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Timing Solar System formation The oldest solids that formed in the Solar System are calcium-aluminium–rich inclusions (CAIs), small metallic droplets that were later incorporated into meteorites. The ages of CAIs are conventionally taken as the age of the Solar System, but which exact moment in star formation they correspond to has been unclear. Brennecka et al. measured molybdenum isotope ratios in CAIs and found a wide range of origins in both the inner and outer Solar System. They propose that CAIs formed from heterogeneous material accreting from the presolar nebula and that the ages of CAIs coincide with the Sun's transition from a protostar to a pre–main sequence star. Science , this issue p. 837

A large, igneous-textured, and 2 cm-sized spherical object from the L5/6 chondrite NWA 8192 was investigated for its chemical composition, petrography, O isotopic composition, and Hf-W chronology. The petrography and chemical data indicate that this object closely resembles commonly found chondrules in ordinary chondrites and is therefore classified as a “macrochondrule.* As a result of metal loss during its formation, the macrochondrule exhibits elevated Hf/W, which makes it possible to date this object using the short-lived 182Hf-182W system. The Hf-W data provide a two-stage model age for metal–silicate fractionation of 1.4 ± 0.6 Ma after Ca-Al-rich inclusion (CAI) formation, indicating that the macrochondrule formed coevally to normal-sized chondrules from ordinary chondrites. By contrast, Hf-W data for metal from the host chondrite yield a younger model age of ~11 Ma after CAIs. This younger age agrees with Hf-W ages of other type 5–6 ordinary chondrites, and corresponds to the time of cooling below the Hf-W closure temperature during thermal metamorphism on the parent body. The Hf-W model age difference between the macrochondrule and the host metal demonstrates that the Hf-W systematics of the bulk macrochondrule were not disturbed during thermal metamorphism, and therefore, that the formation age of such objects can still be determined even in strongly metamorphosed samples. Collectively, this study illustrates that chondrule formation was not limited to mm-size objects, implying that the rarity of macrochondrules reflects either that this process was very inefficient, that subsequent nebular size-sorting decimated large chondrules, or that large precursors were rare.

Description, An integrated assessment of isotopic variations among meteorites reveals the process by which Earth and Mars are formed., Two fundamentally different processes of rocky planet formation exist, but it is unclear which one built the terrestrial planets of the solar system. They formed either by collisions among planetary embryos from the inner solar system or by accreting sunward-drifting millimeter-sized “pebbles” from the outer solar system. We show that the isotopic compositions of Earth and Mars are governed by two-component mixing among inner solar system materials, including material from the innermost disk unsampled by meteorites, whereas the contribution of outer solar system material is limited to a few percent by mass. This refutes a pebble accretion origin of the terrestrial planets but is consistent with collisional growth from inner solar system embryos. The low fraction of outer solar system material in Earth and Mars indicates the presence of a persistent dust-drift barrier in the disk, highlighting the specific pathway of rocky planet formation in the solar system.

The isotopic composition of meteorites and terrestrial planets holds important clues about the earliest history of the Solar System and the processes of planet formation. Recent work has shown that meteorites exhibit a fundamental isotopic dichotomy between non-carbonaceous (NC) and carbonaceous (CC) groups, which most likely represent material from the inner and outer Solar System, respectively. Here we review the isotopic evidence for this NC–CC dichotomy, discuss its origin and highlight the far-reaching implications for the dynamics of the solar protoplanetary disk. The NC–CC dichotomy combined with the chronology of meteorite parent-body accretion mandate an early and prolonged spatial separation of inner (NC) and outer (CC) disk reservoirs, lasting between ~1 and ~4 Myr after Solar System formation. This is most easily reconciled with the early and rapid growth of Jupiter’s core, inhibiting substantial exchange of material from inside and outside its orbit. The growth and migration of Jupiter also led to the later implantation of CC bodies into the inner Solar System and, therefore, can explain the co-occurrence of NC and CC bodies in the asteroid belt, and the delivery of volatile and water-rich CC bodies to the terrestrial planets. Cosmochemical measurements reveal the existence of two distinct reservoirs of non-carbonaceous and carbonaceous materials, originating from the inner and outer protoplanetary disk, respectively, which separated after the first million years after the birth of the Solar System, possibly due to the rapid growth of Jupiter’s core.

Significance Understanding the history of volatile species such as water in the Earth–Moon system is a major objective of planetary science. In this work, we use the moderately volatile element Rb, which has a long-lived isotope ( 87 Rb) that decays to 87 Sr, to show that lunar volatile element depletion was not caused by the Moon-forming impact. The Rb–Sr systematics of lunar rocks mandate that the bodies involved in the impact that formed the Earth–Moon system were depleted in volatile elements relative to the bulk solar system prior to the impact. As such, Earth’s relatively small proportion of water is either primarily indigenous or was added after the Giant Impact from a source that contained essentially no moderately volatile elements.

Non-magmatic iron meteorites, including the IIE group, can provide important insights into the history of metal-silicate differentiation and collisions on planetesimals. To better constrain the evolution of metal segregation and impacts on the IIE parent body, W isotopic data are reported for 10 IIE iron meteorites and a metal vein from the Portales Valley H6 chondrite. In addition, Pt isotopic data were obtained to quantify cosmic ray-induced neutron capture effects on W isotopes. After correction for these effects, the IIE iron meteorites exhibit variable pre-exposure 182W compositions, translating into Hf-W model age clusters of ∼4–5 million years (Ma), ∼10 Ma, ∼15 Ma, and ∼27 Ma after CAI formation. These distinct 182W clusters likely represent samples from several discrete metallic melt pools on the IIE parent asteroid. The earliest metal segregation event at ∼4–5 Ma was likely facilitated by 26Al decay as an internal heat source. By contrast, the younger Hf-W model ages may not be chronologically meaningful, and probably reflect the effects of secondary mixing and re-equilibration of metal and silicates, likely facilitated by impacts on the IIE parent body. Thus, contrary to prior work, the Hf-W systematics of IIE iron meteorites do not require a protracted history of metal-silicate separation on the IIE parent body. Instead the results of this study are fully consistent with a single partial metal-silicate differentiation event driven by endogenic heating at ∼4–5 Ma, followed by one or multiple impact events causing mixing and re-equilibration of metal and silicates at a later stage. The exact timing of these impact event(s) remains poorly constrained, but they most likely occurred in the first few tens of Ma of Solar System history.

Recent work has identified a nucleosynthetic isotope dichotomy between “carbonaceous” (CC) and “non-carbonaceous” (NC) meteorites. Here, we report new Ru isotope data for rare iron meteorite groups belonging to the NC and CC suites. We show that by studying the relative isotopic characteristics of Ru, Mo, and W in iron meteorites, it is possible to constrain the processes leading to the distinct isotope heterogeneities in both reservoirs. In NC meteorites, internally normalized, mass-independent isotope ratios of Mo and Ru are correlated, but those of Mo and W are not. In CC meteorites, Mo and W isotope ratios are correlated, but those of Mo and Ru are not; specifically, Mo isotopic compositions are variable and those of Ru are more restricted. The contrasting behaviors of Ru and W relative to Mo in the two reservoirs likely require processing of the presolar carriers under distinct redox conditions. This provides further evidence that NC and CC meteorites originated from spatially separated reservoirs that evolved under different prevailing conditions.

The abundances of highly siderophile elements (HSE: Re, Os, Ir, Ru, Pt, Pd), as well as (187)Re-(187)Os and (182)Hf-(182)W isotopic systematics were determined for separated metal, slightly magnetic, and nonmagnetic fractions from seven H4 to H6 ordinary chondrites. The HSE are too abundant in nonmagnetic fractions to reflect metal-silicate equilibration. The disequilibrium was likely a primary feature, as (187)Re-(187)Os data indicate only minor open-system behavior of the HSE in the slightly and non-magnetic fractions. (182)Hf-(182)W data for slightly magnetic and nonmagnetic fractions define precise isochrons for most meteorites that range from 5.2 ± 1.6 Ma to 15.2 ± 1.0 Ma after calcium aluminum inclusion (CAI) formation. By contrast, (182)W model ages for the metal fractions are typically 2–5 Ma older than the slope-derived isochron ages for their respective, slightly magnetic and nonmagnetic fractions, with model ages ranging from 1.4 ± 0.8 Ma to 12.6 ± 0.9 Ma after CAI formation. This indicates that the W present in the silicates and oxides was not fully equilibrated with the metal when diffusive transport among components ceased, consistent with the HSE data. Further, the W isotopic compositions of size-sorted metal fractions from some of the H chondrites also differ, indicating disequilibrium among some metal grains. The chemical/isotopic disequilibrium of siderophile elements among H chondrite components is likely the result of inefficient diffusion of siderophile elements from silicates and oxides to some metal and/or localized equilibration as H chondrites cooled towards their respective Hf-W closure temperatures. The tendency of (182)Hf-(182)W isochron ages to young from H5 to H6 chondrites may indicate derivation of these meteorites from a slowly cooled, undisturbed, concentrically-zoned parent body, consistent with models that have been commonly invoked for H chondrites. Overlap of isochron ages for H4 and H5 chondrites, by contrast, appear to be more consistent with shallow impact disruption models. The W isotopic composition of metal from one CR chondrite was examined to compare with H chondrite metals. In contrast to the H chondrites, the CR chondrite metal is characterized by an enrichment in (183)W that is consistent with nucleosynthetic s-process depletion. Once corrected for the correlative nucleosynthetic effect on (182)W, the (182)W model age for this meteorite of 7.0 ± 3.6 Ma is within the range of model ages of most metal fractions from H chondrites. The metal is therefore too young to be a direct nebular condensate, as proposed by some prior studies.

The fundamentally different isotopic compositions of non-carbonaceous (NC) and carbonaceous (CC) meteorites reveal the presence of two distinct reservoirs in the solar protoplanetary disk that were likely separated by Jupiter. However, the extent of material exchange between these reservoirs, and how this affected the composition of the inner disk are not known. Here we show that NC meteorites display broadly correlated isotopic variations for Mo, Ti, Cr, and Ni, indicating the addition of isotopically distinct material to the inner disk. The added material resembles bulk CC meteorites and Ca-Al-rich inclusions in terms of its enrichment in neutron-rich isotopes, but unlike the latter materials is also enriched in s-process nuclides. The comparison of the isotopic composition of NC meteorites with the accretion ages of their parent bodies reveals that the isotopic variations within the inner disk do not reflect a continuous compositional change through the addition of CC dust, indicating an efficient separation of the NC and CC reservoirs and limited exchange of material between the inner and outer disk. Instead, the isotopic variations among NC meteorites more likely record a rapidly changing composition of the disk during infall from the Sun's parental molecular cloud, where each planetesimal locks the instant composition of the disk when it forms. A corollary of this model is that late-formed planetesimals in the inner disk predominantly accreted from secondary dust that was produced by collisions among pre-existing NC planetesimals., Accepted for publication in Astrophysical Journal Letters, June 17, 2020

The isotopic dichotomy between non-carbonaceous (NC) and carbonaceous (CC) meteorites indicates that meteorite parent bodies derive from two genetically distinct reservoirs, which presumably were located inside (NC) and outside (CC) the orbit of Jupiter and remained isolated from each other for the first few million years of the solar system. Here we review the discovery of the NC–CC dichotomy and its implications for understanding the early history of the solar system, including the formation of Jupiter, the dynamics of terrestrial planet formation, and the origin and nature of Earth’s building blocks. The isotopic difference between the NC and CC reservoirs is probably inherited from the solar system’s parental molecular cloud and has been maintained through the rapid formation of Jupiter that prevented significant exchange of material from inside (NC) and outside (CC) its orbit. The growth and/or migration of Jupiter resulted in inward scattering of CC bodies, which accounts for the co-occurrence of NC and CC bodies in the present-day asteroid belt and the delivery of presumably volatile-rich CC bodies to the growing terrestrial planets. Earth’s primitive mantle, at least for siderophile elements like Mo, has a mixed NC–CC composition, indicating that Earth accreted CC bodies during the final stages of its growth, perhaps through the Moon-forming giant impactor. The late-stage accretion of CC bodies to Earth is sufficient to account for the entire budget of Earth’s water and highly volatile species.

Small-scale W isotope variations in ancient and modern terrestrial rocks provide insights into Earth's accretion and early differentiation history as well as the long-term evolution of the Earth's mantle. Tungsten isotope studies on such rocks have exploited advances in mass spectrometry, both NTIMS and MC-ICPMS, which now permit the determination of W isotope ratios at unprecedented precision. While W isotope studies performed in different labs by MC-ICPMS and NTIMS generally exhibit excellent agreement, obtaining accurate W isotope data at this level of precision remains analytically challenging. For example, a recent NTIMS study reported a relatively large, +24 ppm excess in 182W/184W for a Phanerozoic sample from the Ontong Java Plateau (OJP), but no such 182W/184W anomaly was found in another study by MC-ICPMS. The present study aims to resolve the discrepancy between these two previous studies, and more generally to evaluate the agreement between different recent W isotope studies by NTIMS and MC-ICPMS. To this end, we report new W isotope data for OJP drill core samples obtained by MC-ICPMS. The OJP samples analyzed here exhibit no resolvable 182W/184W excess relative to the standards and most terrestrial rocks. Moreover, the OJP samples as well as the terrestrial rock standards analyzed here exhibit small but variable W isotope variations for ratios involving 183W, producing coupled variations in both ‘radiogenic’ (i.e., 182W/183W) and ‘non-radiogenic’ (i.e., 183W/184W) ratios. These W isotope variations are analytical in origin, induced during sample preparation, and very likely caused by a nuclear field shift isotope fractionation affecting primarily the odd isotope (183W). The recently reported 182W excess for an OJP sample may result from this nuclear field shift effect, as the NTIMS analyses had to rely on a double normalization involving the 183W/184W ratio. More generally, these results demonstrate that using 183W data from any MC-ICPMS or NTIMS study requires a careful quantification of any potential analytical 183W effect. Nevertheless, once such effects are taken into account, then both 182W/184W and 183W/184W can accurately be determined to a very high level of precision.

Renazzo-type carbonaceous (CR) chondrites are distinct from most other chondrites in having younger chondrule 26Al-26Mg ages, but the significance of these ages and whether they reflect true formation times or spatial variations of the 26Al/27Al ratio within the solar protoplanetary disk are a matter of debate. To address these issues and to determine the timescales of metal-silicate fractionation and chondrule formation in CR chondrites, we applied the short-lived 182Hf-182W chronometer to metal, silicate, and chondrule separates from four CR chondrites. We also obtained Mo isotope data for the same samples to assess potential genetic links among the components of CR chondrites, and between these components and bulk chondrites. All investigated samples plot on a single Hf-W isochron and constrain the time of metal-silicate fractionation in CR chondrites to 3.6 ± 0.6 million years (Ma) after the formation of Ca-Al-rich inclusions (CAIs). This age is indistinguishable from a ∼3.7 Ma Al-Mg age for CR chondrules, suggesting not only that metal-silicate fractionation and chondrule formation were coeval, but also that these two processes were linked to each other. The good agreement of the Hf-W and Al-Mg ages, combined with concordant Hf-W and Al-Mg ages for angrites and CV chondrules, provides strong evidence for a disk-wide, homogeneous distribution of 26Al in the early solar system. As such, the young Al-Mg ages for CR chondrules do not reflect spatial 26Al/27Al heterogeneities but indicate that CR chondrules formed ∼1–2 Ma later than chondrules from most other chondrite groups. Metal and silicate in CR chondrites exhibit distinct nucleosynthetic Mo and W isotope anomalies, which are caused by the heterogeneous distribution of the same presolar s-process carrier. These data suggest that the major components of CR chondrites are genetically linked and therefore formed from a single reservoir of nebular dust, most likely by localized melting events within the solar protoplanetary disk. Taken together, the chemical, isotopic, and chronological data for components of CR chondrites imply a close temporal link between chondrule formation and chondrite accretion, indicating that the CR chondrite parent body is one of the youngest meteorite parent bodies. The relatively late accretion of the CR parent body is consistent with its isotopic composition (for instance the elevated 15N/14N) that suggests a formation at a larger heliocentric distance, probably beyond the orbit of Jupiter. As such, the accretion age of the CR chondrite parent body of ∼3.6 Ma after CAI formation provides the earliest possible time at which Jupiter's growth could have led to scattering of carbonaceous meteorite parent bodies from beyond its orbit into the inner solar system.

To constrain the timescales and processes involved in the crystallization and cooling of protoplanetary cores, we examined the Pd-Ag isotope systematics of the IVA iron meteorites Muonionalusta and Gibeon. A Pd-Ag isochron for Muonionalusta provides an initial 107 Pd/ 108 Pd = (2.57 ± 0.07) × 10 −5 . The three metal samples analyzed from Gibeon plot below the Muonionalusta isochron, but these samples also show significant effects of cosmic ray-induced neutron capture reactions, as is evident from 196 Pt excesses in the Gibeon samples. After correction for neutron capture effects on Ag isotopes, the Gibeon samples plot on the Muonionalusta isochron, indicating that these two IVA irons have indistinguishable initial 107 Pd/ 108 Pd. Collectively, the Pd-Ag data indicate cooling of the IVA core below Pd-Ag closure between 2.9 ± 0.4 Ma and 8.9 ± 0.6 Ma after CAI formation, where this age range reflects uncertainties in the initial 107 Pd/ 108 Pd ratios of the solar system, which in turn result from uncertainties in the Pb-Pb age of Muonionalusta. The Ag isotopic data indicate that the IVA core initially evolved with a modestly elevated Pd/Ag, but the low Ag concentrations measured for some metal samples indicate derivation from a source with much lower Ag contents and, hence, higher Pd/Ag. These contrasting observations can be reconciled if the IVA irons crystallized from an initially more Ag-rich core, followed by extraction of Fe-S melts during compaction of the nearly solidified core. Owing to its strong tendency to partition into Fe-S melts, Ag was removed from the IVA core during compaction, leading to the very low Ag concentration observed in metal samples of IVA irons. Alternatively, Ag was lost by evaporation from a still molten metallic body just prior to the onset of crystallization. The Pd-Ag isotopic data indicate that Muonionalusta cooled at >500 K/Ma through the Pd-Ag closure temperature of ∼900 K, consistent with the rapid cooling inferred from metallographic cooling rates for IVA irons. Combined, these observations are consistent with cooling of IVA irons in a metallic body with little or no silicate mantle.

The giant impact model of lunar origin predicts that the Moon mainly consists of impactor material. As a result, the Moon is expected to be isotopically distinct from the Earth, but it is not. To account for this unexpected isotopic similarity of the Earth and Moon, several solutions have been proposed, including (i) post-giant impact Earth–Moon equilibration, (ii) alternative models that make the Moon predominantly out of proto-Earth mantle, and (iii) formation of the Earth and Moon from an isotopically homogeneous disk reservoir. Here we use W isotope systematics of lunar samples to distinguish between these scenarios. We report high-precision 182W data for several low-Ti and high-Ti mare basalts, as well as for Mg-suite sample 77215, and lunar meteorite Kalahari 009, which complement data previously obtained for KREEP-rich samples. In addition, we utilize high-precision Hf isotope and Ta/W ratio measurements to empirically quantify the superimposed effects of secondary neutron capture on measured 182W compositions. Our results demonstrate that there are no resolvable radiogenic 182W variations within the Moon, implying that the Moon differentiated later than 70 Ma after Solar System formation. In addition, we find that samples derived from different lunar sources have indistinguishable 182W excesses, confirming that the Moon is characterized by a small, uniform ∼+26 parts-per-million excess in 182W over the present-day bulk silicate Earth. This 182W excess is most likely caused by disproportional late accretion to the Earth and Moon, and after considering this effect, the pre-late veneer bulk silicate Earth and the Moon have indistinguishable 182W compositions. Mixing calculations demonstrate that this Earth–Moon 182W similarity is an unlikely outcome of the giant impact, which regardless of the amount of impactor material incorporated into the Moon should have generated a significant 182W excess in the Moon. Consequently, our results imply that post-giant impact processes might have modified 182W, leading to the similar 182W compositions of the pre-late veneer Earth's mantle and the Moon.

Mars probably accreted within the first 10 million years of Solar System formation and likely underwent magma ocean crystallization and crust formation soon thereafter. To assess the nature and timescales of these large-scale mantle differentiation processes we applied the short-lived 182 Hf– 182 W and 146 Sm– 142 Nd chronometers to a comprehensive suite of martian meteorites, including several shergottites, augite basalt NWA 8159, orthopyroxenite ALH 84001 and polymict breccia NWA 7034. Compared to previous studies the 182 W data are significantly more precise and have been obtained for a more diverse suite of martian meteorites, ranging from samples from highly depleted to highly enriched mantle and crustal sources. Our results show that martian meteorites exhibit widespread 182 W/ 184 W variations that are broadly correlated with 142 Nd/ 144 Nd, implying that silicate differentiation (and not core formation) is the main cause of the observed 182 W/ 184 W differences. The combined 182 W– 142 Nd systematics are best explained by magma ocean crystallization on Mars within ∼20–25 million years after Solar System formation, followed by crust formation ∼15 million years later. These ages are indistinguishable from the I–Pu–Xe age for the formation of Mars' atmosphere, indicating that the major differentiation of Mars into mantle, crust, and atmosphere occurred between 20 and 40 million years after Solar System formation and, hence, earlier than previously inferred based on Sm–Nd chronometry alone.

The age of Jupiter, the largest planet in our Solar System, is still unknown. Gas-giant planet formation likely involved the growth of large solid cores, followed by the accumulation of gas onto these cores. Thus, the gas-giant cores must have formed before dissipation of the solar nebula, which likely occurred within less than 10 My after Solar System formation. Although such rapid accretion of the gas-giant cores has successfully been modeled, until now it has not been possible to date their formation. Here, using molybdenum and tungsten isotope measurements on iron meteorites, we demonstrate that meteorites derive from two genetically distinct nebular reservoirs that coexisted and remained spatially separated between ∼1 My and ∼3-4 My after Solar System formation. The most plausible mechanism for this efficient separation is the formation of Jupiter, opening a gap in the disk and preventing the exchange of material between the two reservoirs. As such, our results indicate that Jupiter's core grew to ∼20 Earth masses within

Tungsten stable isotopes hold great potential to examine a variety of physical and chemical processes operating during the accretion and differentiation of asteroids and terrestrial planets, such as core formation and mantle–crust differentiation. To assess the magnitude and origin of W isotope fractionations, we determined the W stable isotopic compositions of six USGS geological reference materials, a NIST steel, and 24 iron meteorites and chondrites. The W isotope data were obtained using multi-collector inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (MC-ICPMS) and using a 180W–183W double spike. Chondrites and iron meteorites exhibit a very narrow range in W stable isotope compositions, resulting in a mean δ184/183W = 0.027 ± 0.007‰ (95% conf.) relative to the NIST 3163 W standard. This value represents a good estimate for the W stable isotope composition of bulk planetary bodies from the inner solar system. The δ184/183W of some iron meteorites slightly deviates from this value, most likely due to W isotope fractionations induced during crystallization of the metal cores of iron meteorite parent bodies. The investigated terrestrial silicate rocks exhibit a narrow range in δ184/183W, which for most samples is indistinguishable from the mean value of chondrites and iron meteorites. However, felsic samples tend to be isotopically lighter than mafic samples, indicating that magmatic processes on Earth induced W isotope fractionations. These fractionations are possibly related to the fluid-mobility of W in subduction zones, but more data are needed to test this hypothesis. Given that most terrestrial igneous rocks are isotopically indistinguishable from chondrites and iron meteorites, core formation on Earth does not seem to have induced a measurable isotopic fractionation for W. However, more data are needed to firmly arrive at this conclusion.

The higher-than-expected concentrations of highly siderophile elements (HSE) in Earth's mantle most likely indicate that Earth received a small amount of late accreted mass after core formation had ceased, known as the ‘late veneer’. Small 182W excesses in the Moon and in some Archaean rocks – such as the source of 3.8 billion-year-old Isua magmatics – also appear consistent with the late veneer hypothesis, with a lower proportion received. However, 182W anomalies can also relate to other processes, including early mantle differentiation. To better assess the origin of these W isotope anomalies – and specifically whether they relate to the late veneer – we have determined the HSE abundances and 182W compositions of a suite of mafic to ultramafic rocks from Isua, from which we estimate HSE abundances in the source mantle and ultimately constrain the 182W composition of the pre-late veneer mantle. Our data suggest that the Isua source mantle had HSE abundances at around 50–65% of the present-day mantle, consistent with partial, but not complete, isolation from the late veneer. These data also indicate that at least part of the late veneer had been added and mixed into the mantle at the time the Isua source formed, prior to 3.8 Ga. For the same Isua samples we obtained a 13 ± 4 ppm 182W excess, compared to the modern terrestrial mantle, in excellent agreement with previous data. Using combined 182W and HSE data we show that the Moon, Isua, and the present-day bulk silicate Earth (BSE) produce a well-defined co-variation between 182W composition and the mass fraction of late-accreted mass, as inferred from HSE abundances. This co-variation is consistent with the calculated effects of various late accretion compositions on the HSE and 182W signatures of Earth's mantle. The empirical relationship, therefore, implies that the Moon, Isua source and BSE received increasing proportions of late-accreted mass, supporting the idea of disproportional late accretion to the Earth and Moon, and consistent with the interpretation that the lunar 182W value of 27 ± 4 ppm represents the composition of Earth's mantle before the late veneer was added. In this case, the Isua source can represent ambient mantle after the giant moon-forming impact, into which only a part of Earth's full late veneer was mixed, rather than an isotopically distinct mantle domain produced by early differentiation, which would probably require survival through the giant Moon-forming impact.

The short-lived 107 Pd– 107 Ag system is a versatile tool for dating iron meteorites, but neutron capture reactions during cosmic ray-exposure might have modified Ag isotope compositions. These cosmic ray-induced effects would vary depending on the exposure time of a sample and its location within the parent meteoroid and, therefore, could bias the age information inferred from Pd–Ag isotope systematics. Our new combined Pd–Ag and Pt isotope data for iron meteorites in conjunction with model calculations reveal large cosmic ray-induced downward shifts of 107 Ag/ 109 Ag, which preclude the determination of Pd–Ag isochrons based on measured Ag isotope compositions. For the strongly irradiated iron meteorites Ainsworth (IIAB) and Carbo (IID) these shifts are similar to or even larger than the effects from radiogenic ingrowth resulting from 107 Pd-decay. For the less strongly irradiated IIIAB iron meteorites Boxhole, Grant and Henbury, the cosmic ray-induced shifts are smaller than the radiogenic 107 Ag excesses, but are nevertheless significant. We have developed a method to quantify the cosmic ray-induced Ag isotope shifts using a neutron capture model and Pt isotope compositions as the neutron dose monitor. After correction, Pd–Ag isochrons are obtained for all investigated iron meteorites, even for the most strongly irradiated samples. The Pd–Ag ages inferred from the isochrons are in good agreement with other chronological data for iron meteorites, indicating that our neutron capture model provides a reliable correction method for quantifying cosmic ray-induced shifts on measured Ag isotope compositions. The Pd–Ag ages for iron meteorites obtained in this and previous studies indicate rapid crystallization and cooling of the parental metal cores within a few Ma after core formation and solar system formation. Such rapid cooling can be attributed to either small parent body sizes or collisional erosion of the insulating silicate mantle from larger bodies. The collisions would have facilitated rapid cooling below Pd–Ag isotopic closure and so in this case the Pd–Ag ages would effectively date the time of the collisions.

Determining the timescales of the accretion and chemical differentiation of meteorite parent bodies provides some of the most direct constraints on the formation of planetesimals and the earliest stages of planet formation. We present high-precision Hf–W isotope data for a comprehensive set of ureilites, ultramafic mantle restites derived from a partially melted and incompletely differentiated asteroid. All samples are characterized by strong 182W deficits, indicating that silicate melt extraction on the ureilite parent body at 3.3 ± 0.7 Ma after CAI formation postdated core formation in iron meteorite parent bodies by ∼2–3 Ma. Thermal modeling of planetesimal heating by 26Al-decay combined with the new Hf–W data indicates that the ureilite parent body accreted at ∼1.6 Ma after CAI formation and, therefore, more than ∼1 Ma later than iron meteorite parent bodies, but more than ∼0.5 Ma earlier that most chondrite parent bodies. Due to its relatively ‘late’ accretion, the ureilite parent body contained too little 26Al to cause complete melting and, therefore, would have probably remained incompletely differentiated even without exhaustion of 26Al by silicate melt segregation. Our results show that both in terms of degree of differentiation and accretion timescale the ureilite parent body is intermediate between fully differentiated and undifferentiated bodies, implying that there is an inverse correlation between extent of melting and metal–silicate separation versus time of accretion and differentiation.

Nucleosynthetic isotope anomalies in bulk chondrites and differentiated meteorites reflect variable proportions of isotopically diverse presolar components in bulk planetary bodies, but the origin of these heterogeneities is not well understood. Here, the Ru isotope composition of a comprehensive suite of iron meteorites and bulk samples of ordinary, enstatite and carbonaceous chondrites, as well as acid leachates and an insoluble residue of the Allende chondrite are examined using newly developed multi-collector inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry techniques. Except for IAB iron meteorites and enstatite chondrites, all investigated meteorites show well-resolved Ru isotope anomalies. Of these, within-group Ru isotopic variations observed for samples from a given chemical group of iron meteorites reflect secondary neutron capture induced Ru isotope shifts during prolonged cosmic ray-exposure. After correction of these cosmogenic effects using Pt isotopes as a neutron-dose monitor, the remaining Ru isotope anomalies are nucleosynthetic in nature and are consistent with a deficit in s-process Ru in iron meteorite parent bodies. Similarly, Ru isotope anomalies in bulk ordinary and carbonaceous chondrites also reflect a deficiency in s-process Ru. The sequential dissolution of Allende reveals the presence of an HF-soluble s-process carrier, which is either an unidentified presolar phase or a component that incorporated s-process Ru liberated from SiC grains during nebular or parent body processes. We show that varying proportions of the s-process carrier identified in Allende resulted in the correlated Ru isotope anomalies observed for bulk meteorites, and that all meteorites (except possibly IAB irons and enstatite chondrites) are depleted in this s-process component relative to Ru from the Earth’s mantle. Bulk meteorites exhibit correlated Ru and Mo isotope anomalies, reflecting variable deficits of a common s-process component, but some iron meteorites and carbonaceous chondrites appear to deviate from this correlation. This may reflect unaccounted cosmic effects on Mo isotopes in iron meteorites, sample heterogeneities in carbonaceous chondrites or nebular and parent body processes acting differently on presolar Mo and Ru components. The identification of s-deficits in Ru isotopes in almost all iron meteorites and chondrites investigated so far implies that meteorites do not seem to represent the material delivered to the Earth’s mantle as a late veneer after cessation of core formation. However, additional analyses of a more comprehensive set of chondrites are necessary to firmly arrive at this conclusion.

The mantle of Mars probably differentiated through the crystallization of a magma ocean during the first tens of million years (Ma) of Solar System evolution. However, the exact timescale of large-scale silicate differentiation of the martian mantle is debated, and in particular, it remains unclear when differentiation commenced. Here we applied the short-lived 53Mn-53Cr system to martian meteorites in order to date the onset of large-scale mantle differentiation on Mars. The new Cr isotope data demonstrate that martian meteorites exhibit no resolvable radiogenic 53Cr variations, and instead have a uniform +20.3±1.4 (95% conf.) parts-per-million excess in 53Cr/52Cr relative to the terrestrial mantle. The investigated group of martian meteorites are lithologically varied and derive from diverse mantle sources that probably had variable Mn/Cr. Hence, the lack of 53Cr variability among martian meteorites demonstrates that silicate differentiation on Mars occurred after the extinction of 53Mn. Provided that the sources of the martian meteorites have Mn/Cr variations that are typical of the terrestrial planets, this result implies that the onset of large-scale silicate differentiation must have occurred later than 20±5 Ma after Solar System formation. The onset of silicate differentiation on Mars inferred here is significantly later than time estimates for segregation of the martian core which conservatively occurred within

Precise measurements of the tungsten isotopic composition of lunar rocks show that the Moon exhibits a well-resolved excess of 182W of about 27 parts per million over the present-day Earth’s mantle: this excess is consistent with the expected 182W difference resulting from a late veneer with a total mass and composition inferred from previously measured highly siderophile elements. Two papers published in this issue of Nature present precise measurements of tungsten isotope composition in lunar rocks that are best explained by the Earth and Moon having had similar composition immediately following formation of the Moon, and then having diverged as a result of disproportional late accretion of material to the two bodies. Mathieu Touboul et al. found small 182W excess of about 21 parts per million relative to the present-day Earth's mantle in metals extracted from two KREEP-rich Apollo 16 impact-melt rocks, while Thomas Kruijer et al. measured tungsten isotopes in seven KREEP-rich whole rock samples that span a wide range of cosmic ray exposure ages, and found a 182W excess of about 27 parts per million over the present-day Earth's mantle. According to the most widely accepted theory of lunar origin, a giant impact on the Earth led to the formation of the Moon, and also initiated the final stage of the formation of the Earth’s core1. Core formation should have removed the highly siderophile elements (HSE) from Earth’s primitive mantle (that is, the bulk silicate Earth), yet HSE abundances are higher than expected2. One explanation for this overabundance is that a ‘late veneer’ of primitive material was added to the bulk silicate Earth after the core formed2. To test this hypothesis, tungsten isotopes are useful for two reasons: first, because the late veneer material had a different 182W/184W ratio to that of the bulk silicate Earth, and second, proportionally more material was added to the Earth than to the Moon3. Thus, if a late veneer did occur, the bulk silicate Earth and the Moon must have different 182W/184W ratios. Moreover, the Moon-forming impact would also have created 182W differences because the mantle and core material of the impactor with distinct 182W/184W would have mixed with the proto-Earth during the giant impact. However the 182W/184W of the Moon has not been determined precisely enough to identify signatures of a late veneer or the giant impact. Here, using more-precise measurement techniques, we show that the Moon exhibits a 182W excess of 27 ± 4 parts per million over the present-day bulk silicate Earth. This excess is consistent with the expected 182W difference resulting from a late veneer with a total mass and composition inferred from HSE systematics2. Thus, our data independently show that HSE abundances in the bulk silicate Earth were established after the giant impact and core formation, as predicted by the late veneer hypothesis. But, unexpectedly, we find that before the late veneer, no 182W anomaly existed between the bulk silicate Earth and the Moon, even though one should have arisen through the giant impact. The origin of the homogeneous 182W of the pre-late-veneer bulk silicate Earth and the Moon is enigmatic and constitutes a challenge to current models of lunar origin.

International audience; Northwest Africa (NWA) 8159 is an augite-rich shergottite, with a mineralogy dominated by Ca-, Fe-rich pyroxene, plagioclase, olivine, and magnetite. NWA 8159 crystallized from an evolved melt of basaltic composition under relatively rapid conditions of cooling, likely in a surface lava flow or shallow sill. Redox conditions experienced by the melt shifted from relatively oxidizing (with respect to known Martian lithologies, similar to QFM) on the liquidus to higher oxygen fugacity (similar to QFM + 2) during crystallization of the groundmass, and under subsolidus conditions. This shift resulted in the production of orthopyroxene and magnetite replacing olivine phenocryst rims. NWA 8159 contains both crystalline and shock-amorphized plagioclase (An(5062)), often observed within a single grain; based on known calibrations we bracket the peak shock pressure experienced by NWA 8159 to between 15 and 23 GPa. The bulk composition of NWA 8159 is depleted in LREE, as observed for Tissint and other depleted shergottites; however, NWA 8159 is distinct from all other martian lithologies in its bulk composition and oxygen fugacity. We obtain a Sm-Nd formation age of 2.37 +/- 0.25 Ga for NWA 8159, which represents an interval in Mars geologic time which, until recently, was not represented in the other martian meteorite types. The bulk rock Sm-147/Nd-144 value of 0.37 +/- 0.02 is consistent with it being derived directly from its source and the high initial epsilon(143)(Nd) value indicates this source was geochemically highly depleted. Cr, Nd, and W isotopic compositions further support a unique mantle source. While the rock shares similarities with the 2.4-Ga NWA 7635 meteorite, there are notable distinctions between the two meteorites that suggest differences in mantle source compositions and conditions of crystallization. Nevertheless, the two samples may be launch-paired. NWA 8159 expands the known basalt types, ages and mantle sources within the Mars sample suite to include a second igneous unit from the early Amazonian.(C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Ca–Al-rich inclusions (CAI) are the oldest dated objects formed in the solar system and are pivotal reference points in early solar system chronology. Knowledge of their initial 182Hf/180Hf and 182W/184W is essential, not only for obtaining precise Hf–W ages relative to the start of the solar system, but also to assess the distribution of short-lived radionuclides in the early solar nebula. However, the interpretation of Hf–W data for CAI is complicated by nucleosynthetic W isotope variations. To explore their extent and nature, and to better quantify the initial Hf and W isotope compositions of the solar system, we obtained Hf–W data for several fine- and coarse-grained CAI from three CV3 chondrites. The fine-grained CAI exhibit large and variable anomalies in e183W ( e i W equals 0.01% deviation from terrestrial values), extending to much larger anomalies than previously observed in CAI, and reflecting variable abundances of s- and r-process W isotopes. Conversely, the coarse-grained (mostly type B) inclusions show only small (if any) nucleosynthetic W isotope anomalies. The investigated CAI define a precise correlation between initial e182W and e183W, providing a direct empirical means to correct the e182W of any CAI for nucleosynthetic isotope anomalies using their measured e183W. After correction for nucleosynthetic W isotope variations, the CAI data define an initial 182Hf/180Hf of ( 1.018 ± 0.043 ) × 10 − 4 and an initial e182W of − 3.49 ± 0.07 . The Hf–W formation intervals of the angrites D'Orbigny and Sahara 99555 relative to this CAI initial is 4.8 ± 0.6 Ma , in good agreement with Al–Mg ages of these two angrites. This renders a grossly heterogeneous distribution of 26Al in the inner solar system unlikely, at least in the region were CAI and angrites formed.

We measured tungsten (W) isotopes in 23 iron meteorites and the metal phase of the CB chondrite Gujba in order to ascertain if there is evidence for a large-scale nucleosynthetic heterogeneity in the p-process isotope 180W in the solar nebula as recently suggested by Schulz et al. (2013). We observed large excesses in 180W (up to ≈ 6 e) in some irons. However, significant within-group variations in magmatic IIAB and IVB irons are not consistent with a nucleosynthetic origin, and the collateral effects on 180W from an s-deficit in IVB irons cannot explain the total variation. We present a new model for the combined effects of spallation and neutron capture reactions on 180W in iron meteorites and show that at least some of the observed within-group variability is explained by cosmic ray effects. Neutron capture causes burnout of 180W, whereas spallation reactions lead to positive shifts in 180W. These effects depend on the target composition and cosmic-ray exposure duration; spallation effects increase with Re/W and Os/W ratios in the target and with exposure age. The correlation of 180W/184W with Os/W ratios in iron meteorites results in part from spallogenic production of 180W rather than from 184Os decay, contrary to a recent study by Peters et al. (2014). Residual e180W excesses after correction for an s-deficit and for cosmic ray effects may be due to ingrowth of 180W from 184Os decay, but the magnitude of this ingrowth is at least a factor of ≈2 smaller than previously suggested. These much smaller effects strongly limit the applicability of the putative 184Os-180W system to investigate geological problems.

Mare basalt sources and ferroan anorthosite suite cumulates define a linear array on a 146Sm/144Nd versus 142Nd/144Nd isochron plot demonstrating these materials were derived from a common reservoir at 4336+31/−32 Ma. The minimum proportion of the Moon that was in isotopic equilibrium at this time is estimated to be 1-3% of its entire volume based on the geographic extent from which the analyzed samples were collected and the calculated depths from which the samples were derived. Scenarios in which large portions of the Moon were molten to depths of many hundreds of kilometers are required to produce the observed Sm-Nd isotopic equilibrium between the mantle and crustal rocks at 4.34 Ga. This is a consequence of the fact that limited heating of a solid Moon above the blocking temperature of the Sm-Nd isotopic system is insufficient to diffusively homogenize radiogenic Nd throughout the mantle and crust. There are three scenarios that might account for global-scale isotopic equilibrium on the Moon relatively late in Solar System history including: (1) Sm-Nd re-equilibration of a solid Moon resulting from widespread melting in response to mantle overturn or a very large impact, (2) early accretion of the Moon followed by delayed cooling due to the presence of an additional heat source that kept a large portion of the Moon molten until 4.34 Ga, or (3) late accretion of the Moon followed by rapid cooling of the magma ocean late in Solar System history. Neither density-driven overturn of the mantle, nor a large impact, are likely to homogenize the mantle and crust to the extent required by the Sm-Nd isochron. Likewise, secondary heating mechanisms, such as tidal heating or radioactive decay, are not efficient enough to keep the Moon molten to the depth of the mare basalt source regions for many tens to hundreds of millions of years. Instead, the age of equilibrium between such a compositionally diverse set of rocks, produced on a global scale, likely records the time of primordial solidification of the Moon from a magma ocean. This scenario accounts for both the petrogenetic characteristics of lunar rock suites, as well as their Sm-Nd isotopic systematics. It is supported by the preponderance of ∼4.35 Ga ages obtained for other hypothetical magma ocean crystallization products, such as ferroan anorthosite suite rocks and K, REE, and P enriched cumulates that are thought to represent flotation cumulates of the magma ocean and the last vestiges of magma ocean solidification, respectively.

Cadmium is a highly volatile element and its abundance in meteorites may help better understand volatility-controlled processes in the solar nebula and on meteorite parent bodies. The large thermal neutron capture cross section of 113Cd suggests that Cd isotopes might be well suited to quantify neutron fluences in extraterrestrial materials. The aims of this study were (1) to evaluate the range and magnitude of Cd concentrations in magmatic iron meteorites, and (2) to assess the potential of Cd isotopes as a neutron dosimeter for iron meteorites. Our new Cd concentration data determined by isotope dilution demonstrate that Cd concentrations in iron meteorites are significantly lower than in some previous studies. In contrast to large systematic variations in the concentration of moderately volatile elements like Ga and Ge, there is neither systematic variation in Cd concentration amongst troilites, nor amongst metal phases of different iron meteorite groups. Instead, Cd is strongly depleted in all iron meteorite groups, implying that the parent bodies accreted well above the condensation temperature of Cd (i.e., ≈650 K) and thus incorporated only minimal amounts of highly volatile elements. No Cd isotope anomalies were found, whereas Pt and W isotope anomalies for the same iron meteorite samples indicate a significant fluence of epithermal and higher energetic neutrons. This observation demonstrates that owing to the high Fe concentrations in iron meteorites, neutron capture mainly occurs at epithermal and higher energies. The combined Cd-Pt-W isotope results from this study thus demonstrate that the relative magnitude of neutron capture-induced isotope anomalies is strongly affected by the chemical composition of the irradiated material. The resulting low fluence of thermal neutrons in iron meteorites and their very low Cd concentrations make Cd isotopes unsuitable as a neutron dosimeter for iron meteorites.

The short lived 182Hf 182W isotope system can provide powerful constraints on the timescales of planetary core formation but its application to iron meteorites is hampered by neutron capture reactions on W isotopes resulting from exposure to galactic cosmic rays. Here we show that Pt isotopes in magmatic iron meteorites are also affected by capture of (epi)thermal neutrons and that the Pt isotope variations are correlated with variations in 182W/184W. This makes Pt isotopes a sensitive neutron dosimeter for correcting cosmic ray induced W isotope shifts. The pre exposure 182W/184W derived from the Pt W isotope correlations of the IID IVA and IVB iron meteorites are higher than most previous estimates and are more radiogenic than the initial 182W/184W of Ca Al rich inclusions (CAI). The Hf W model ages for core formation range from +1.6±1.0 million years (Ma; for the IVA irons) to +2.7±1.3Ma after CAI formation (for the IID irons) indicating that there was a time gap of at least 1Ma between CAI formation and metal segregation in the parent bodies of some iron meteorites. From the Hf W ages a time limit of

Chondrules may have played a critical role in the earliest stages of planet formation by mediating the accumulation of dust into planetesimals. However, the origin of chondrules and their significance for planetesimal accretion remain enigmatic. Here, we show that chondrules and matrix in the carbonaceous chondrite Allende have complementary (183)W anomalies resulting from the uneven distribution of presolar, stellar-derived dust. These data refute an origin of chondrules in protoplanetary collisions and, instead, indicate that chondrules and matrix formed together from a common reservoir of solar nebula dust. Because bulk Allende exhibits no (183)W anomaly, chondrules and matrix must have accreted rapidly to their parent body, implying that the majority of chondrules from a given chondrite group formed in a narrow time interval. Based on Hf-W chronometry on Allende chondrules and matrix, this event occurred ∼2 million years after formation of the first solids, about coeval to chondrule formation in ordinary chondrites.

The application of Hf W chronometry to determine the timescales of core formation in the parent bodies of magmatic iron meteorites is severely hampered by 182W burnout during cosmic ray exposure of the parent meteoroids. Currently no direct method exists to correct for the effects of 182W burnout making the Hf W ages for iron meteorites uncertain. Here we present noble gas and Hf W isotope systematics of iron meteorite samples whose W isotopic compositions remained essentially unaffected by cosmic ray interactions. Most selected samples have concentrations of cosmogenic noble gases at or near the lowermost level observed in iron meteorites and for iron meteorite standards have very low noble gas and radionuclide based cosmic ray exposure ages (

The chronology of planetary embryos Protoplanets, or early planetary embryos such as iron meteorite parent bodies, formed in the early protoplanetary disk from dust, debris, and planetesimals. Defining the precise chronology of accretion and differentiation—including core formation—of these planetary embryos will aid in a richer understanding of the chemical evolution of the solar system. Through high-precision tungsten isotope measurements, Kruijer et al. show that the timing of accretion and core formation for iron meteorite groups falls within 0.6 to 2 million years of the age of the solar system (see the Perspective by Elliott). Differences of timing within this group are probably a function of volatile contents of the parent bodies or spatial and chemical heterogeneity within the protoplanetary disk. Science , this issue p. 1150 ; see also p. 1086

Nucleosynthetic isotope anomalies are powerful tracers to determine the provenance of meteorites and their components, and to identify genetic links between these materials. Here we show that chondrules and matrix separated from the Allende CV3 chondrite have complementary nucleosynthetic Mo isotope anomalies. These anomalies result from the enrichment of a presolar carrier enriched in s -process Mo into the matrix, and the corresponding depletion of this carrier in the chondrules. This carrier most likely is a metal and so the uneven distribution of presolar material probably results from metal–silicate fractionation during chondrule formation. The Mo isotope anomalies correlate with those reported for W isotopes on the same samples in an earlier study, suggesting that the isotope variations for both Mo and W are caused by the heterogeneous distribution of the same carrier. The isotopic complementary of chondrules and matrix indicates that both components are genetically linked and formed together from one common reservoir of solar nebula dust. As such, the isotopic data require that most chondrules formed in the solar nebula and are not a product of protoplanetary impacts. Allende chondrules and matrix together with bulk carbonaceous chondrites and some iron meteorites (groups IID, IIIF, and IVB) show uniform excesses in 92 Mo, 95 Mo, and 97 Mo that result from the addition of supernova material to the solar nebula region in which these carbonaceous meteorites formed. Non-carbonaceous meteorites (enstatite and ordinary chondrites as well as most iron meteorites) do not contain this material, demonstrating that two distinct Mo isotope reservoirs co-existed in the early solar nebula that remained spatially separated for several million years. This separation was most likely achieved through the formation of the gas giants, which cleared the disk between the inner and outer solar system regions parental to the non-carbonaceous and carbonaceous meteorites. The Mo isotope dichotomy of meteorites provides a new means to determine the provenance of meteoritic and planetary materials, and to assess genetic links between chondrites and differentiated meteorites.