Subsolidus REE partitioning between pyroxene and plagioclase in cumulate eucrites: An ion microprobe investigation

Abstract

In an attempt to elucidate the relationship between the cumulate eucrites and the noncumulate (main series) eucrites, we have examined the trace-element systematics of plagioclase grains that coexist with inverted pigeonites of the cumulate eucrites. Analyses were done by secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS). Plagioclase compositions are uniform in trace-element abundances within grains from each cumulate eucrite, but are variable between the four analyzed: Moama, Moore County, Serra de Magé, and Binda. Shapes of CI-normalized trace-element abundance patterns of the plagioclase grains of the cumulates are typical of plagioclase, showing a LREE-enriched pattern with positive Eu anomalies reflecting the site preference of Eu 2+ in the feldspar structure. Using trace-element concentrations of the pyroxenes (orthopyroxene, pigeonite, augite; Pun and Papike, 1995) and plagioclase (this study), we calculate the subsolidus partition coefficients (Ds) for the REEs and Y between plagioclase and pyroxenes in the examined cumulate eucrites. Trace-element systematics suggest that igneous trace-element signatures have been altered by subsolidus exchange for both the plagioclase and pyroxene. Calculated hypothetical parental-melt patterns determined from pyroxene and plagioclase are different and can differ by a factor of 4–5 for individual REEs.