The high-Ti basaltic glasses likely represent a new type of basalt from Mare Tranquillitatis, whereas the low-Ti and high-Al basaltic glasses possibly represent the composition of the basalts in Mare Nectaris. Both the low-Ti and high-Al basaltic glasses are enriched in light-REEs, which hints at the presence of a KREEP-bearing source region beneath Mare Nectaris. The basaltic andesite glasses have compositions that are siliceous, ferroan, alkali-rich, and moderately titaniferous; they are unlike any previously recognized lunar lithology or glass group. Their likely provenance is within the Procellarum KREEP Terrane, but they are not found within the Apollo 16 ancient regolith breccias and therefore were likely deposited at the Apollo 16 site post-Imbrium. The basaltic-andesite glasses are the most ferroan variety of KREEP yet discovered.

The dominant feature of the olivine Raman spectrum is a doublet that occurs in the spectral region of 815–825 cm � 1 (DB1) and 838– 857 cm � 1 (DB2). These features arise from coupled symmetric and asymmetric stretching vibrational modes of the constituent SiO4 tetrahedra. The frequencies of both peaks show monotonic shifts following cation substitution between forsterite and fayalite. We present a calibration for extracting olivine Fo contents (Fo = Mg/(Mg + Fe) molar ratio; Fo0–100) from the peak positions of this doublet, permitting estimates of chemical composition from Raman spectra (acquired in the laboratory or field) as well as providing information on crystal structure (distinction of polymorphs). Eight samples spanning the compositional range from forsterite to fayalite were used to develop the calibration equations for the DB1 and DB2 peaks individually and together. The data indicate that the DB1 peak is more reliable for calculating the compositions of Fe-rich olivine but that the DB2 peak is better for magnesian compositions. The two-peak calibration overcomes the limitations of the single-peak calibrations and is capable of calculating olivine compositions to within ±10 Fo units.

We present the petrography and geochemistry of five 2-4 mm basalt fragments from the Apollo 16 regolith. These fragments are 1) a high-Ti vitrophyric basalt compositionally similar to Apollo 17 high-Ti mare basalts, 2) a very high-Ti vitrophyric basalt compositionally similar to Apollos 12 and 14 red-black pyroclastic glass, 3) a coarsely crystalline high-Al basalt compositionally similar to group 5 Apollo 14 high-Al mare basalts, 4) a very low-Ti (VLT) crystalline basalt compositionally similar to Luna 24 VLT basalts, and 5) a VLT basaltic glass fragment compositionally similar to Apollo 17 VLT basalts. High-Ti basalt has been reported previously at the Apollo 16 site; the other basalt types have not been reported previously. As there are no known cryptomaria or pyroclastic deposits in the highlands near the Apollo 16 site (ruling out a local origin), and scant evidence for basaltic material in the Apollo 16 ancient regolith breccias or Apollo 16 soils collected near North Ray Crater (ruling out a basin ejecta origin), we infer that the basaltic material in the Apollo 16 regolith originated in maria near the Apollo 16 site and was transported laterally to the site by small- to medium-sized post-basin impacts. On the basis of TiO2 concentrations derived from the Clementine UVVIS data, Mare Tranquillitatis (300 km north) is the most likely source for the high-Ti basaltic material at the Apollo 16 site (craters Ross, Arago, Dionysius, Maskelyne, Moltke, Sosigenes, Schmidt), Mare Nectaris/Sinus Asperitatis (220 km east) is the most likely source for the low-Ti and VLT basaltic material (craters Theophilus, Madler, Torricelli), and a large regional pyroclastic deposit near Mare Vaporum (600 km northwest) is the most likely source region for pyroclastic material (although no source craters are apparent in the region).

We report on the bulk composition and petrography of four new basaltic meteorites found in AntarcticaLAP (LaPaz Icefield) 02205, LAP 02224, LAP 02226, and LAP 02436--and compare the LAP meteorites to other lunar mare basalts. The LAP meteorites are coarse-grained (up to 1.5 mm), subophitic low-Ti basalts composed predominantly of pyroxene and plagioclase, with minor amounts of olivine, ilmenite, and a groundmass dominated by fayalite and cristobalite. All of our observations and results support the hypothesis that the LAP stones are mutually paired with each other. In detail, the geochemistry of LAP is unlike those of any previously studied lunar basalt except lunar meteorite NWA (Northwest Africa) 032. The similarities between LAP and NWA 032 are so strong that the two meteorites are almost certainly source crater paired and could be two different samples of a single basalt flow. Petrogenetic modeling suggests that the parent melt of LAP (and NWA 032) is generally similar to Apollo 15 low-Ti, yellow picritic glass beads, and that the source region for LAP comes from a similar region of the lunar mantle as previously analyzed lunar basalts.

The cover shows part of the Larry's Lookout panorama, seen from the Mars Exploration Rover (MER) Spirit during its drive up Husband Hill: the summit is about 200 metres from the rover. Six papers this week report in detail on the MER mission. An Analysis compares predictions used to select a landing site with the conditions actually encountered. This ‘ground truth’ will be invaluable for interpreting future remote-sensing data. Surface chemistry suggests that the upper layer of soil may contain 1% meteoritic material. MER provides a unique glimpse of solar transits of the moons Phobos and Deimos. Rover Opportunity examined wind-related processes, and spectroscopy indicates a dry origin for atmospheric dust. Features from within the Gusev crater give more information on the role of liquid water in Mars's past. An accompanying News and Views puts the MER data in context. Gusev crater was selected as the landing site for the Spirit rover because of the possibility that it once held a lake. Thus one of the rover's tasks was to search for evidence of lake sediments1. However, the plains at the landing site were found to be covered by a regolith composed of olivine-rich basaltic rock and windblown ‘global’ dust2. The analyses of three rock interiors exposed by the rock abrasion tool showed that they are similar to one another, consistent with having originated from a common lava flow3,4,5,6,7,8. Here we report the investigation of soils, rock coatings and rock interiors by the Spirit rover from sol (martian day) 1 to sol 156, from its landing site to the base of the Columbia hills. The physical and chemical characteristics of the materials analysed provide evidence for limited but unequivocal interaction between water and the volcanic rocks of the Gusev plains. This evidence includes the softness of rock interiors that contain anomalously high concentrations of sulphur, chlorine and bromine relative to terrestrial basalts and martian meteorites9; sulphur, chlorine and ferric iron enrichments in multilayer coatings on the light-toned rock Mazatzal; high bromine concentration in filled vugs and veins within the plains basalts; positive correlations between magnesium, sulphur and other salt components in trench soils; and decoupling of sulphur, chlorine and bromine concentrations in trench soils compared to Gusev surface soils, indicating chemical mobility and separation.

The Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity has investigated the landing site in Eagle crater and the nearby plains within Meridiani Planum. The soils consist of fine-grained basaltic sand and a surface lag of hematite-rich spherules, spherule fragments, and other granules. Wind ripples are common. Underlying the thin soil layer, and exposed within small impact craters and troughs, are flat-lying sedimentary rocks. These rocks are finely laminated, are rich in sulfur, and contain abundant sulfate salts. Small-scale cross-lamination in some locations provides evidence for deposition in flowing liquid water. We interpret the rocks to be a mixture of chemical and siliciclastic sediments formed by episodic inundation by shallow surface water, followed by evaporation, exposure, and desiccation. Hematite-rich spherules are embedded in the rock and eroding from them. We interpret these spherules to be concretions formed by postdepositional diagenesis, again involving liquid water.

The Spirit landing site in Gusev Crater on Mars contains dark, fine-grained, vesicular rocks interpreted as lavas. Pancam and Mini–Thermal Emission Spectrometer (Mini-TES) spectra suggest that all of these rocks are similar but have variable coatings and dust mantles. Magnified images of brushed and abraded rock surfaces show alteration rinds and veins. Rock interiors contain ≤25% megacrysts. Chemical analyses of rocks by the Alpha Particle X-ray Spectrometer are consistent with picritic basalts, containing normative olivine, pyroxenes, plagioclase, and accessory FeTi oxides. Mössbauer, Pancam, and Mini-TES spectra confirm the presence of olivine, magnetite, and probably pyroxene. These basalts extend the known range of rock compositions composing the martian crust.

Using the Raman point-count procedure that we anticipate using in planetary surface exploration, we have identified and characterized the major, minor and trace mineral phases in rock chips of a Martian meteorite, EETA 79001. Raman spectra are shown for pyroxene, olivine, maskelynite (shocked, isotropized feldspar), chromite, magnetite, ilmenite, ulvospinel, pyroxferroite, merrillite, apatite, anatase, an Fe sulfide, calcite and hematite. Raman spectra provide information on compositional variations of pyroxene, olivine and FeTiCr oxides and modal proportions of the rock. The maskelynite-free mineral mode obtained on rough rock surfaces is consistent with modes obtained by optical microscopy on a thin section of lithology A of this meteorite. Compositions and variations in compositions of major silicate minerals (pyroxene and olivine) on the basis of Raman peak positions are consistent with those obtained in previous studies by electron probe microanalysis. The variations in composition of the silicate minerals represent different stages of crystallization during the formation of this rock near the Martian surface. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

We present new compositional data for six feldspathic lunar meteorites, two from cold deserts (Yamato 791197 and 82192) and four from hot deserts (Dhofar 025, Northwest Africa 482, and Dar al Gani 262 and 400). The concentrations of FeO (or Al2O3) and Th (or any other incompatible element) together provide first-order compositional information about lunar polymict samples (breccias and regoliths) and regions of the lunar surface observed from orbit. Concentrations of both elements on the lunar surface have been determined from data acquired by orbiting spacecraft, although the derived concentrations have large uncertainties and some systematic errors compared to sample data. Within the uncertainties and errors in the concentrations derived from orbital data, the distribution of FeO and Th concentrations among lunar meteorites, which represent ∼18 source regions on the lunar surface, is consistent with that of 18 random samples from the surface. Approximately 11 of the lunar meteorites are low-FeO and low-Th breccias, consistent with large regions of the lunar surface, particularly the northern farside highlands. Almost all regoliths from Apollo sites, on the other hand, have larger concentrations of both elements because they contain Fe-rich volcanic lithologies from the nearside maria and Th-rich lithologies from the high-Th anomaly in the northwestern nearside. The feldspathic lunar meteorites thus offer our best estimate of the composition of the surface of the feldspathic highlands, and we provide such an estimate based on the eight most well-characterized feldspathic lunar meteorites. The variable but high (on average) Mg/Fe ratio of the feldspathic lunar meteorites compared to ferroan anorthosites confirms a hypothesis that much of the plagioclase at the surface of the feldspathic highlands is associated with high-Mg/Fe feldspathic rocks such as magnesian granulitic breccia, not ferroan anorthosite. Geochemically, the high-Mg/Fe breccias appear to be unrelated to the mafic magnesian-suite rocks of the Apollo collection. Models for the formation of the upper lunar crust as a simple flotation cumulate composed mainly of ferroan anorthosite do not account for the complexity of the crust as inferred from the feldspathic lunar meteorites.

We have developed a quantitative model for predicting characteristics of ejecta deposits that result from basin-sized cratering events. This model is based on impact crater scaling equations (Housen, Schmitt, and Holsapple 1983; Holsapple 1993) and the concept of ballistic sedimentation (Oberbeck 1975), and takes into account the size distribution of the individual fragments ejected from the primary crater. Using the model, we can estimate, for an area centered at the chosen location of interest, the average distribution of thicknesses of basin ejecta deposits within the area and the fraction of primary ejecta contained within the deposits. Model estimates of ejecta deposit thicknesses are calibrated using those of the Orientale Basin (Moore, Hodges, and Scott 1974) and of the Ries Basin (Horz, Ostertag, and Rainey 1983). Observed densities of secondary craters surrounding the Imbrium and Orientale Basins are much lower than the modeled densities. Similarly, crater counts for part of the northern half of the Copernicus secondary cratering field are much lower than the model predicts, and variation in crater densities with distance from Copernicus is less than expected. These results suggest that mutual obliteration erases essentially all secondary craters associated with the debris surge that arises from the impacting primary fragments during ballistic sedimentation; if so, a process other than ballistic sedimentation is needed to produce observable secondary craters. Regardless, our ejecta deposit model can be useful for suggesting provenances of sampled lunar materials, providing information complementary to photogeological and remote sensing interpretations, and as a tool for planning rover traverses (e.g., Haskin et al. 1995, 2002).

Mineralogy, major element compositions of minerals, and elemental and oxygen isotopic compositions of the whole rock attest to a lunar origin of the meteorite Northwest Africa 032 (NWA 032), an unbrecciated basalt found in October 1999. The rock consists predominantly of olivine, pyroxene and chromite phenocrysts, set in a crystalline groundmass of feldspar, pyroxene, ilmenite, troilite and trace metal. Whole-rock shock veins comprise a minor, but ubiquitous portion of the rock. Undulatory to mosaic extinction in olivine and pyroxene phenocrysts and micro-faults in groundmass and phenocrysts also are attributed to shock. Several geochemical signatures taken together indicate unambiguously that NWA 032 originated from the Moon. The most diagnostic criteria include whole-rock oxygen isotopic composition and ratios of Fe:Mn in the whole rock, olivine, and pyroxene. A lunar origin is documented further by the presence of Fe-metal, troilite, and ilmenite; zoning to extremely Fe-rich compositions in pyroxene; the ferrous oxidation state of all Fe in pyroxene; and the rare-earth element pattern with a well-defined negative europium anomaly. This rock is similar in major element chemistry to basalts from Apollo 12 and 15, but is enriched in light rare-earth elements and has an unusually high Th/Sm ratio. Some Apollo 14 basalts yield a closer match to NWA 032 in rare-earth element patterns, but have higher concentrations of Al2O3. Ar-Ar step release results are complex, but yield a whole-rock age of ca. 2.8 Ga, suggesting that NWA 032 was extruded at 2.8 Ga or earlier. This rock may be the youngest sample of mare basalt collected to date. Noble gas concentrations combined with previously collected radionuclide data indicate that the meteorite exposure history is distinct from currently recognized lunar meteorites. In short, the geochemical and petrographic features of NWA 032 are not matched by Apollo or Luna samples, nor by previously identified lunar meteorites, indicating that it originates from a previously unsampled mare deposit. Detailed assessment of petrographic features, olivine zoning, and thermodynamic modelling indicate a relatively simple cooling and crystallization history for NWA 032. Chromite-spinel, olivine, and pyroxene crystallized as phenocrysts while the magma cooled no faster than 2 °C/hr based on the polyhedral morphology of olivine. Comparison of olivine size with crystal growth rates and preserved Fe-Mg diffusion profiles in olivine phenocrysts suggest that olivine was immersed in the melt for no more than 40 days. Plumose textures in groundmass pyroxene, feldspar, and ilmenite, and Fe-rich rims on the phenocrysts formed during rapid crystallization (cooling rates ~ 20 to 60 °C/hr) after eruption.

On-surface identification of minerals on Mars is likely to depend mainly on observations of rocks and soils as found, without access to fresh surfaces or other sample preparation. Both the original mineralogy of rocks and their alteration mineralogy will be important. To determine the capability of Raman spectroscopy to provide good mineralogical characterization of an altered igneous rock such as might be encountered on Mars, we have analyzed the heavily weathered, exterior surface of a cobble of Keweenawan basalt and compared the results with those from a roughly cut, unpolished interior surface, using a Raman point-counting method. Despite ubiquitous hematite, a strong Raman scatterer, and despite considerable alteration, original igneous plagioclase and pyroxene were identified and their approximate proportions determined from point-counting traverses on the original surface of the rock. Saponite, an alteration product, was easily identified on the freshly cut surface but could only occasionally be identified on the weathered surface, where saponite-rich areas were highly photoluminescent. Amygdular fill gave strong spectra of calcite and thomsonite (a zeolite). Tiny, sparse crustose lichen gave clear spectra of their waxy organic coating. On the basis of the surface Raman spectra alone, the rock could be identified as a mafic rock, probably basaltic, that was hydrothermally altered in an oxidizing environment at a temperature between ∼250 and ∼350°C.

— Mafic, Th-rich impact-melt breccias, most of which are identified with the composition known as low-K Fra Mauro (LKFM), are the most common rock type in the nonmare regoliths of the Apollo lunar landing sites. The origin of mafic impact-melt breccias bears on many lunar problems: the nature of the late meteoroid bombardment (cataclysm); the spatial distribution of KREEP, both near the surface and at depth; the ages of the major basins; and the composition of the early crust of the nearside lunar highlands. Thus, it is crucial that the origin of mafic impact-melt breccias be accurately understood. Because of both intra- and intersite differences in compositions of mafic impact-melt breccia samples, apparent differences in crystallization age, and differences in siderophile-element ratios, previous studies have argued that either (1) most mafic impact-melt breccias are the products of several large craters local to the site at which they were found but that some are of basin origin or that (2) they are all from the Imbrium (Apollos 14 and 15), Nectaris (Apollo 16), and Serenitatis (Apollo 17) basins. Here, we reconsider the hypothesis that virtually all of the Th-rich, mafic impact-melt breccias from the Apollo missions are products of the Imbrium impact. Ejecta deposit modeling based on modern crater scaling indicates that the Imbrium event produced ejecta deposits that average hundreds of meters thick or more at all Apollo highland sites, which is thicker than some previous estimates. Substantial amounts of Imbrium ejecta should have been sampled at every Apollo highland site. We suggest that the mafic impact-melt breccias may be the principal form of those ejecta. The Imbrium projectile impacted into Th-rich material that we regard as part of a unique, mafic, lunar geochemical province we call the High-Th Oval Region. Based on the surface distribution of Th, only basins within the High-Th Oval Region excavated Th-rich material; the Th concentrations of the highlands as observed by the Apollo orbiting γ-ray experiments are consistent with the estimates from ejecta modeling. Of the younger basin-forming impacts, only Imbrium was large enough to produce the copious amount of melt required by the ubiquitous presence of mafic impact-melt breccias in the Apollo-sampled regolith. The High-Th Oval Region still may have been molten or hot at shallow depths ∼4 Ga ago when the Imbrium projectile struck. We reason that compositional heterogeneity of ejected melt breccia is to be expected under these circumstances. We argue that siderophile-element “fingerprints” of mafic impact-melt breccias are not inconsistent with production of all common types by a single projectile. We suggest that the narrow range of ages of 3.7–4.0 Ga for all successfully dated mafic impact-melt breccias may reflect a single event whose age is difficult to measure precisely, rather than a number of discrete impact events closely spaced in time, such that reported age variations among mafic impact-melt breccias reflect the ability to measure 40Ar/39Ar ages with greater precision than the accuracy with which measured portions of mafic impact-melt breccias have recorded the time of their formation.

On Holsnoy, an island off the coast of Western Norway, an anorthositic complex metamorphosed to granulite facies was partially overprinted by a later eclogite facies metamorphism. Eclogite facies rocks (containing omphacite, garnet, kyanite and hydrous phases such as mica and zoisite) occur in shear zones of various scales and adjacent to veins. Previous studies of shear zones on Holsnoy reported evidence for substantial element mobility (Jamtveit et al., 1990; Mattey et al., 1994). In this work, we compare chemical compositions of granulite and its undeformed eclogitized equivalent adjacent to veins in locations where a single band of granulite can be traced and sampled as it approaches the vein. This tracing is crucial because the pre-granulite rocks cover a substantial compositional range, indicative of a petrologically variable protolith consisting of anorthosite, gabbro and jotunite. We analysed multiple core samples collected across nine separate granulite-eclogite transition zones located at veins in anorthositic, jotunitic and gabbroic protoliths for major and trace elements. For each transition, no compositional difference between the average granulite and average eclogite composition was found at the 90% confidence level except for LOI (loss on ignition), which was consistently significantly higher in the eclogite samples. Although not significant at the 90% confidence level for any single traverse, the average eclogite concentrations of SiO2 , Na2O, Cs, As and Br exceed the average granulite concentrations for eight or all nine of the traverses. For most traverses, statistical analysis of the data limits any gain of SiO2 in the eclogites to no more than a few relative per cent. Other than the introduction of volatile substances, presumably an H2O-rich fluid, eclogitization associated with vein formation was essentially isochemical.

Major and trace element compositional data are reported for nine mafic and ultramafic rock samples from the Barberton greenstone belt. Rocks from this province are among the oldest fragments of the Earth's crust (∼3.5 b.y.). The data are consistent with an oceanic crust related origin for these rocks. The high abundances of Ni in these samples make their origin by fractional crystallization of a primitive magma unlikely but are consistent with their generation by partial melting of an upper mantle source. The basaltic samples from the Komati formation can be related by small degrees of partial melting of a primitive upper mantle source to the peridotitic komatiite which probably derived from much more extensive partial melting of a similar source. REE and especially Ni abundances limit the proportion of olivine that is permitted in the residue.

Twenty-seven samples from Boulder 1 at Station 2 are analyzed for major and trace elements by atomic absorption spectrophotometry and neutron activation analysis. Two types of matrix and several types of clast materials are characterized on the basis of their chemistry. It is shown that one matrix type is a common material at the Apollo 17 site, while the other is probably exotic to that site. The most unusual clast materials found are coarse norite (an old rock no longer found in millimeter fragments at the site) and pigeonite basalt (possibly a highland volcanic rock). It is concluded that the boulder-forming process combined materials from at least two different localities or vertical strata.

The content and relative abundance distributions of rare-earth elements were determined in eight samples of ocean sediments. For any particular rare earth, the variation in absolute concentration among the samples did not exceed a factor of 3. The average rare-earth relative abundance distribution for the ocean sediments was the same as that reported previously for limestones, sandstones, and shales. This distribution is distinctly different from that found in ocean water, but this does not imply a state of disequilibrium.

Rare-earth concentrations of standard rocks W-1 and G-1 have been determined by neutron activation analysis. The considerable disagreement with other reported values may indicate inhomogeneity among the samples. The rare-earth distribution in G-1 is highly fractionated with respect to chondrites and sediments; the distribution in W-1 is very similar to that of sediments. Methods for comparing distribution patterns and deducing Eu and Ce anomalies are discussed.

A survey has been made of the abundances of the rare earths (REE) in ultramafic rocks. Samples analyzed were taken from alpine regions, layered intrusions, basaltic nodules, and kimberlite pipes. A wide range of REE concentrations and relative abundances was found. Crystal chemical restrictions and type of field occurrence appear to affect REE abundances in ultramafic rocks. Kimberlites are characteristically quite enriched in the light REE compared to the REE distribution in chondritic meteorites. The only ultramafic rocks found to be relatively depleted in the light REE were those from some of the alpine environments sampled. Some ultramafic rocks from layered intrusions had nearly chondritic REE distributions.

The concentrations of major and trace elements have been determined in igneous rocks from Apollo 15. All materials analyzed have typical depletions of Eu except for minerals separated from sample 15085. Four samples have concentrations of trace elements that are similar to those of KREEP. The samples of mare basalt from Apollo 15 have higher concentrations of FeO, MgO, Mn, and Cr and lower concentrations of CaO, Na2O, K2O, and rare-earth elements (REE) as compared to the samples of mare basalt from Apollos 11, 12, and 14. The samples can be divided into two groups on the basis of their normative compositions. One group is quartz normative and has low concentrations of FeO while the other is olivine normative and has high concentrations of FeO. The trace element data indicate that the samples of olivine normative basalt could be from different portions of a single lava flow.

Neutron-activation analyses confirm the essential constancy of the relative abundances of rare-earth elements for most sediments. Values for yttrium and some of the lanthanides in the Forest City chondrite are given. The yttrium content of 2.15 ppm corresponds to 4.1 atoms of yttrium per 10/sup 6/ silicon atoms for chondrites. Possible reasons for the difference in the sediment and chondrite rare-earth distributions are considered. (auth)

The relative elemental abundances of the rare-earth elements (REE) in a composite of 40 North American shales and in the average for 38 individual sediment samples are found to be identical with each other and with the average determined for sediments of the Russian Platform, to within an experimental uncertainty of ±10% (standard deviation). The average RE distributions for 9 carbonates, 7 sandstones, 5 graywackes, and 8 ocean sediments are identical with the North American shale distribution to within a standard deviation of ±15%, and the average for 9 shales lacks only one element of being so. Only 14 of the 38 individual sediment distributions are identical with the North American shale composite to within ±15%, but fewer than 3% of the distributions differ in any part by a factor of 2 and fewer than 15% of them differ by a factor of 1.5. The spread in absolute RE content for sediments of a given type ranges from a factor of less than 3 for the ocean sediments to more than 30 for the sandstones. The average absolute RE contents increase in the order limestone, sandstone, graywacke, ocean sediment, shale. The absolute RE contents of the shale composites vary from somewhat more than 75 ppm to 335 ppm. The average total RE content of sediments is probably between 150 and 300 ppm. Preliminary results for separated minerals indicate that the bulk of the REE in the St. Peter sandstone is in the quartz, and in the Byron formation limestone it is in the carbonate. Experiments on adsorption of the REE on calcite are described.

A linear correlation between concentrations of Sm and ratios of Sm to Eu for nine lunar samples suggests that those samples could correspond to liquids from equilibrium partial melting of a common source. On the basis of partition coefficients in terrestrial systems, the fraction of melting would not have exceeded about 15 percent and the immediate source could have been composed of olivine, orthopyroxene, and opaque minerals plus at least 25 percent feldspar, with at most a few percent calcic clinopyroxene and less than 1 percent apatite. The large Eu depletions could also have been produced by fractional crystallization if the ratio of Eu(2+) to Eu(3+) in lunar magmas significantly exceeds the values for terrestrial magmas.

Rare-earth relative abundance distribution patterns barely altered from that characteristic of chondritic meteorites have been found in three basalts from the mid-Atlantic ridge and in one from the experimental Mohole. Lanthanum has been depleted to about half its normal chondritic relative abundance in all four specimens, and Ce and Pr have been depleted by 10 to 15 per cent in the ridge basalts. Absolute rare-earth concentrations are 10 to 16 times those of chondritic meteorites and are comparable to those of calcium-rich achondrites. It is probable that the whole-earth lanthanide distribution is identical with the chondritic pattern. The presence of this pattern in terrestrial, chondritic, and achondritic matter is chemical evidence in support of the hypothesis that bodies in the solar system derived from a homogeneous source. No time or mechanism for rare-earth enrichment of the basalts or of the calcium-rich achondrites over chondritic matter is indicated, but mechanisms which would fractionate the rare-earth group may be ruled out.

Rare-earth (RE) abundances are reported for several basalts, diabases, and gabbros. Compared with the RE distribution in chondritic meteorites, continental basic rocks are characterized by an enrichment of the light lanthanides. Intrusive basic rocks have lower RE contents and less fractionated RE distributions than continental basalts. Chill zones of the Stillwater and Bushveld complexes have different distributions which are Eu enriched and light RE depleted. Oceanic island basalts have RE abundances similar to those of continental basalts. Abyssal subalkaline basalts dredged from the mid-Atlantic ridge and Eastern Pacific rise have RE distributions which are nearly chondritic. There is a depletion in La, Ce, Pr, and a broad maximum from Sm to Tb. Similar patterns are found in fresh basalts, slightly altered basalts, and in greenstones. Abyssal basalts that are more alkalic are not depleted in La, Ce, and Pr. The relationship of the RE data to hypotheses for the origin of ridge basalts is considered.

Measurements have been made on the steady‐state creep rates of graphite in tension in the temperature range 2270 to 3270°K. Molded, extruded, and uranium ``loaded'' graphites were used in the course of investigation. The general characteristics of creep in graphite at high temperatures have been described in the literature and the results presented here covering the range of steady‐state creep 10−7 to 10−4 cm/cm‐sec are in accord with published results. In addition, the tensile steady‐state creep data are correlated by a classical rate equation of the form, rate=f(U)(σ/σB)n exp(−E/RT), where f(U) is a function of the uranium concentration in the graphite.

The rare-earth elements in a composite of European shales originally analyzed by Minami in 1935 have been analyzed by neutron activation. The apparent europium deficiency and the differences in relative elemental abundances for the rare earths from American and Russian sediments, as in ferred from the older values, are obviated.

The rare-earth element content of three tektites has been determined by neutron activation analysis. The relative abundance patterns are all nearly alike and are identical to the pattern characteristic of well-differentiated terrestrial sediments. Possible consequences of finding this pattern in truly extraterrestrial matter are considered.