Siderophile elements in brecciated HED meteorites and the nature of projectile materials in HED meteorites

Abstract

Petrological, mineralogical and geochemical studies were performed on five brecciated HED meteorites (ALH 76005, EET 92003, LEW 85300, LEW 87026 and GRO 95633) in order to elucidate the nature of impactors on the HED parent body. Some brecciated HED meteorites contain exotic materials such as FeNi-metal grains with low Co/Ni ratios (ALH 76005, EET 92003 and GRO 95633) and carbonaceous chondrite clasts (LEW 85300) in a clastic and/or impact melt matrix. Such exotic materials were incorporated during brecciation. Platinum group element (PGE) abundances vary significantly (CI × 0.002–0.05), but are higher than those of pristine rocks from the HED parent body. The PGE ratios for the five HED meteorites are inconsistent with each other, implying that the impactor components of each HED meteorites are different from each other. The various PGE ratios are consistent with those for metals from chondrites and iron meteorites, and carbonaceous chondrites. This study provides the evidence that IAB and IVA iron meteorites, and carbonaceous chondrites (CM, CO, CV, CK, CB and CR), ordinary chondrites (L and H) and enstatite chondrite (EL) are candidates of the impactor materials on the HED parent body. It is highly probable that significant amounts of siderophile elements were incorporated into the inner solar system objects like the HED parent body from both chondritic materials and differentiated materials like iron meteorites during heavy bombardment. The HED meteorites in this study and metals from mesosiderite have different Pd/Ir ratios, probably implying that HED meteorites and mesosiderites formed either at distinct settings on one common parent body or on similar parent bodies.