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We explore impact shock processing of the regolith of parent asteroids of carbonaceous chondrites, which has not been considered a major process for hydrous carbonaceous chondrites. We describe shock‐produced minerals and features found in brecciated CI, CM, and CV chondrites, including agglutinates, a glassy melt pod, a shock melt vein, and melted sulfides. We also reexamine cognate clasts present in the Vigarano CV3 chondrites which appear to derive from asteroid ponds and exhibit cross‐bedded dish structures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Our goal was to devise a bridge between shock determinations of asteroid regolith grains by standard light optical petrography, synchrotron X‐ray diffraction (SXRD), and electron backscattered diffraction (EBSD). We determined the optimal conditions under which to measure the shock stage of olivine crystals in astromaterial grains by EBSD. We applied this EBSD procedure to the shock stage determination of four regolith grains from asteroid Itokawa, returned to earth by the Hayabusa spacecraft. Interpretation of these data required a parallel examination of three ordinary chondrite standards that exhibited shock histories ranging from stage 2 to stage 4, using all three techniques. Standard light optical petrography indicated shock stage of S2/3 for the 24 Itokawa grains analyzed. SXRD results for seven Itokawa grains indicate a shock stage of S2. EBSD maps of four Itokawa grains indicate shock stage S3. Thus, the different techniques indicate slightly different shock stages, probably due to small sampling populations for EBSD and SXRD. We therefore recommend that significantly more than seven regolith grains should be separately analyzed by any shock determination technique, probably between 10 and 20. In any case, Itokawa regolith grains have been shocked to stage S2/3, or approximately 5–10 GPa. Finally, we investigated the crystallinity of one Itokawa olivine by SXRD, determining that the 5–10 GPa shock it had experienced did not appreciably alter the size of the unit cell, contrary to some previous suggestions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Almahata Sitta (AhS) meteorite is a unique polymict ureilite. Recently, carbonaceous chondritic lithologies were identified in AhS. Organic matter (OM) is ubiquitously found in primitive carbonaceous chondrites. The molecular and isotopic characteristics of this OM reflect its origin and parent body processes, and are particularly sensitive to heating. The C1 lithologies AhS 671 and AhS 91A were investigated, focusing mainly on the OM. We found that the OM in these lithologies is unique and contains primitive isotopic signatures, but experienced slight heating possibly by short‐term heating event(s). These characteristics support the idea that one or more carbonaceous chondritic bodies were incorporated into the ureilitic parent body. The uniqueness of the OM in the AhS samples implies that there were large variations in primitive carbonaceous chondritic materials in the solar system other than known primitive carbonaceous chondrite groups such as CI, CM, and CR chondrites. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Long Duration Exposure Facility provided the opportunity for micrometeorite researchers to develop and test microparticle collection strategies for spacecraft, and the handling and analytical capabilities required for the Stardust, Hayabusa, and subsequent astromaterial sample return missions to succeed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The target bodies of C‐complex asteroid sample return missions are carbonaceous chondrite‐like near‐Earth asteroids (NEAs), chosen for the abundance and scientific importance of their organic compounds and "hydrous" (including hydroxylated) minerals, such as serpentine‐group phyllosilicates. Science objectives include returning samples of pristine carbonaceous regolith from asteroids for study of the nature, history, and distribution of its constituent minerals, organic material, and other volatiles. Heating after the natural aqueous alteration that formed the abundant phyllosilicates in CM and similar carbonaceous chondrites dehydroxylated them and altered or decomposed other volumetrically minor constituents (e.g., carbonates, sulfides, organic molecules; Tonui et al. 2003, 2014). We propose a peak‐temperature thermometer based on dehydroxylation as measured by analytical totals from electron probe microanalysis (EPMA) of matrices in a number of heated and aqueously altered (but not further heated) CM chondrites. Some CM lithologies in Maribo and Sutter's Mill do not exhibit the matrix dehydroxylation expected for surface temperatures expected from insolation of meteoroids with their known orbital perihelia. This suggests that insolated‐heated meteoroid surfaces were lost by ablation during passage through Earth's atmosphere, and that insolation‐heated material is more likely to be encountered among returned asteroid regolith samples than in meteorites. More generally, several published lines of evidence suggest that episodic heating of some CM material, most likely by impacts, continued intermittently and locally up to billions of years after assembly and early heating of ancestral CM chondrite bodies. Mission spectroscopic measures of hydration can be used to estimate the extent of dehydroxylation, and the new dehydroxylation thermometer can be used directly to select fragments of returned samples most likely to contain less thermally altered inventories of primitive organic molecules. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We describe a fragmented cryptocrystalline chondrule consisting solely of forsterite (Fo98) in the Murchison CM2 chondrite, with a peculiar porous texture of enigmatic origin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cosmic ray exposure (CRE) ages of CM chondrites have been found to have multiple peaks (as many as four), in stark contrast to other groups of chondrites (Nishiizumi and Caffee 2012; Herzog and Caffee 2014). In this study, we sought correlations between the CRE ages and petrography of CM chondrites, and we conclude that the degree of aqueous alteration does appear to vary with the CRE ages—the CMs displaying the most aqueous alteration all have relatively short exposure ages. However, some CMs with low degrees of alteration also have short exposure ages—thus, this apparent correlation is not exclusive. We also found a definite inverse relation between the number of distinctive lithologies in a CM and its exposure age, which could indicate different responses of homogeneous and heterogeneous meteoroids to the space environment between their onset of exposure (exhumation and ejection from the parent body) and arrival at Earth. Breccias have more internal surfaces of lithologic discontinuity, possibly resulting in weaker meteoroids that disintegrate more readily than their more homogeneous counterparts. Our results suggest that CM chondrite regoliths consist of numerous genomict lithologies in a breccia with millimeter‐ to decimeter‐scale clasts, with varying degree of heating/metamorphism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Some xenolithic clasts in meteorites may have originated from unique primitive Solar System bodies. These clasts would provide novel insights into the early evolution of the Solar System. We conducted multiple analyses of organic matter (OM) in a CI-like xenolithic clast in the Zag (H5) meteorite including bulk elemental and isotopic analysis, FTIR, STXM/XANES, and NanoSIMS. The bulk C and N abundances in the Zag clast were +5.1 ± 0.4 wt.% and +0.26 ± 0.01 wt.%, respectively, which were the highest observed among various chondrite groups. The bulk δ13C value of the Zag clast was +23.0 ± 4.1‰ which was close to the value of the Tagish Lake meteorite; the δ15N value was +300 ± 3‰ which was close to the values of CR chondrites and Bells (a unique CM). The δD values of C-rich regions obtained by NanoSIMS were approximately +600 to +2000‰ which were close to the values of IOM from CI, CM and Tagish Lake. Some isotopic "hot spots" were observed with δD values up to ≈ +4000‰ and δ15N values up to ≈ +5500‰. The infrared transmission spectrum of the Zag clast was consistent with the abundant phyllosilicates and carbonates observed in the clast. The STXM showed abundant OM in various forms. C-XANES spectra from the OM were generally similar to CI/CM/CR chondrites. However, some variations existed in the molecular structures. OM in the Zag clast was partially associated with carbonates. The functional group, elemental and isotopic signatures of the OM in the Zag clast support the idea that the Zag clast is unique among known carbonaceous chondrite groups and originated from the outer Solar System such as aqueously-altered D/P type asteroids. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Almahata Sitta (AhS), an anomalous polymict ureilite, is the first meteorite observed to originate from a spectrally classified asteroid (2008 TC3). However, correlating properties of the meteorite with those of the asteroid is not straightforward because the AhS stones are diverse types. Of those studied prior to this work, 70–80% are ureilites (achondrites) and 20–30% are various types of chondrites. Asteroid 2008 TC3 was a heterogeneous breccia that disintegrated in the atmosphere, with its clasts landing on Earth as individual stones and most of its mass lost. We describe AhS 91A and AhS 671, which are the first AhS stones to show contacts between ureilitic and chondritic materials and provide direct information about the structure and composition of asteroid 2008 TC3. AhS 91A and AhS 671 are friable breccias, consisting of a C1 lithology that encloses rounded to angular clasts (<10 μm to 3 mm) of olivine, pyroxenes, plagioclase, graphite, and metal‐sulfide, as well as chondrules (~130–600 μm) and chondrule fragments. The C1 material consists of fine‐grained phyllosilicates (serpentine and saponite) and amorphous material, magnetite, breunnerite, dolomite, fayalitic olivine (Fo 28‐42), an unidentified Ca‐rich silicate phase, Fe,Ni sulfides, and minor Ca‐phosphate and ilmenite. It has similarities to CI1 but shows evidence of heterogeneous thermal metamorphism. Its bulk oxygen isotope composition (δ18O = 13.53‰, δ17O = 8.93‰) is unlike that of any known chondrite, but similar to compositions of several CC‐like clasts in typical polymict ureilites. Its Cr isotope composition is unlike that of any known meteorite. The enclosed clasts and chondrules do not belong to the C1 lithology. The olivine (Fo 75‐88), pyroxenes (pigeonite of Wo ~10 and orthopyroxene of Wo ~4.6), plagioclase, graphite, and some metal‐sulfide are ureilitic, based on mineral compositions, textures, and oxygen isotope compositions, and represent at least six distinct ureilitic lithologies. The chondrules are probably derived from type 3 OC and/or CC, based on mineral and oxygen isotope compositions. Some of the metal‐sulfide clasts are derived from EC. AhS 91A and AhS 671 are plausible representatives of the bulk of the asteroid that was lost. Reflectance spectra of AhS 91A are dark (reflectance ~0.04–0.05) and relatively featureless in VNIR, and have an ~2.7 μm absorption band due to OH− in phyllosilicates. Spectral modeling, using mixtures of laboratory VNIR reflectance spectra of AhS stones to fit the F‐type spectrum of the asteroid, suggests that 2008 TC3 consisted mainly of ureilitic and AhS 91A‐like materials, with as much as 40–70% of the latter, and <10% of OC, EC, and other meteorite types. The bulk density of AhS 91A (2.35 ± 0.05 g cm−3) is lower than bulk densities of other AhS stones, and closer to estimates for the asteroid (~1.7–2.2 g cm−3). Its porosity (36%) is near the low end of estimates for the asteroid (33–50%), suggesting significant macroporosity. The textures of AhS 91A and AhS 671 (finely comminuted clasts of disparate materials intimately mixed) support formation of 2008 TC3 in a regolith environment. AhS 91A and AhS 671 could represent a volume of regolith formed when a CC‐like body impacted into already well‐gardened ureilitic + impactor‐derived debris. AhS 91A bulk samples do not show a solar wind component, so they represent subsurface layers. AhS 91A has a lower cosmic ray exposure (CRE) age (~5–9 Ma) than previously studied AhS stones (11–22 Ma). The spread in CRE ages argues for irradiation in a regolith environment. AhS 91A and AhS 671 show that ureilitic asteroids could have detectable ~2.7 μm absorption bands. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The JSC curation branch has been an amazing place to work, for too many reasons to adequately detail here, but one of the major reasons is the caliber of people there who care for the labs and samples. Dave McKay was very good friends with Hiroshi Takeda, and Masamichi Miyamoto and Akira Tsuchiyama were postdocs at JSC when I arrived. Two JSC curation scientists left NASA to work at other labs (something that has not happened since), and there was an immediate need in the curation office for someone who knew about cosmic dust. [Extracted from the article]

The wide availability, diversity, and high abundance of organic molecules in the Murchison meteorite have been pivotal in the establishment of organic cosmochemistry as a major field of scientific investigation. In December 1969, Japanese scientists would serendipitously discover the first nine Yamato meteorites, which led to a revolution in the recovery of meteorite falls (see Yamaguchi et al. 2020). Murchison joins Allende as touchstones for every new analytical instrument brought to bear on primitive meteorites. [Extracted from the article]

Cosmochemists have relied on CI carbonaceous chondrites as proxies for chemical composition of the non‐volatile elements in the solar system because these meteorites are fine‐grained, chemically homogeneous, and have well‐determined bulk compositions that agree with that of the solar photosphere, within uncertainties. Here we report the discovery of a calcium‐aluminum‐rich inclusion (CAI) in the Ivuna CI chondrite. CAIs are chemically highly fractionated compared to CI composition, consisting of refractory elements and having textures that either reflect condensation from nebular gas or melting in a nebular environment. The CAI we found is a compact type A CAI with typical 16O‐rich oxygen. However, it shows no evidence of 26Al, which was present when most CAIs formed. Finding a CAI in a CI chondrite raises serious questions about whether CI chondrites are a reliable proxy for the bulk composition of the solar system. Too much CAI material would show up as mismatches between the CI composition and the composition of the solar photosphere. Although small amounts of refractory material have previously been identified in CI chondrites, this material is not abundant enough to significantly perturb the bulk compositions of CI chondrites. The agreement between the composition of the solar photosphere and CI chondrites allows no more than ~0.5 atom% of CAI‐like material to have been added to CI chondrites. As the compositions of CI chondrites, carbonaceous asteroids, and the solar photosphere are better determined, we will be able to reduce the uncertainties in our estimates of the composition of the solar system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the comphensive analysis of organic compounds found in water-bearing salt crystals in extraterrestrial system. Topics mentioned include the prebiotic chemistry in the halite crystals found in Monahans and Zag meteorites, the macromolecular carbon materials that composed the organic compounds, and the asteroid 1 Ceres which is the asteroidal parent body where the halite has precipitated.

We describe the current state of the search for direct, surviving samples of early, inner Solar System fluids— fluid inclusions in meteorites. Meteoritic aqueous fluid inclusions are not rare, but they are very tiny and their characterization is at the state of the art for most analytical techniques. Meteoritic fluid inclusions offer us a unique opportunity to study early Solar System brines in the laboratory. Inclusion-by-inclusion analyses of the trapped fluids in carefully selected samples will, in the immediate future, provide us detailed information on the evolution of fluids as they interacted with anhydrous solid materials. Thus, real data can replace calculated fluid compositions in thermochemical calculations of the evolution of water and aqueous reactions in comets, asteroids, moons and the terrestrial planets. This article is part of the themed issue ‘The origin, history and role of water in the evolution of the inner Solar System’. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Carbonates record information regarding the timing, nature and conditions of the fluids circulating through asteroid parent bodies during aqueous alteration events. Determining carbonate abundances and their relationships with organic matter improves our understanding of the genesis of major carbonaceous components in chondritic materials. In this study, five CM2 carbonaceous chondrites (CM2.2 Nogoya, CM2.3 Jbilet Winselwan, CM2.5 Murchison, CM2 Santa Cruz, and CM2TII Wisconsin Range 91600) were studied with Raman spectroscopy. Carbonates were identified in these meteorite samples by the distinctive Raman band in the ∼1100 cm −1 region, representing the symmetric stretching vibration mode ( ν 1 ) of the (CO 3 ) 2− anion. Carbonates identified in the meteorite samples are all calcite, with the exception of a single dolomite grain in Nogoya. The v 1 positions of the CM calcites are 2–3 cm −1 higher than in pure calcite, which suggests that they contain significant impurity cations. Typical graphitic first-order D and G bands were identified in the meteorite matrix as well as in ∼25% of the analyzed carbonate grains. From the Raman results, we postulate that the carbonates might not have formed under equilibrium conditions from a single fluid. The first generation of carbonate is interpreted to have formed from highly oxidized fluids that led to the oxidation of organic matter (OM) and produced carbonates that are OM-barren. The second generation of carbonate was formed from a more evolved aqueous fluid with the presence of OM. The Raman parameters of the organics in carbonates clearly deviate from the matrix OM which suggests that the carbonate organics contain very different carbonaceous components that are distinct from the typical amorphous OM of the CM matrix. The occurrence of different generations of carbonate in close proximity may be partly responsible for the wide range in estimated ages of carbonates in carbonaceous chondrites reported in previous studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Primitive xenolithic clasts, often referred to as “dark clasts”, are well known in many regolith breccias. The Sharps H3.4 ordinary chondrite contains unusually large dark clasts up to ∼1 cm across. Poorly-graphitized carbon (PGC), with Fe, Ni metal and described as “carbon-rich aggregates”, has been reported in these clasts (Brearley, 1990). We report detailed analyses of carbonaceous matter in several identical Sharps clasts using FTIR, Raman, C-XANES, and TEM that provide insight on the extent of thermal processing and possible origin of such clasts. We also prepared acid residues of the clasts using the HCl/HF method and conducted mass spectrometric analysis of the entrained noble gases. Carbonaceous matter is often used to infer thermal history due to its sensitivity to thermal processes. The FTIR spectra of the acid residue from the Sharps clast suggest that carbonaceous matter in the clast contains less hydrogen and oxygen compared to acid residues from typical type 3.4 ordinary chondrites. The metamorphic temperatures obtained by Raman spectroscopy ranges between ∼380 °C and ∼490 °C. TEM observations indicate that the clasts experienced a peak temperature of 300 °C to 400 °C, based on the carbon d 002 layer lattice spacing of C-rich aggregates. These estimates are consistent with an earlier estimate of 330 ± 50 °C, that is also estimated by the d 002 layer lattice spacing (Brearley, 1990). It should be noted that the lattice spacing thermometer is based on terrestrial metamorphose rocks, and thus temperature was probably underestimated. Meanwhile, the C-XANES spectra of the C-rich aggregates show high exciton intensities, indicative of graphene structures that developed at around 700–800 °C following an extensive period of time (millions of years), however, the surrounding matrix areas experienced lower temperatures of less than 300–500 °C. Noble gas analysis of the acid residue from the Sharps clasts shows that the residue is almost identical with some material reported in carbonaceous chondrites, i.e., heavily enriched in the Q-gas component as well as HL-gas from presolar diamonds and Ne-E(H) from presolar SiC. These results indicate that the C-rich aggregates in the Sharps clasts formed under relatively high temperature conditions, up to 800 °C, and were subsequently mixed with lower temperature matrix, probably in a different parent body, before they were incorporated into the final Sharps lithology by collision. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Life on Earth shows preference toward the set of organics with particular spatial configurations. Enantiomeric excesses have been observed for α-methyl amino acids in meteorites, which suggests that chiral asymmetry might have an abiotic origin. A possible abiotic mechanism that could produce chiral asymmetry in meteoritic amino acids is their formation under the influence of asymmetric catalysts, as mineral crystallization can produce spatially asymmetric structures. Although magnetite plaquettes have been proposed to be a possible candidate for an asymmetric catalyst, based on the suggestion that they have a spiral structure, a comprehensive description of their morphology and interpretation of the mechanism associated with symmetry-breaking in biomolecules remain elusive. Here we report observations of magnetite plaquettes in carbonaceous chondrites (CC) that were made with scanning electron microscopy and synchrotron X-ray computed microtomography (SXRCT). We obtained the crystal orientation of the plaquettes using electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) analysis. SXRCT permits visualization of the internal features of the plaquettes. It provides an unambiguous conclusion that the plaquettes are devoid of a spiral feature and, rather that they are stacks of individual magnetite disks that do not join to form a continuous spiral. Despite the lack of spiral features, our EBSD data show significant changes in crystal orientation between adjacent magnetite disks. The magnetite disks are displaced in a consistent relative direction that lead to an overall crystallographic rotational mechanism. This work offers an explicit understanding of the structures of magnetite plaquettes in CC, which provides a fundamental basis for future interpretation of the proposed symmetry-breaking mechanism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The polymict Kaidun microbreccia contains lithologies of C-type chondrites with euhedral iron sulfide crystals of hydrothermal origin. Our FIB- TEM study reveals that acicular sulfides in a CM1 lithology are composed of Fe-rich pyrrhotite with nonintegral vacancy superstructures ( NC-pyrrhotite), troilite, and pentlandite, all showing distinct exsolution textures. Based on phase relations in the Fe-Ni-S system, we constrain the temperature of formation of the originally homogeneous monosulfide solid solution to the range of 100-300 °C. In some crystals the exsolution of pentlandite and the microtextural equilibration was incomplete, probably due to rapid cooling. We use thermodynamic modeling to constrain the physicochemical conditions of the extreme hydrothermal alteration in this lithology. Unless the CM1 lithology was sourced from a large depth in the parent body (internal pressure >85 bar) or the temperatures were in the lower range of the interval determined, the water was likely present as vapor. Previously described light δ34S compositions of sulfides in Kaidun's CM1 lithology are likely due to the loss of 34S-enriched H2S during boiling. Platy sulfide crystals in an adjacent, intensely altered CI1 lithology are composed of Fe-poor, monoclinic 4C-pyrrhotite and NC-pyrrhotite and probably formed at lower temperatures and higher fS2 relative to the CM1 lithology. However, a better understanding of the stability of Fe-poor pyrrhotites at temperatures below 300 °C is required to better constrain these conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based upon our characterization of three separate stones by electron and X-ray beam analyses, computed X-ray microtomography, Raman microspectrometry, and visible- IR spectrometry, Sutter's Mill is a unique regolith breccia consisting mainly of various CM lithologies. Most samples resemble existing available CM2 chondrites, consisting of chondrules and calcium-aluminum-rich inclusion (CAI) set within phyllosilicate-dominated matrix (mainly serpentine), pyrrhotite, pentlandite, tochilinite, and variable amounts of Ca-Mg-Fe carbonates. Some lithologies have witnessed sufficient thermal metamorphism to transform phyllosilicates into fine-grained olivine, tochilinite into troilite, and destroy carbonates. One finely comminuted lithology contains xenolithic materials (enstatite, Fe-Cr phosphides) suggesting impact of a reduced asteroid (E or M class) onto the main Sutter's Mill parent asteroid, which was probably a C class asteroid. One can use Sutter's Mill to help predict what will be found on the surfaces of C class asteroids such as Ceres and the target asteroids of the OSIRIS- REx and Hayabusa 2 sample return missions (which will visit predominantly primitive asteroids). C class asteroid regolith may well contain a mixture of hydrated and thermally dehydrated indigenous materials as well as a significant admixture of exogenous material would be essential to the successful interpretation of mineralogical and bulk compositional data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Sutter's Mill ( SM) meteorite fell in El Dorado County, California, on April 22, 2012. This meteorite is a regolith breccia composed of CM chondrite material and at least one xenolithic phase: oldhamite. The meteorite studied here, SM2 (subsample 5), was one of three meteorites collected before it rained extensively on the debris site, thus preserving the original asteroid regolith mineralogy. Two relatively large (10 μm sized) possible diamond grains were observed in SM2-5 surrounded by fine-grained matrix. In the present work, we analyzed a focused ion beam ( FIB) milled thin section that transected a region containing these two potential diamond grains as well as the surrounding fine-grained matrix employing carbon and nitrogen X-ray absorption near-edge structure (C- XANES and N- XANES) spectroscopy using a scanning transmission X-ray microscope ( STXM) (Beamline 5.3.2 at the Advanced Light Source, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory). The STXM analysis revealed that the matrix of SM2-5 contains C-rich grains, possibly organic nanoglobules. A single carbonate grain was also detected. The C- XANES spectrum of the matrix is similar to that of insoluble organic matter ( IOM) found in other CM chondrites. However, no significant nitrogen-bearing functional groups were observed with N- XANES. One of the possible diamond grains contains a Ca-bearing inclusion that is not carbonate. C- XANES features of the diamond-edges suggest that the diamond might have formed by the CVD process, or in a high-temperature and -pressure environment in the interior of a much larger parent body. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The goal of this paper is to summarize 150 yr of history of a very special meteorite. The Orgueil meteorite fell near Montauban in southwestern France on May 14, 1864. The bolide, which was the size of the full Moon, was seen across Western France, and almost immediately made the news in local and Parisian newspapers. Within a few weeks of the fall, a great diversity of analyses were performed under the authority of Gabriel Auguste Daubrée, geology professor at the Paris Museum, and published in the Comptes Rendus de l'Académie des Sciences. The skilled scientists reported the presence of iron sulfides, hydrated silicates, and carbonates in Orgueil. They also characterized ammonium salts which are now gone, and observed sulfates being remobilized at the surface of the stone. They identified the high water and carbon contents, and noted similarities with the Alais meteorite, which had fallen in 1806, 300 km away. While Daubrée and his colleagues noted the similarity of the Orgueil organic matter with some terrestrial humus, they were cautious not to make a direct link with living organisms. One century later, Nagy and Claus were less prudent and announced the discovery of 'organized' elements in some samples of Orgueil. Their observations were quickly discredited by Edward Anders and others who also discovered that some pollen grains were intentionally placed into the rock back in the 1860s. Orgueil is now one of the most studied meteorites, indeed one of the most studied rocks of any kind. Not only does it contain a large diversity of carbon-rich compounds, which help address the question of organo-synthesis in the early solar system but its chemical composition is also close to that of the Sun's photosphere and serves as a cosmic reference. Secondary minerals, which make up 99% of the volume of Orgueil, were probably formed during hydrothermal alteration on the parent-body within the first few million years of the solar system; their study is essential to our understanding of fluid-rock interaction in asteroids and comets. Finally, the Orgueil meteorite probably originated from a volatile-rich 'cometary' outer solar system body as indicated by its orbit. Because it bears strong similarities to other carbonaceous chondrites that originated on dark asteroids, this cometary connection supports the idea of a continuum between dark asteroids and comets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The dearth of both major and minor element analyses of anhydrous silicate phases in chondrite matrix has thus far hindered their comparison to the Wild 2 samples. We present 68 analyses of olivine (Fa 0–97 ) in the coarse-grained terminal particles of Stardust aerogel tracks and a comprehensive dataset (>10 3 analyses) of analogous olivine grains (5–30 μm) isolated in CI, CM, CR, CH, CO, CV3-oxidized, CV3-reduced, C3-ungrouped (Acfer 094 and Ningqiang), L/LL 3.0–4, EH3, and Kakangari chondrite matrix. These compositions reveal that Wild 2 likely accreted a diverse assortment of material that was radially transported from various carbonaceous and ordinary chondrite-forming regions. The Wild 2 olivine includes amoeboid olivine aggregates (AOAs), refractory forsterite, type I and type II chondrule fragments and/or microchondrules, and rare relict grain compositions. In addition, we have identified one terminal particle that has no known compositional analog in the meteorite record and may be a signature of low-temperature, aqueous processing in the Kuiper Belt. The generally low Cr content of FeO-rich olivine in the Stardust samples indicates that they underwent mild thermal metamorphism, akin to a petrologic grade of 3.05–3.15. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The lunar surface, a key proxy for the early Earth, contains relics of asteroids and comets that have pummeled terrestrial planetary surfaces. Surviving fragments of projectiles in the lunar regolith provide a direct measure of the types and thus the sources of exogenous material delivered to the Earth-Moon system. In ancient [>3.4 billion years ago (Ga)] regolith breccias from the Apollo 16 landing site, we located mineral and lithologic relics of magnesian chondrules from chondritic impactors. These ancient impactor fragments are not nearly as diverse as those found in younger (3.4 Ga to today) regolith breccias and soils from the Moon or that presently fall as meteorites to Earth. This suggests that primitive chondritic asteroids, originating from a similar source region, were common Earth-Moon- crossing impactors during the latter stages of the basin-forming epoch. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

- We performed a battery of analyses on 17 samples of the Almahata Sitta meteorite, identifying three main lithologies and several minor ones present as clasts. The main lithologies are (1) a pyroxene-dominated, very porous, highly reduced lithology, (2) a pyroxene-dominated compact lithology, and (3) an olivine-dominated compact lithology. Although it seems possible that all three lithologies grade smoothly into each other at the kg-scale, at the g-scale this is not apparent. The meteorite is a polymict ureilite, with some intriguing features including exceptionally variable porosity and pyroxene composition. Although augite is locally present in Almahata Sitta, it is a minor phase in most (but not all) samples we have observed. Low-calcium pyroxene (<5 mole% wollastonite) is more abundant than compositionally defined pigeonite; however, we found that even the low-Ca pyroxene in Almahata Sitta has the monoclinic pigeonite crystal structure, and thus is properly termed pigeonite. As the major pyroxene in Almahata Sitta is pigeonite, and the abundance of pigeonite is generally greater than that of olivine, this meteorite might be called a pigeonite-olivine ureilite, rather than the conventional olivine-pigeonite ureilite group. The wide variability of lithologies in Almahata Sitta reveals a complex history, including asteroidal igneous crystallization, impact disruption, reheating and partial vaporization, high-temperature reduction and carbon burning, and re-agglomeration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

- We performed scanning electron microscope-electron backscatter diffraction (SEM-EBSD) and focused ion beam-transmission electron microscopy (FIB-TEM) investigations of pyroxene in the Almahata Sitta ureilite (sample #7). The pyroxenes (mg# = ∼0.92) are present as minute individual grains (10-20 μm in size) showing a polycrystalline texture, and they are both low-Ca and high-Ca pyroxenes. Although their Ca contents are as low as Wo2-3, the EBSD analysis shows that low-Ca pyroxenes are clinopyroxene ( P21/ c). The obtained pyroxene equilibration temperature (1240-1280 °C) is consistent with the previous studies on many ureilites. In low-Ca pigeonite, (001) augite exsolution lamellae (10-15 nm wide) develop in the pigeonite host (20-45 nm wide), and a similar exsolution texture was observed in augite. The exsolution wavelength of pyroxene (typically 30-60 nm) gives the cooling rate of 0.2-5 °C h−1. Such a rapid cooling probably records quenching from high temperature (1240-1280 °C) down to 1000 °C (estimated from the exsolution pair) due to the breakup of the ureilite parent body (UPB) while it was still hot. The pyroxene microstructure of Almahata Sitta is within the range of known ureilites and is most similar to that of Allan Hills (ALH) A81101 with the affinity of polycrystalline texture. The coarser exsolution texture of ALHA81101 pyroxene suggests slower cooling history than Almahata Sitta. However, direct comparison is difficult because of different pyroxene compositions. Because ALHA77257 has a similar pyroxene composition to Almahata Sitta and does not show visible pyroxene exsolution, it should have cooled faster than Almahata Sitta. Rapid, albeit variable cooling rates observed in different ureilite samples may suggest that they originated from UPB fragments of different size. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

- The Almahata Sitta fall event provides a unique opportunity to gain insight into the nature of ureilitic objects in space and the delivery of ureilite meteorites to Earth. From thermal events recorded in the mineralogy, petrology, and chemistry of ureilites recovered from the fall area, we reconstruct a timeline of events that led to their genesis. This history is similar to that of other known ureilites and supportive of a disrupted ureilite parent body hypothesis. Temperatures of final mantle equilibrium were 1200-1300 °C, but this high-temperature history was abruptly terminated by rapid cooling and reduction associated with pressure loss. The onset of late reduction reactions and onset of rapid cooling must have been essentially simultaneous, most likely engendered by the same event. Cooling rates of 0.05-2 °C h−1 determined from reversely zoned olivines and pyroxenes in Almahata Sitta imply rapid disassembly into fragments tens meters in size or smaller. This phenomenon seems to have affected all known portions of the ureilite parent body mantle, implying an event of global significance rather than localized unroofing. Reaccretion of one or more daughter asteroids occurred only after significant heat loss at minimum time scales of weeks to months, during which time the debris cloud surrounding the disrupted parent was inefficient at retaining heat. Fragments initially dislodged from the ureilite parent body mantle underwent subsequent size reduction and mixed with various chondritic bodies, giving rise to polylithologic aggregate objects such as asteroid 2008 TC3. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

- Eleven fragments of the meteorite Almahata Sitta (AHS) have been analyzed for oxygen isotopes. The fragments were separately collected as individual stones from the meteorite's linear strewn field in the Nubian Desert. Each of the fragments represents a sample of a different and distinct portion of asteroid 2008 TC3. Ten of the fragments span the same range of values of δ18O, δ17O, and Δ17O, and follow the same trend along the carbonaceous chondrite anhydrous minerals (CCAM) line as monomict and polymict members of the ureilite family of meteorites. The oxygen isotope composition of fragment #25 is consistent with its resemblance petrographically to an H5 ordinary chondrite. Our results demonstrate that a single small asteroidal parent body, asteroid 2008 TC3, only 4 m in length, encompassed the entire range of variation in oxygen isotope compositions measured for monomict and polymict ureilites. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Andreyivanovite (ideally FeCrP) is another new phosphide species from the Kaidun meteorite, which fell in South Yemen in 1980. Kaidun is a unique breccia containing an unprecedented variety of fragments of different chondritic as well as achondritic lithologies. Andreyivanovite was found as individual grains and linear arrays of grains with a maximum dimension of 8 μm within two masses of Fe-rich serpentine. In one sample, it is associated with Fe-Ni-Cr sulfides and florenskyite (FeTiP). Andreyivanovite is creamy white in reflected light, and its luster is metallic. The average of nine electron microprobe analyses yielded the formula Fe(Cr0.587Fe0.150V0.109Ti0.081Ni0.060Co0.002)P. Examination of single grains of andreyivanovite using Laue patterns collected by in situ synchrotron X-ray diffraction (XRD), and by electron-backscatter diffraction revealed it to be isostructural with florenskyite; we were unable to find single crystals of sufficient quality to perform a complete structure analysis. Andreyivanovite crystallizes in the space group Pnma, and has the anti-PbCl2 structure. Previously determined cell constants of synthetic material [a = 5.833(1), b = 3.569(1), and c = 6.658(1) &#x00C5] were consistent with our XRD work. We used the XPOW program to calculate a powder-XRD pattern; the 5 most intense reflections are d = 2.247 (I = 100), 2.074 (81), 2.258 (46), 1.785 (43), and 1.885 &#x00C5 (34). Andreyivanovite is the second new phosphide to be described from the Kaidun meteorite. Andreyivanovite could have formed as a result of cooling and crystallization of a melted precursor consisting mainly of Fe-Ni metal enriched in P, Ti, and Cr. Serpentine associated with andreyivanovite would then have formed during aqueous alteration on the parent asteroid. It is also possible that the andreyivanovite could have formed during aqueous alteration; however, artificial FeTiP has been synthesized only during melting experiments, at low oxygen fugacity, and there is no evidence that a hydrothermal genesis is reasonable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The bulk of the comet 81P/Wild 2 (hereafter Wild 2) samples returned to Earth by the Stardust spacecraft appear to be weakly constructed mixtures of nanometer-scale grains, with occasional much larger (over 1 micrometer) ferromagnesian silicates, Fe-Ni sulfides, Fe-Ni metal, and accessory phases. The very wide range of olivine and low-Ca pyroxene compositions in comet Wild 2 requires a wide range of formation conditions, probably reflecting very different formation locations in the protoplanetary disk. The restricted compositional ranges of Fe-Ni sulfides, the wide range for silicates, and the absence of hydrous phases indicate that comet Wild 2 experienced little or no aqueous alteration. Less abundant Wild 2 materials include a refractory particle, whose presence appears to require radial transport in the early protoplanetary disk. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The enantiomeric and carbon-isotopic composition of the amino acid isovaline have been analyzed in several samples of the Murchison meteorite and one sample of the Murray meteorite. l-Enantiomeric excesses of the amino acid were found to range from 0 to 15.2%, varying significantly both between meteorite stones and at short distances within a single stone. The upper limit of this range is the largest enantiomeric excess measured to date for a biologically rare meteoritic amino acid and raises doubts that circularly polarized light irradiation could have been the sole cause of amino acids chiral asymmetry in meteorites. Individual d- and l-isovaline δ13C values ware found to be about +18‰, with no significant differences between the two enantiomers to suggest terrestrial contamination. The amino acid relative abundance also varied between samples, with isovaline/alanine ratios of 0.5 to 6.5. X-ray diffraction analyses of contiguous meteorite fragments suggest a possible correlation between isovaline and hydrous silicates abundances. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Seventy-one carbonaceous chondritic microclasts of average size 150 μm have been found in three howardites (Yamato-793497, Jodzie, Kapoeta). All carbonaceous chondritic microclasts are made of a fine-grained phyllosilicate-rich matrix supporting a variety of minerals such as olivine, pyroxene, spinel, iron oxides, iron–nickel sulfides, and calcium carbonates. Such a mineralogy is typical of chondritic C2 matter. Half of the carbonaceous chondritic microclasts are tochilinite-rich, and have been tentatively called CM2 microclasts. The other half are magnetite-rich, and have been tentatively called CR2 microclasts. The absence of a correlation between the CM2/CR2 ratio in carbonaceous chondritic microclasts and in numerous millimeter-sized clasts found in the same sections argues for carbonaceous chondritic microclasts being true micrometeorites rather than fragments of larger objects. Dynamical simulations show that it is possible for asteroidal dust to encounter Vesta (the howardite’s putative parent-asteroid) at velocity low enough (<1 km.s−1) to prevent fragmentation. Because the micrometeorite flux in the inner Solar System has been decreasing with time, we argue that carbonaceous chondritic microclasts have been trapped in Vesta’s regolith early in the history of the Solar System and are fossil micrometeorites. Because both microclasts and clasts found in howardites are related to C2 chondritic matter, we propose that C2 matter represents the bulk, or at least a significant fraction of the primordial howardite parent-asteroid. Considering the abundance of C2 matter among fossil micrometeorites, we speculate that the C2 fossil micrometorites are the so far unidentified agent of the late chondritic veneer that endowed the Earth’s mantle with an excess of siderophile elements relative to the contents predicted by the core–mantle separation models. The discovery that C2 fossil micrometeorites are similar to C2 modern Antarctic micrometeorites supports recent models proposing a micrometeoritic origin for the Earth’s oceans and volatile species. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Presents information on florenskyite, a phosphide species from the Kaidun chondritic meteorite which fell in South Yemen in 1980. Occurrence of the phosphide; Information on its chemical composition; Description of the crystal structure,

We provide detailed background, theoretical and practical, on the specific heat of minerals and mixtures thereof, 'astro-materials,' as well as background information on common minerals and other relevant solid substances found on the surfaces of solar system bodies. Furthermore, we demonstrate how to use specific heat and composition data for lunar samples and meteorites as well as a new database of endmember mineral heat capacities (the result of an extensive literature review) to construct reference models for the isobaric specific heat cP as a function of temperature for common solar system materials. Using a (generally linear) mixing model for the specific heat of minerals allows extrapolation of the available data to very low and very high temperatures, such that models cover the temperature range between 10 K and 1000 K at least (and pressures from zero up to several kbars). We describe a procedure to estimate cP(T) for virtually any solid solar system material with a known mineral composition, e.g., model specific heat as a function of temperature for a number of typical meteorite classes with known mineralogical compositions. We present, as examples, the cP(T) curves of a number of well-described laboratory regolith analogs, as well as for planetary ices and 'tholins' in the outer solar system. Part II will review and present the heat capacity database for minerals and compounds and part III is going to cover applications, standard reference compositions, cP(T) curves, and a comparison with new and literature experimental data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Analyzes the characteristics of Tagish Lake meteorites in British Columbia. Exhibition of reflectance spectrum by the meteorites; Similarity with the D-type asteroids; Composition of the meteorite.

Reports on research into the possible origins of fluids within crystals of halite and sylvite found in the Monahans (1998) meteorite. Methods; Results; Conclusions.

On April 23, 2019, a meteorite fall occurred in Aguas Zarcas, Costa Rica. According to the Meteoritical Bulletin, Aguas Zarcas is a brecciated CM2 chondrite dominated by two lithologies. Our X‐ray computed tomography (XCT) results show many different lithologies. In this paper, we describe the petrographic and mineralogical investigation of five different lithologies of the Aguas Zarcas meteorite. The bulk oxygen isotope compositions of some lithologies were also measured. The Aguas Zarcas meteorite is a breccia at all scales. From two small fragments, we have noted five main lithologies, including (1) Met‐1: a metal‐rich lithology; (2) Met‐2: a second metal‐rich lithology which is distinct from Met‐1; (3) a brecciated CM lithology with clasts of different petrologic subtypes; (4) a C1/2 lithology; and (5) a C1 lithology. The Met‐1 lithology is a new and unique carbonaceous chondrite which bears similarities to CR and CM chondrite groups, but is distinct from both based on oxygen isotope data. Met‐2 also represents a new type of carbonaceous chondrite, but it is more similar to the CM chondrite group, albeit with a very high abundance of metal. We have noted some similarities between the Met‐1 and Met‐2 lithologies and will explore possible genetic relationships. We have also identified a brecciated CM lithology with two primary components: a chondrule‐poor lithology and a chondrule‐rich lithology showing different petrologic subtypes. The other two lithologies, C1 and C1/2, are very altered and possibly related to the CM chondrite group. In this article, we describe all the lithologies in detail and attempt a classification of each in order to understand the origin and the history of formation of the Aguas Zarcas parent body. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The carbonaceous asteroid Ryugu has been explored by the Hayabusa2 spacecraft to elucidate the actual nature of hydrous asteroids. Laboratory analyses revealed that the samples from Ryugu are comparable to unheated CI carbonaceous chondrites; however, reflectance spectra of Ryugu samples and CIs do not coincide. Here, we demonstrate that Ryugu sample spectra are reproduced by heating Orgueil CI chondrite at 300°C under reducing conditions, which caused dehydration of terrestrial weathering products and reduction of iron in phyllosilicates. Terrestrial weathering of CIs accounts for the spectral differences between Ryugu sample and CIs, which is more severe than space weathering that likely explains those between asteroid Ryugu and the collected samples. Previous assignments of CI chondrite parent bodies, i.e., chemically most primitive objects in the solar system, are based on the spectra of CI chondrites. This study indicates that actual spectra of CI parent bodies are much darker and flatter at ultraviolet to visible wavelengths than the spectra of CI chondrites. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Diogenites are thought to have originated from asteroid 4 Vesta asteroid, and it has been previously shown that they mostly consist of orthopyroxene, chromite, and olivine minerals. In this study, the Aioun El Atrouss (AAT‐1) diogenite was analyzed by vibrational spectroscopic (FT‐IR and micro‐Raman), EDXRF, and XRD techniques. AAT‐001 is mainly composed of pyroxene and with lesser olivine. XRD investigation confirmed magnetite, kamacite, ilmenite, and albite. A troilite‐orthopyroxene intergrowth was revealed by XRF. The olivine composition was estimated to be approximately Fo66 by Raman olivine characteristic doublets. Pyroxenes in AAT‐01 were found to be En80Fs20. Finally, approximate peak shock pressure of more than 86 GPa for AAT‐1 was suggested based on previous hypervelocity impact experiments on olivine. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The ungrouped carbonaceous chondrite (CC) Bells has long been considered petrographically similar to CM chondrites based on its matrix abundance and degree of aqueous alteration, but also shows significant isotopic affinities to CR chondrites. Its taxonomic status is thus important for clarifying the relationship of the CRHB (formerly "CR") clan with other CCs. In this study, we measured the oxygen isotopic compositions of olivines in type I chondrules and isolated olivine grains in Bells. Bells olivines mostly have ∆17O > −4‰, similar to CR chondrites but unlike other CCs that are rich in refractory inclusions, in which chondrules are generally richer in 16O. Therefore, Bells is a CR chondrite (albeit an anomalous one), most similar to the rare, matrix‐rich CRs like Al Rais. These chondrites (i) may not necessarily derive from the same primary parent body as mainstream CRs, (ii) bear witness to significant variations of the matrix/chondrule ratio within the CRHB clan, and (iii) may be a good analog for samples retrieved by the space mission OSIRIS‐REx. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

On April 23rd, 2019, the Aguas Zarcas meteorite fall occurred in Costa Rica. Because the meteorite was quickly recovered, it contains valuable extraterrestrial materials that have not been contaminated by terrestrial processes. Our X-ray computed tomography (XCT) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) results on various pre-rain fragments from earlier work (Kerraouch et al., 2020; 2021) revealed several distinct lithologies: Two distinct metal-rich lithologies (Met-1 and Met-2), a CM1/2 lithology, a C1 lithology, and a brecciated CM2 lithology consisting of different petrologic types. Here, we further examined these lithologies in the brecciated Aguas Zarcas meteorite and report new detailed mineralogical, chemical, isotopic, and organic matter characteristics. In addition to petrographic differences, the lithologies also display different chemical and isotopic compositions. The variations in their bulk oxygen isotopic compositions indicate that the various lithologies formed in different environments and/or under diverse conditions (e.g., water/rock ratios). Each lithology experienced a different hydration period during its evolution. Together, this suggests that multiple precursor parent bodies may have been involved in these processes of impact brecciation, mixing, and re-assembly. The Cr and Ti isotopic data for both the CM1/2 and Met-1 lithology are consistent with those of other CM chondrites, even though Met-1 displays a significantly lower ε50Ti isotopic composition that may be attributable to sample heterogeneities on the bulk meteorite scale and may reflect variable abundances of refractory phases in the different lithologies of Aguas Zarcas. Finally, examination of the organic matter of the various lithologies also suggests no strong evidence of thermal events, but a short-term heating cannot completely be excluded. Raman parameters indicate that the peak temperature has been lower than that for Yamato-793321 (CM2, ∼400 °C). Considering the new information presented in this study, we now better understand the origin and formation history of the Aguas Zarcas daughter body. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ungrouped carbonaceous chondrites are not easily classified into one of the well‐established groups due to compositional/petrological differences and geochemical anomalies. Type 2 ungrouped carbonaceous chondrites represent a very small fraction of all carbonaceous chondrites. They can potentially represent different aspects of asteroids and their regolith material. By conducting a multitechnique investigation, we show that Queen Alexandra Range (QUE) 99038 and Elephant Moraine (EET) 83226 do not resemble type 2 carbonaceous chondrites. QUE 99038 exhibits coarse‐grained matrix, Fe‐rich rims on olivines, and an apparent lack of tochilinite, suggesting that QUE 99038 has been metamorphosed. Its polyaromatic organic matter structures closely resemble oxidized CV3 chondrites. EET 83226 exhibits a clastic texture with high porosity and shows similarities to CO3 chondrites. It consists of numerous large chondrules with fine‐grained rims that are often fragmented and discontinuous and set within matrix, suggesting a formation mechanism for the rims in a regolith environment. The kind of processes that can result in such chemical compositions as in QUE 99038 and EET 83226 is currently not fully known and clearly presents a conundrum. Tarda is a highly friable carbonaceous chondrite with close resemblance to Tagish Lake (ungrouped C2 chondrite). It comprises different types of chondrules (some with Fe‐rich rims), framboid magnetite, sulfides, carbonates, and phyllosilicate‐ and carbon‐rich matrix, and is consistent with being an ungrouped C2 chondrite. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Asteroid 2008 TC3 impacted the Earth's atmosphere with a known shape and orientation. Over 600 meteorites were recovered at recorded locations, including meteorites of nonureilite type. From where in the asteroid did these stones originate? Here, we reconstruct the meteor lightcurve and study the breakup dynamics of asteroid 2008 TC3 in 3‐D hydrodynamic modeling. Two fragmentation regimes are found that explain the lightcurve and strewn field. As long as the asteroid created a wake vacuum, the fragments tended to move into that shadow, where they mixed with small relative velocities and surviving meteorites fell along a narrow strip on the ground. But when the surviving part of the backside and bottom of the asteroid finally collapsed at 33 km altitude, it created an end flare and dust cloud, while fragments were dispersed radially with much higher relative speed due to shock–shock interactions with a distorted shock front. Stones that originated in this final collapse tended to survive in a larger size and fell over a wider area at locations on the ground. Those locations to some extent still trace back to the fragment's original position in the asteroid. We classified the stones from this "large mass" area and used this information to glean some insight into the relative location of recovered ureilites and ordinary and enstatite chondrites in 2008 TC3. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Meteorites have been found on the small Misfits Flat dry lakebed near Stagecoach, Nevada (119.382W, +39.348N). Since the first find on Sept. 22, 2013, a total of 58 stones of weathering stage W2/3 with a combined mass of 339 g have been collected in 19 visits to the area. This small (3.3 x 3.6 km) lakebed is now a newly designated dense collection area (DCA). Most meteorites were found in a small 350 x 180 m area along the north shore and most are fragments of several broken individual stones. Three of these fragments were classified as an LL4/5 of shock stage S2, now named Misfits Flat 001, one of which (stone MF33) fell 8.1 ± 1.3 ka ago based on the 14C terrestrial age, assuming it came from a 20-80 cm diameter meteoroid. In addition, a small darkly crusted meteorite MF34, now named Misfits Flat 002, was found 820 m WSW from the main mass. This meteorite is classified as an LL5 ordinary chondrite with shock stage S4/5. The meteorite is saturated in 14C at 63 dpm kg-1, suggesting it originated from the center of a 0.5 m diameter meteoroid, or deep inside a ~1.0 m meteoroid, less than 300 yr ago. Accounts exist of a fireball seen at 13:15 UT on March 2, 1895, that are consistent with the find location of Misfits Flat 002. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lunar regolith breccias are temporal archives of magmatic and impact bombardment processes on the Moon. Apollo 16 sample 60016 is an 'ancient' feldspathic regolith breccia that was converted from a soil to a rock at ~3.8 Ga. The breccia contains a small (70 × 50 μm) rock fragment composed dominantly of an Fe-oxide phase with disseminated domains of troilite. Fragments of plagioclase (An95-97), pyroxene (En74-75, Fs21-22,Wo3-4), and olivine (Fo66-67) are distributed in and adjacent to the Fe-oxide. The silicate minerals have lunar compositions that are similar to anorthosites. Mineral chemistry, synchrotron X-ray absorption near edge spectroscopy ( XANES) and X-ray diffraction ( XRD) studies demonstrate that the oxide phase is magnetite with an estimated Fe3+/ΣFe ratio of ~0.45. The presence of magnetite in 60016 indicates that oxygen fugacity during formation was equilibrated at, or above, the Fe-magnetite or wüstite-magnetite oxygen buffer. This discovery provides direct evidence for oxidized conditions on the Moon. Thermodynamic modeling shows that magnetite could have been formed from oxidization-driven mineral replacement of Fe-metal or desulphurisation from Fe-sulfides (troilite) at low temperatures (<570 °C) in equilibrium with H2O steam/liquid or CO2 gas. Oxidizing conditions may have arisen from vapor transport during degassing of a magmatic source region, or from a hybrid endogenic-exogenic process when gases were released during an impacting asteroid or comet impact. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Isovolumetric replacement of euhedral and anhedral olivine by serpentine produced both centripetal and meshwork textures in the CM2 chondrites ALH 81002 and Nogoya. The compositions of these textural varieties of serpentine are uniform within narrow limits within each previously studied meteorite, independent of the composition of olivine being replaced, and different between the two meteorites. In QUE 93005 (CM2), coarse olivines of widely varying compositions (Fo <76–99 ) are replaced in a texturally similar manner by compositionally uniform serpentine (Mg 0.73±0.05 Fe 0.27±0.05 ) 3 Si 2 O 5 (OH) 4 . The narrow compositional range of serpentine replacing coarse olivine indicates that the aqueous solution from which the serpentine formed was compositionally uniform on scales at least as large as the meteorite (∼2.5 cm in longest dimension). Isovolumetric textures and compositional observations constrain elemental redistribution from coarse olivine to serpentine and to surrounding phases during serpentinization. Regardless of olivine’s composition, isovolumetric replacement of coarse olivines by serpentine of the observed composition released more Mg and Si from olivine than was required to form the serpentine. Excess Mg and Si released by olivine destruction and not retained in serpentine were exported from the replaced volume. Olivines with different Fa/Fo proportions contributed different amounts of Fe and Mg to the serpentine. Ferroan olivines released more Fe than required to form the serpentines replacing them, so some of the Fe released from ferroan olivine was exported from the replaced volumes. Forsteritic olivines released less Fe than required to form the serpentines replacing them, so some Fe was imported into the replaced volumes augmenting the small amount of Fe released from forsteritic olivine. In QUE 93005 Fo 83.8 is the threshold composition between Fe-exporting and Fe-importing behavior in individual olivine–serpentine pairs, which released exactly the amount of Fe required to form serpentine of the observed uniform composition. Compositions of serpentines isovolumetrically replacing olivines, and threshold olivine compositions, in QUE 93005 differ from the corresponding values in Nogoya. Solvent and solute species diffused through the serpentine between the olivine–serpentine interface and the aqueous solution outside the isovolumetrically replaced volume. In QUE 93005, some of the Fe released from ferroan olivine in excess of the amount required to form serpentine reacted with S sourced from outside the pseudomorphs to form Fe-sulfide decorating the margins of the pseudomorphs of serpentine after fayalitic olivine. Such Fe-sulfide-decorated outlines after fayalitic olivine do not occur in ALH 81002 or Nogoya, indicating different Fe and S mass transfer regimes in different CM2 chondrites. Mg, Fe, Si, and S in the aqueous solution, including the excess Mg and Si exported from all serpentine pseudomorphs after olivine of any composition, were available to be incorporated into other phases spatially separate from the pseudomorphs after olivine, including regularly interstratified serpentine–tochilinite. Serpentines that replaced coarse olivines in QUE 93005 and ALH 81002 are less magnesian than those in Nogoya, indicating that the Nogoya aqueous-alteration environment was more evolved toward Mg-rich solutions. This easily located and characterized phase assemblage may be potentially useful for characterizing clasts of varying degrees of alteration in brecciated and heterogeneous CM chondrites, and future returned samples from mineralogically similar asteroids. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We discuss the inherent difficulties that arise during 'ground truth' characterization of the Stardust interstellar dust collector. The challenge of identifying contemporary interstellar dust impact tracks in aerogel is described within the context of background spacecraft secondaries and possible interplanetary dust particles and β-meteoroids. In addition, the extraction of microscopic dust embedded in aerogel is technically challenging. Specifically, we provide a detailed description of the sample preparation techniques developed to address the unique goals and restrictions of the Interstellar Preliminary Exam. These sample preparation requirements and the scarcity of candidate interstellar impact tracks exacerbate the difficulties. We also illustrate the role of initial optical imaging with critically important examples, and summarize the overall processing of the collection to date. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Coarse (chondrule and isolated) olivine in some CM chondrites is replaced by serpentine in both centripetal and meshwork replacement textures. Locally preserved textures formed by partial replacement of coarse olivine by serpentine in the carbonaceous chondrite Nogoya (CM2) establish unique associations between each individual mass of serpentine and the specific olivine from which that serpentine formed. Electron probe microanalyses show that the composition of serpentine replacing coarse olivine is uniform throughout all analyzed volumes of Nogoya, and is independent of the composition of the olivine being replaced. If, as previously proposed, late-stage alteration fluids were Mg-rich because Fe-source minerals were depleted in earlier stages, then the uniform Mg-rich composition of the serpentine replacing large silicate grains during advanced stages of alteration may indicate diffusional homogenization of the aqueous solutions over progressively larger spatial scales, enabled by long timescales and previously proposed stagnant or slow-moving fluids. The range of olivine compositions replaced in Nogoya is even larger than previously reported from ALH 81002 (CM2). This militates against hypotheses of strong primary-mineral control on the compositions of alteration products, at least at advanced stages of alteration. The serpentine formed by olivine replacement in Nogoya is more magnesian than the counterpart serpentine replacing all anhydrous primary silicates in ALH 81002. This intermeteorite heterogeneity of replacement-serpentine composition between ALH 81002 and Nogoya indicates that the aqueous solutions in which the olivine-serpentine replacement reactions occurred were of different compositions in the two different CM parent-body volumes sampled by ALH 81002 and Nogoya. The more magnesian character of serpentines in Nogoya than in ALH 81002 indicates that the Nogoya aqueous-alteration environment was even more highly evolved toward Mg-rich solutions than the environment indicated by the composition of the serpentine in ALH 81002. Persistence of primary-silicate remnants within centripetal and meshwork serpentine indicates that either the aqueous alteration episodes in the parent-body volumes represented by individual meteorites were too short to allow complete replacement of olivine by serpentine, or one or more reactants (most likely water) were completely consumed before the coarse primary silicate was completely replaced. Seemingly incompatible arguments for and against primary-mineral control of serpentine composition during CM chondrite alteration may be reconciled by considering the different grain sizes and reaction timescales that likely existed in different textural settings. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

- Oxygen three-isotope ratios of three anhydrous chondritic interplanetary dust particles (IDPs) were analyzed using an ion microprobe with a 2 μm small beam. The three anhydrous IDPs show Δ17O values ranging from −5‰ to +1‰, which overlap with those of ferromagnesian silicate particles from comet Wild 2 and anhydrous porous IDPs. For the first time, internal oxygen isotope heterogeneity was resolved in two IDPs at the level of a few per mil in Δ17O values. Anhydrous IDPs are loose aggregates of fine-grained silicates (≤3 μm in this study), with only a few coarse-grained silicates (2-20 μm in this study). On the other hand, Wild 2 particles analyzed so far show relatively coarse-grained (≥ few μm) igneous textures. If anhydrous IDPs represent fine-grained particles from comets, the similar Δ17O values between anhydrous IDPs and Wild 2 particles may imply that oxygen isotope ratios in cometary crystalline silicates are similar, independent of crystal sizes and their textures. The range of Δ17O values of the three anhydrous IDPs overlaps also with that of chondrules in carbonaceous chondrites, suggesting a genetic link between cometary dust particles (Wild 2 particles and most anhydrous IDPs) and carbonaceous chondrite chondrules. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]