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Evidence from iron meteorites indicates that a large number of differentiated planetesimals formed early in Solar System history. These bodies should have had well-developed olivine-rich mantles and consequentially such materials ought to be abundant both as asteroids and meteorites, which they are not. To investigate this "Great Dunite Shortage" we have undertaken a geochemical and oxygen isotope study of main-group pallasites and dunitic rocks from mesosiderites. Oxygen isotope analysis of 24 main-group pallasites (103 replicates) yielded a mean Delta17O value of -0.187 ± 0.0160/00 (2sigma), which is fully resolved from the HED Delta17O value of -0.246 ± 0.014 (2sigma) obtained in our earlier study and demonstrates that both groups represent distinct populations and were derived from separate parent bodies. Our results show no evidence for Delta17O bimodality within the main-group pallasites, as suggested by a number of previous studies. Olivine-rich materials from the Vaca Muerta, Mount Padbury and Lamont mesosiderites, and from two related dunites (NWA 2968 and NWA 3329), have Delta17O values within error of the mesosiderite average. This indicates that these olivine-rich materials are co-genetic with other mesosiderite clasts and are not fragments from an isotopically distinct pallasite-like impactor. Despite its extreme lithologic diversity the mesosiderite parent body was essentially homogeneous with respect to Delta17O, a feature best explained by an early phase of large-scale melting (magma ocean), followed by prolonged igneous differentiation. Based on the results of magma ocean modeling studies, we infer that Mg-rich olivines in mesosiderites formed as cumulates in high-level chambers and do not represent samples of the underlying mantle. By analogy, recently documented Mg-rich olivines in howardites may have a similar origin. Although the Dawn mission did not detect mesosiderite-like material on Vesta, evidence linking the, Evidence from iron meteorites indicates that a large number of differentiated planetesimals formed early in Solar System history. These bodies should have had well-developed olivine-rich mantles andconsequentially such materials ought to be abundant both as asteroids and meteorites, which they are not. To investigate this "Great DuniteShortage" we have undertaken a geochemical and oxygen isotope study of main-group pallasites and dunitic rocks from mesosiderites.Oxygen isotope analysis of 24 main-group pallasites (103 replicates) yielded a mean Δ17O value of -0.187 ±0.016‰ (2σ), which is fully resolved from the HED Δ17O value of -0.246 ± 0.014 (2σ) obtained in our earlier study and demonstrates that both groups represent distinct populations and were derived from separate parent bodies. Our results show no evidence for Δ17O bimodality within themain-group pallasites, as suggested by a number of previous studies.Olivine-rich materials from the Vaca Muerta, Mount Padbury and Lamont mesosiderites, and from two related dunites (NWA 2968 and NWA 3329), have Δ17O values within error of the mesosiderite average. This indicates that these olivine-rich materials are co-genetic with other mesosiderite clasts and are not fragments from anisotopically distinct pallasite-like impactor. Despite its extreme lithologic diversity the mesosiderite parent body was essentially homogeneous with respect to Δ17O, a feature best explained by an early phase of large-scale melting (magma ocean), followed by prolonged igneous differentiation. Based on the results of magma ocean modeling studies, we infer that Mg-rich olivines in mesosiderites formed as cumulates in high-levelchambers and do not represent samples of the underlying mantle. By analogy, recently documented Mg-rich olivines in howardites may have a similar origin. Although the Dawn mission did not detect mesosiderite-like material on Vesta, evidence linking the mesosiderites and HEDs includes: (i) theirnearly identical oxygen isot

Evidence from iron meteorites indicates that a large number of differentiated planetesimals formed early in Solar System history. These bodies should have had well-developed olivine-rich mantles and consequentially such materials ought to be abundant both as asteroids and meteorites, which they are not. To investigate this "Great Dunite Shortage" we have undertaken a geochemical and oxygen isotope study of main-group pallasites and dunitic rocks from mesosiderites. Oxygen isotope analysis of 24 main-group pallasites (103 replicates) yielded a mean Delta O-17 value of -0.187 +/- 0.016 parts per thousand (2 sigma), which is fully resolved from the HED Delta O-17 value of -0.246 +/- 0.014 (2 sigma) obtained in our earlier study and demonstrates that both groups represent distinct populations and were derived from separate parent bodies. Our results show no evidence for Delta O-17 bimodality within the main-group pallasites, as suggested by a number of previous studies. Olivine-rich materials from the Vaca Muerta, Mount Padbury and Lamont mesosiderites, and from two related dunites (NWA 2968 and NWA 3329), have Delta O-17 values within error of the mesosiderite average. This indicates that these olivine-rich materials are co-genetic with other mesosiderite clasts and are not fragments from an isotopically distinct pallasite-like impactor. Despite its extreme lithologic diversity the mesosiderite parent body was essentially homogeneous with respect to Delta O-17, a feature best explained by an early phase of large-scale melting (magma ocean), followed by prolonged igneous differentiation. Based on the results of magma ocean modeling studies, we infer that Mg-rich olivines in mesosiderites formed as cumulates in high-level chambers and do not represent samples of the underlying mantle. By analogy, recently documented Mg-rich olivines in howardites may have a similar origin. Although the Dawn mission did not detect mesosiderite-like material on Vesta, evidence linking the