Ion microprobe analysis of olivine in pallasite meteorites for nickel

Abstract

The ion microprobe has been used to analyse olivine in seven pallasites for Ni. The results are in the range 22–41 μg/g and are significantly lower than published electron probe analyses. The olivine-metal equilibrium temperatures deduced from thermodynamic calculations are correspondingly lower, and it is likely that equilibrium between olivine and metal was maintained to somewhat below the temperature of the γ-α transformation in metal (∼700°C). The results appear to be consistent with cooling rates of ∼1K/Ma derived from metal phase compositions, and certainly more so than the previous electron probe data. A Ni profile across an olivine grain in Eagle Station shows a decrease from 40 μg/g at the centre to 25 μg/g at the edge, illustrating the effect of limited diffusion of Ni in olivine during cooling. A correlation between grain size and central Ni content was also observed in Eagle Station, the smallest grains having the lowest Ni content.