Coupled Pb isotopic and trace element systematics of the Tissint meteorite: Geochemical signatures of the depleted shergottite source mantle

Abstract

The application of Martian meteorite U–Th–Pb isotope systematics to track the geochemical evolution of the Martian mantle has had limited success because of the difficulty in discriminating an indigenous magmatic Pb component from secondary near-surface components that have additionally been overprinted by terrestrial contamination. To mitigate this challenge, a successive acid-leaching experiment was conducted on the Tissint meteorite, the freshest, witnessed fall of a primitive, olivine-bearing Martian basalt. Trace element concentration analyses of acid leachates and residues indicate that secondary terrestrial contaminants were effectively removed by the early steps in the leaching experiments and that the acid residues contain pristine Pb from Tissint. The acid residue, which shows the most depleted REE signature, also has the least radiogenic Pb isotopic composition (206Pb/204Pb = 10.948, 207Pb/204Pb = 11.187, 208Pb/204Pb = 30.228). A two-stage mantle evolution model based on this composition indicates that the Tissint mantle has the lowest μ-value (238U/204Pb = 1.62±0.09) among the shergottite sources.