Luminescence studies of extraterrestrial materials: Insights into their recent radiation and thermal histories and into their metamorphic history

Abstract

Early work on meteorite thermoluminescence (TL), influenced by pottery dating and dosimetry applications, demonstrated a relationship between natural thermoluminescence and (1) the orbital perihelion and (2) the terrestrial age (time since fall) of a meteorite. For 14 years natural TL measurements were routinely made on newly recovered Antarctic meteorites to help identify unusual thermal and radiation histories, and to sort them by terrestrial age and perihelion. Two examples of the value of such data are presented, an Antarctic meteorite that underwent a major orbit change prior to fall, and the collection mechanics of meteorites at the Lewis Cliff ice field. A second major area of focus for meteorite TL that has no non-meteorite heritage, is the use of their induced TL to provide an extraordinarily sensitive and quantitative means of exploring metamorphic intensity and palaeothermometry. While especially valuable for unequilibrated ordinary chondrites, these types of measurement have proved useful with virtually every major class of meteorite, asteroidal and planetary. The challenge now is to extend the technique to small particles, micrometeorites, interplanetary dust particles, and cometary particles.