Investigations of Cosmic-Ray-Produced Nuclides in Iron Meteorites: 5. More Data on the Nuclides of Potassium and Noble Gases, on Exposure Ages and Meteoroid Sizes

Abstract

Abstract The concentrations of the cosmic-ray-produced He-, Ne-, and Ar-nuclides in samples of 31 iron meteorites have been determined by mass spectrometry. Thereby, the number of samples analyzed in this laboratory has grown to 83. A critical examination of all these results was performed. The data of at least 52 samples prove to be useful to describe the "normal" abundance patterns of cosmogenic noble gases in iron meteorites; the description is accomplished by a new system of equations that correlate some properly selected abundance ratios with one another. The correlations serve as an instrument to recognize and diagnose certain abundance anomalies (3He-or 38Ar-deficiencies) which occur in about 25% of all samples analyzed. They allow to select those data which may unhesitatingly be applied in calculations concerning the irradiation histories of the respective meteorites. Another matter of concern for establishing these histories are the cosmic-ray-exposure ages. Mass spectrometric abundance analyses on meteoritic potassium have provided new data on the 41K/40K exposure ages of about 10 iron meteorites as well as on meteoroid sizes and sample depths. For two meteorites of the chemical group IIIAB, Joe Wright Mountains and Picacho, the age values obtained are 685 and 635 Ma, respectively. The results confirm our previous conclusion that the IIIAB-irons resided originally within a more or less contiguous partial volume (metallic core?) of their parent body and were ejected in consequence of a single impact event that happened about 670 Ma ago. Another motive for the present investigation was to measure the exposure ages for meteorites of the chemical groups IIICD and HIE. However, the new information obtained on their age distributions is still inadequate to answer some old questions concerning a possible relationship to the event that produced the IIIAB-meteoroids 670 Ma ago.