Chondrules In Semarkona Research Articles

Iron-60 in the Early Solar System Revisited: Insights from In Situ Isotope Analysis of Chondritic Troilite

We measured the nickel isotope composition of troilites from chondritic meteorites using the NanoSIMS to put constraints on the abundance of iron-60 in the early solar system. The troilites were selected from petrologic type 3 ordinary and carbonaceous chondrites. Based on petrographic observations and mineral chemistry, the troilites targeted for isotope analysis crystallized from melts, most likely in a nebular setting. Our isotope analyses did not reveal any significant correlation between nickel-60 enrichments and Fe/Ni ratios, either in the entire set of troilite grains or in individual troilites. The average inferred initial 60Fe/56Fe ratio of the studied troilites (i.e., the 60Fe/56Fe ratio calculated for the entire troilite population) is 1.05 (±1.48) ×10−8. This value is very similar to those estimated in the past for Semarkona chondrules, angrites, as well as diogenites and eucrites, based on the isotope analyses of bulk samples (109–108), but about two orders of magnitude smaller than the average initial 60Fe/56Fe ratios inferred previously for Semarkona troilites and many chondrules from ordinary and carbonaceous chondrites (107–106) using in situ analysis techniques. Based on petrographic evidence, and the generally unequilibrated nature of our samples, as well as on the timing of chondrule formation and planetary evolution, the lack of discernible signs of in situ iron-60 decay in the studied troilites is probably unrelated to metamorphic re-equilibration, and it is also not the result of a late formation of the troilites. We suggest that the highest inferred initial 60Fe/56Fe ratios reported in the literature are probably inaccurate.

Valence determinations and oxybarometry on FIB‐sectioned olivine and pyroxene using correlated Ti, V, and Cr micro‐XAFS spectroscopy: Evaluation of ion‐milling effects and application to Antarctic micrometeorite grains

AbstractX‐ray absorption fine structure (XAFS) spectroscopy methods have been applied to focused ion beam (FIB) produced sections of olivine and pyroxene for determining the valence states of Ti, V, and Cr and inferring oxygen fugacities of formation for each element. High‐quality XAFS spectra were obtained for all three elements for analytical voxels of ~10 pg and usable spectra down to the pg level are achievable. The extraterrestrial samples studied here were olivine and pyroxene from chondrules in Semarkona (LL3.00), olivine from chondrules in Kainsaz (CO3.2), and an olivine and a pyroxene grain from two Antarctic micrometeorites (AMM). The general agreement between calculated thin section and FIB section valences strongly suggests that there is negligible alteration of Ti, V, and Cr valences during FIB sectioning. The inferred oxygen fugacities for the AMM olivine support an equilibrium igneous history similar to results seen for some achondrites. For the pyroxene, highly reduced Cr, coupled with relatively oxidized Ti, suggests an origin in a mildly metamorphosed chondritic parent body. These results demonstrate that this FIB and micro‐XAFS approach is promising for establishing the oxidation states of minute monomineralic grains of diverse extraterrestrial origins, including materials from sample‐return spacecraft, such as the Stardust, OSIRIS‐REx, Hayabusa, and Hayabusa2 missions.

Aggregate Growth and Internal Structures of Chondrite Parent Bodies Forming from Dense Clumps

Abstract The major components of chondrites are chondrules and matrix. Measurements of volatile abundance in Semarkona chondrules suggest that chondrules formed in a dense clump that had a higher solid density than the gas density in the solar nebula. We investigate collisions between chondrules and matrix in the surface region of dense clumps using fluffy aggregate growth models. Our simulations show that the collisional growth of aggregates composed of chondrules and matrix takes place in the clumps well before they experience gravitational collapse. The internal structure of chondrite parent bodies (CPBs) can be thereby determined by aggregate growth. We find that the aggregate growth generates two scales within CPBs. The first scale is involved with the small-scale distribution of chondrules and determined by the early growth stage, where chondrules accrete aggregates composed of matrix grains. This accretion can reproduce the thickness of the matrix layer around chondrules found in chondrites. The other scale is related to the large-scale distribution of chondrules. Its properties (e.g., the abundance of chondrules and the overall size) depend on the gas motion within the clump, which is parameterized in this work. Our work thus suggests that the internal structure of CPBs may provide important clues about their formation conditions and mechanisms.

Secondary melting events in Semarkona chondrules revealed by compositional zoning in low-Ca pyroxene

It is well established that many chondrules contain relict grains formed in previous generations of chondrules. We here describe evidence that chondrules experienced multiple mesostasis melting events while remaining closed systems. Spheroidal chondrule shapes resulted from surface-tension effects following a primary heating event that caused substantial melting (≳40%) of the precursor assemblages. In some high-FeO chondrules in LL3.00 Semarkona, low-Ca pyroxene phenocrysts show multiple overgrowth layers produced by secondary melting events. We characterized these layers with the electron microprobe in terms of Fe, Ca and Cr in two Semarkona chondrules.The first low-Ca pyroxene overgrowth that forms after a minor heating/melting event has low Ca and Fe; concentrations of these incompatibles gradually increase over the next 8±4μm until falling temperatures and slowing diffusion caused growth to stop. The next melting event remelts and mixes the local mesostasis; cooling causes growth of a normal igneously zoned layer. In the simplest cases, the Ca concentrations at the minima gradually increase towards the edge of the phenocryst. Heat deposition during heating events varied over a wide range; the weakest events produced recognizable changes in slopes (that we call “inflections” rather than minima). Large fractions of the individual phenocrysts were formed by the process that produced the overgrowth layers. It appears that overgrowth formation stopped when the Ca content of the mesostasis became high enough to make high-Ca pyroxene a liquidus phase.Both Semarkona chondrules include olivine phenocrysts similar in size and modal abundance to the low-Ca pyroxene phenocrysts. Olivine compositional profiles show symmetrical, apparently normal zoning except for asymmetries attributable to the presence of relict grains. Surface compositions of different olivine phenocrysts in the same chondrule are very similar to one another, consistent with growth from mesostasis in the present chondrule. Hence, these olivines must have experienced the same heating events as the pyroxenes with overgrowths.As argued in earlier papers, the fraction of chondrules heated to low temperatures (sufficient to melt only mesostasis) during nebular heating and melting processes is much larger than the fraction heated sufficiently to melt half or more of the mafic minerals. Melting is expected to result from flash heating in which heat is transported into the chondrule by radiation.

FORMING CHONDRITES IN A SOLAR NEBULA WITH MAGNETICALLY INDUCED TURBULENCE

ABSTRACT Chondritic meteorites provide valuable opportunities to investigate the origins of the solar system. We explore impact jetting as a mechanism of chondrule formation and subsequent pebble accretion as a mechanism of accreting chondrules onto parent bodies of chondrites, and investigate how these two processes can account for the currently available meteoritic data. We find that when the solar nebula is ≤5 times more massive than the minimum-mass solar nebula at a ≃ 2–3 au and parent bodies of chondrites are ≤1024 g (≤500 km in radius) in the solar nebula, impact jetting and subsequent pebble accretion can reproduce a number of properties of the meteoritic data. The properties include the present asteroid belt mass, the formation timescale of chondrules, and the magnetic field strength of the nebula derived from chondrules in Semarkona. Since this scenario requires a first generation of planetesimals that trigger impact jetting and serve as parent bodies to accrete chondrules, the upper limit of parent bodies’ masses leads to the following implications: primordial asteroids that were originally ≥1024 g in mass were unlikely to contain chondrules, while less massive primordial asteroids likely had a chondrule-rich surface layer. The scenario developed from impact jetting and pebble accretion can therefore provide new insights into the origins of the solar system.

Mobility of iron and nickel at low temperatures: Implications for 60Fe–60Ni systematics of chondrules from unequilibrated ordinary chondrites

The Fe and Ni isotopic composition of ferromagnesian silicates in chondrules from unequilibrated ordinary chondrites (UOCs) have been used to estimate the initial abundance of the short-lived radionuclide, 60Fe, in the early Solar System. However, these estimates vary widely, and there are systematic discrepancies in initial 60Fe/56Fe ratios inferred from in situ and bulk analyses of chondrules. A possible explanation is that the Fe–Ni isotope system in UOC chondrules has not remained closed (a necessary condition for isotopic dating), and Fe and Ni have been redistributed since the chondrules formed. In order to evaluate this, we collected high-spatial-resolution X-ray fluorescence (XRF) maps of UOC chondrules to better understand the distribution and mobility of Fe and Ni at the low metamorphic temperatures of these chondrites. We used synchrotron X-ray-fluorescence microscopy to map the distribution of Fe, Ni and other elements in portions of 71 chondrules from 8 UOCs (types 3.00–3.2). The synchrotron XRF maps show clear enrichment of Fe and/or Ni in fractures ranging down to micrometer scale in chondrules from all UOCs analyzed for this study regardless of petrologic type and regardless of whether fall or find, indicating that there was significant exchange of Fe and Ni between chondrules and matrix and that the Fe–Ni system was not closed. Sixty percent of chondrules in Semarkona (LL3.00) have Fe and Ni enrichment along fractures, while 80–100% of chondrules analyzed from the other UOCs show these enrichments. Mobilization was likely a result of fluid transport of Fe and Ni during aqueous alteration on the parent body and/or during terrestrial weathering. In situ and bulk Fe–Ni analyses that incorporate extraneous Fe and Ni from chondrule fractures will result in lowering the inferred initial 60Fe/56Fe ratios.

LOW60FE ABUNDANCE IN SEMARKONA AND SAHARA 99555

Iron-60 (t1/2 = 2.62 Myr) is a short-lived nuclide that can help constrain the astrophysical context of Solar System formation and date early Solar System events. A high abundance of 60Fe(60Fe/56Fe ≈ 4 × 10−7) was reported by in situ techniques in some chondrules from the LL3.00 Semarkona meteorite, which was taken as evidence that a supernova exploded in the vicinity of the birthplace of the Sun. However, our previous multi-collector inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (MC-ICPMS) measurements of a wide range of meteoritic materials, including chondrules, showed that 60Fe was present in the early Solar System at a much lower level (60Fe/56Fe ≈ 10−8). The reason for the discrepancy is unknown but only two Semarkona chondrules were measured by MC-ICPMS and these had Fe/Ni ratios below ∼2× chondritic. Here, we show that the initial 60Fe/56Fe ratio in Semarkona chondrules with Fe/Ni ratios up to ∼24× chondritic is (5.39 ± 3.27) × 10−9. We also establish the initial 60Fe/56Fe ratio at the time of crystallization of the Sahara 99555 angrite, a chronological anchor, to be (1.97 ± 0.77) × 10−9. These results demonstrate that the initial abundance of 60Fe at Solar System birth was low, corresponding to an initial 60Fe/56Fe ratio of (1.01 ± 0.27) × 10−8.

Fossil records of high level of 60Fe in chondrules from unequilibrated chondrites

The short-lived now-extinct nuclide (SLN) 60Fe, which decays to 60Ni with a half-life of 2.62 Ma, is uniquely of stellar origin. Hence, its Solar System initial abundance yields information about the source of SLNs and the astrophysical environment in which the Solar System was born. Only a few chondrules (∼19) from unequilibrated ordinary chondrites have reported resolved 60Ni excesses using in situ secondary ion mass spectrometry implying Fe60/Fe56>∼0.6×10−7 in the early Solar System, and among these very few (3) have higher excesses implying Fe60/Fe56∼7×10−7 (Mishra et al., 2010; Mishra and Goswami, 2014; Telus et al., 2012). At variance, multi-collector inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometer studies of bulk samples and mineral separates from differentiated meteorites, angrites, achondrites, and chondrules suggest a low abundance of 60Fe/56Fe of ∼1.4×10−8 which would rule out the need for an external seeding of the early Solar with stellar 60Fe (Quitté et al., 2011; Tang and Dauphas, 2012). Two Semarkona chondrules and one Efremovka chondrule analyzed in the present study have mass fractionation corrected excess of up to ∼75 permil (‰) and give 60Fe isochrons with initial 60Fe/56Fe ratios of (7.8±3.7)×10−7, (3.8±1.6)×10−7, and (2.2±1.1)×10−7 (2σ), for Efremovka Ch 1, Semarkona Ch 12, and Semarkona Ch J5 respectively. The higher values of 60Fe/56Fe ratios seen in the chondrules of these least altered meteorites samples concur with and lend greater credence to the suggestion of a massive star as the source of 60Fe, and possibly of other short-lived nuclides, to the early Solar System. However, no definitive explanation (e.g. sample bias, effects of metamorphism, 60Fe heterogeneity) to the apparent disagreement with studies of bulk chondrules and chondrule fragments has been found.

The fine‐grained matrix of the Semarkona LL3.0 ordinary chondrite: An induced thermoluminescence study

Abstract— To investigate the nature, origin, and history of the fine‐grained matrix in Semarkona and develop techniques suitable for small samples, we have measured the induced thermoluminescence properties of six matrix samples 10 μm to 400 μm in size. The samples had TL sensitivities comparable with 4 mg of bulk samples of type 3.2–3.4 ordinary chondrites, which is very high relative to bulk Semarkona. The other induced TL properties of these samples, TL peak temperatures, and TL peak widths distinguish them from other ordinary chondrite samples where the TL is caused by feldspar. Cathodoluminescence images and other data suggest that the cause of the luminescence in the Semarkona fine‐grained matrix is forsterite. In some respects the matrix TL data resemble that of Semarkona chondrules, in which the phosphor is forsterite and terrestrial forsterites from a variety of igneous and metamorphic environments. However, differences in the TL peak temperature versus TL peak width relationship between the matrix samples and the other forsterites suggest a fundamentally different formation mechanism. We also note that forsterite appears to be a major component in many primitive materials, such as nebulae, cometary dust, and Stardust particles.

Cooling rates of porphyritic olivine chondrules in the Semarkona (LL3.00) ordinary chondrite: A model for diffusional equilibration of olivine during fractional crystallization

Abstract— Cooling rates of chondrules provide important constraints on the formation process of chondrite components at high temperatures. Although many dynamic crystallization experiments have been performed to obtain the cooling rate of chondrules, these only provide a possible range of cooling rates, rather than providing actual measured values from natural chondrules. We have developed a new model to calculate chondrule cooling rates by using the Fe‐Mg chemical zoning profile of olivine, considering diffusional modification of zoning profiles as crystals grow by fractional crystallization from a chondrule melt. The model was successfully verified by reproducing the Fe‐Mg zoning profiles obtained in dynamic crystallization experiments on analogs for type II chondrules in Semarkona. We applied the model to calculating cooling rates for olivine grains of type II porphyritic olivine chondrules in the Semarkona (LL3.00) ordinary chondrite. Calculated cooling rates show a wide range from 0.7 °C/h to 2400 °C/h and are broadly consistent with those obtained by dynamic crystallization experiments (10–1000 °C/h). Variations in cooling rates in individual chondrules can be attributed to the fact that we modeled grains with different core Fa compositions that are more Fe‐rich either because of sectioning effects or because of delayed nucleation. Variations in cooling rates among chondrules suggest that each chondrule formed in different conditions, for example in regions with varying gas density, and assembled in the Semarkona parent body after chondrule formation.

Fe‐Ni metal in primitive chondrites: Indicators of classification and metamorphic conditions for ordinary and CO chondrites

Abstract— We report the results of our petrological and mineralogical study of Fe‐Ni metal in type 3 ordinary and CO chondrites, and the ungrouped carbonaceous chondrite Acfer 094. Fe‐Ni metal in ordinary and CO chondrites occurs in chondrule interiors, on chondrule surfaces, and as isolated grains in the matrix. Isolated Ni‐rich metal in chondrites of petrologic type lower than type 3.10 is enriched in Co relative to the kamacite in chondrules. However, Ni‐rich metal in type 3.15–3.9 chondrites always contains less Co than does kamacite. Fe‐Ni metal grains in chondrules in Semarkona typically show plessitic intergrowths consisting of submicrometer kamacite and Ni‐rich regions. Metal in other type 3 chondrites is composed of fine‐ to coarse‐grained aggregates of kamacite and Ni‐rich metal, resulting from metamorphism in the parent body. We found that the number density of Ni‐rich grains in metal (number of Ni‐rich grains per unit area of metal) in chondrules systematically decreases with increasing petrologic type. Thus, Fe‐Ni metal is a highly sensitive recorder of metamorphism in ordinary and carbonaceous chondrites, and can be used to distinguish petrologic type and identify the least thermally metamorphosed chondrites. Among the known ordinary and CO chondrites, Semarkona is the most primitive. The range of metamorphic temperatures were similar for type 3 ordinary and CO chondrites, despite them having different parent bodies. Most Fe‐Ni metal in Acfer 094 is martensite, and it preserves primary features. The degree of metamorphism is lower in Acfer 094, a true type 3.00 chondrite, than in Semarkona, which should be reclassified as type 3.01.

Condensation of major elements during chondrule formation and its implication to the origin of chondrules

Two glassy refractory Al-rich chondrules in Semarkona (LL3.0), the most primitive unequilibrated ordinary chondrite, provide direct evidence for condensation of Si and Mg on melt droplets during cooling. The chondrules are completely rounded, rich in Ca and Al, and poor in Fe and alkalis. They have extraordinarily abundant glass (70–80 vol%) with a subordinate amount of forsterite as the only crystalline phase that occurs mostly rimming the chondrule edge. The groundmass glass is concentrically zoned in terms of Si with an outward increase, which is overlapped with local heterogeneity of Mg and Al induced by crystallization of forsterite. The outward increase of Si, mostly compensated by Al, cannot be formed solely by crystallization of forsterite from a homogeneous melt in a closed system. Combined with skeletal or dendritic morphology and sector zoning of forsterite, it is suggested that Si condensed onto totally molten droplets (“initial melts”) accompanied by nucleation and rapid growth of forsterite with lowering temperature. The “initial melts”, the compositions of which were estimated from the Ca contents of the first crystallized forsterite, are very similar to Type C CAI but are notably poorer in Mg and Si than the bulk chondrules, indicating condensation of Mg in addition to Si with an atomic ratio of Mg:Si ∼ 3:2. The condensation after the nucleation of forsterite took place below ∼1300 °C under cooling at ∼70 °C/h and amounted to 30 wt% of the current chondrule. This study suggests a model that a short-time and local shock heating event induced melting of Type C CAI and concomitant evaporation of dusts, ferromagnesian chondrules of earlier generation, and their fragments to generate Mg and Si-rich gas, which condensed onto the melt droplets upon cooling accompanying condensation of Type I chondrules.

TL sensitivity of single chondrules from type 3 chondrites: Thermal metamorphism of chondrules in a nebular environment?

Chondrules are millimeter sized near spherical objects that comprise > 50% of the volume of chondritic meteorites. Determinations of the initial Al / 27 26 Al ratios from earlier studies of ferromagnesian chondrules in unequilibriated ordinary chondrites indicate that most chondrules formed between ∼ 1.5 and 2.5 Ma after the formation of calcium–aluminium rich inclusions (CAIs) in the early solar system. This paper investigates the thermoluminescence sensitivity of chondrules from unequilibriated ordinary chondrites to search for indications of thermal metamorphism in a pre-parent body. Our results suggest that a few chondrules in Semarkona and Bishunpur chondrites with higher levels of TL sensitivity may have experienced such thermal metamorphism in a pre-parent body environment.

Alkali elemental and potassium isotopic compositions of Semarkona chondrules

We report measurements of K isotope ratios in 28 Semarkona chondrules with a wide range of petrologic types and bulk compositions as well as the compositions of CPX-mesostasis pairs in 17 type I Semarkona chondrules, including two chondrules with radial alkali zonation and 19 type II chondrules. Despite the wide range in K/Al ratios, no systematic variations in K isotopic compositions were found. Semarkona chondrules do not record a simple history of Rayleigh-type loss of K. Experimentally determined evaporation rates suggest that considerable alkali evaporation would have occurred during chondrule formation. Nevertheless, based on Na CPX-mesostasis distribution coefficients, the alkali contents of the cores of most chondrules in Semarkona were probably established at the time of final crystallization. However, Na CPX-mesostasis distribution coefficients also show that alkali zonation in type I Semarkona chondrules was produced by entry of alkalis after solidification, probably during parent body alteration. This alkali metasomatism may have gone to completion in some chondrules. Our preferred explanation for the lack of systematic isotopic enrichments, even in alkali depleted type I chondrule cores, is that they exchanged with the ambient gas as they cooled.

Non-spherical lobate chondrules in CO3.0 Y-81020: General implications for the formation of low-FeO porphyritic chondrules in CO chondrites

Non-spherical chondrules (arbitrarily defined as having aspect ratios ≥1.20) in CO3.0 chondrites comprise multi-lobate, distended, and highly irregular objects with rounded margins; they constitute ∼70% of the type-I (low-FeO) porphyritic chondrules in Y-81020, ∼75% of such chondrules in ALHA77307, and ∼60% of those in Colony. Although the proportion of non-spherical type-I chondrules in LL3.0 Semarkona is comparable (∼60%), multi-lobate OC porphyritic chondrules (with lobe heights equivalent to a significant fraction of the mean chondrule diameter) are rare. If the non-spherical type-I chondrules in CO chondrites had formed from totally molten droplets, calculations indicate that they would have collapsed into spheres within ∼10 −3 s, too little time for their 20-μ m-size olivine phenocrysts to have grown from the melt. These olivine grains must therefore be relicts from an earlier chondrule generation; the final heating episode experienced by the non-spherical chondrules involved only minor amounts of melting and crystallization. The immediate precursors of the individual non-spherical chondrules may have been irregularly shaped chondrule fragments whose fracture surfaces were rounded during melting. Because non-spherical chondrules and “circular” chondrules form a continuum in shape and have similar grain sizes, mineral and mesostasis compositions, and modal abundances of non-opaque phases, they must have formed by related processes. We conclude that a large majority of low-FeO chondrules in CO3 chondrites experienced a late, low-degree melting event. Previous studies have shown that essentially all type-II (high-FeO) porphyritic chondrules in Y-81020 formed by repeated episodes of low-degree melting. It thus appears that the type-I and type-II porphyritic chondrules in Y-81020 (and, presumably, all CO3 chondrites) experienced analogous formation histories. Because these two types constitute ∼95% of all CO chondrules, it is clear that chondrule recycling was the rule in the CO chondrule-formation region and that most melting events produced only low degrees of melting. The rarity of significantly non-spherical, multi-lobate chondrules in Semarkona may reflect more-intense heating of chondrule precursors in the ordinary-chondrite region of the solar nebula.

Non‐equilibrium concepts lead to a unified explanation of the formation of chondrules and chondrites

Abstract— Calculations of the formation of seven types of chondrules in Semarkona from a gas of solar composition were performed with the FACT computer program to predict the chemistries of oxides (including silicates), developed by the authors and their colleagues. The constrained equilibrium theory was used in the calculations with two nucleation constraints suggested by nucleation theory. The first constraint was the blocking of Fe and other metal gaseous atoms from condensing to form solids or liquids because of very high surface free energies and high surface tensions of the solid and liquid metals, respectively. The second constraint was the blocking of the condensation of solids and the formation of metastable liquid oxides (including silicates) well below their liquidus temperatures. Our laboratory experiments suggested subcooling of type IIA chondrule compositions of 400 degrees or more below the liquidus temperature. The blocking of iron leads to a supersaturation of Fe atoms, so that the partial pressure of Fe (pFe) is larger than the partial pressure at equilibrium (pFe(eq)). The supersaturation ratio S = pFe/pFe(eq) becomes larger than 1 and increases rapidly with a decrease in temperature. This drives the reaction Fe + H2O ⇔ H2 + FeO to the right. With S = 100, the activity of FeO in the liquid droplet is 100 times as large as the value at equilibrium. The FeO activities are a function of temperature and provide relative average temperatures of the crystallization of chondrules. Our calculations for the LL3.0 chondrite Semarkona and our study of some non‐equilibrium effects lead to accurate representations of the compositions of chondrules of types IA, IAB, IB, IIA, IIAB, IIB, and CC. Our concepts readily explain both the variety of FeO concentrations in the different chondrule types and the entire process of chondrule formation. Our theory is unified and could possibly explain the formation of chondrules in all chondritic meteorites as well as provide a simple explanation for the complex chemistries of chondrites, and especially for type 3 chondrites.

Experimental study of evaporation and isotopic mass fractionation of potassium in silicate melts

The behavior of Na and K during evaporation from chondrule composition melts was studied using a vacuum furnace. Though Na is the less volatile of the two as an element, it is lost more rapidly than K from silicate melts. Mass fractionation of K isotopes was measured by ion microprobe and Rayleigh fractionation is observed for vacuum evaporation (10 −5 atm). With higher pressures of air, the K loss rate decreases but with increasing hydrogen pressure, K is lost more rapidly. δ 41K decreases with higher pressures, because of back reaction between melt and K in the gas. With long heating duration, the release of light K condensed within the furnace leads to interaction with the K-depleted melt and a further reduction of δ 41K. Natural chondrules differ in some ways from our experimental residues. Some (especially type IIA) have superchondritic Na and K, despite their assumed formation in nebular hydrogen, which enhances volatile loss, and chondrules do not show K isotopic fractionation. Type I chondrules in Semarkona (LL3.0) either plot on our evaporation trend, or are depleted in K but slightly enriched in Na, relative to K. In Bishunpur (LL3.1), type I chondrules are mostly K-depleted but moderately to strongly enriched in Na. In petrologic type 3.2 to 3.4 chondrites they are enriched in both K and Na, like type II chondrules. The alkali contents suggest type I chondrules experienced evaporation and subsequent metasomatism. Their normal δ 41K values suggest closed-system evaporation of a chondritic precursor in a gas with relatively high K pressures due to vaporization of dust accompanying chondrule precursor aggregates. Type II chondrules are volatile-rich, as well as unfractionated in K isotopes. They probably formed in a gas with higher pK than in the case of type I chondrules, due to heating of a more dust-rich parcel of gas.

Zoned chondrules in Semarkona: Evidence for high‐ and low‐temperature processing

Abstract— At least 15% of the low‐FeO chondrules in Semarkona (LL3.0) have mesostases that are concentrically zoned in Na, with enrichments near the outer margins. We have studied zoned chondrules using electron microprobe methods (x‐ray mapping plus quantitative analysis), ion microprobe analysis for trace elements and hydrogen isotopes, cathodoluminescence imaging, and transmission electron microscopy in order to determine what these objects can tell us about the environment in which chondrules formed and evolved.Mesostases in these chondrules are strongly zoned in all moderately volatile elements and H (interpreted as water). Calcium is depleted in areas of volatile enrichment. Titanium and Cr generally decrease toward the chondrule surfaces, whereas Al and Si may either increase or decrease, generally in opposite directions to one another; Mn follows Na in some chondrules but not in others; Fe and Mg are unzoned. D/H ratios increase in the water‐rich areas of zoned chondrules. Mesostasis shows cathodoluminescence zoning in most zoned chondrules, with the brightest yellow color near the outside. Mesostasis in zoned chondrules appears to be glassy, with no evidence for devitrification.Systematic variations in zoning patterns among pyroxene‐ and olivine‐rich chondrules may indicate that fractionation of low‐ and high‐Ca pyroxene played some role in Ti, Cr, Mn, Si, Al, and some Ca zoning. But direct condensation of elements into hot chondrules, secondary melting of late condensates into the outer portions of chondrules, and subsolidus diffusion of elements into warm chondrules cannot account for the sub‐parallel zoning profiles of many elements, the presence of H2O, or elemental abundance patterns.Zoning of moderately volatile elements and Ca may have been produced by hydration of chondrule glass without devitrification during aqueous alteration on the parent asteroid. This could have induced structural changes in the glass allowing rapid diffusion and exchange of elements between altered glass and surrounding matrix and rim material. Calcium was mainly lost during this process, and other nonvolatile elements may have been mobile as well. Some unzoned, low‐FeO chondrules appear to have fully altered mesostasis.

Troilite in the chondrules of type-3 ordinary chondrites: implications for chondrule formation

The presence of primary troilite in chondrules requires that nebular temperatures were <650 K (the 50% condensation temperature of S) at the time of chondrule formation and that chondrules were molten for periods short enough (≤10 s) to avoid significant volatilization of S. We examined 226 intact chondrules of all textural types from eight unshocked to weakly shocked ordinary chondrite falls of low petrologic type to determine the origin of troilite in chondrules; 68 chondrules are from LL3.0 Semarkona. There is a high probability that troilite is primary (i.e., was present among the chondrule precursors) if it is completely embedded in a mafic silicate phenocryst, located within one-half radius of the apparent chondrule center and is part of an opaque assemblage with an igneous texture. Based on these criteria, 13% of the chondrules in Semarkona and in the set as a whole contain primary troilite. Most of the remaining chondrules contain troilite that is probably primary, but does not meet all three criteria. Troilite occurs next to tetrataenite in some opaque spherules within low-FeO chondrules in Semarkona, implying that the Ni required to form the tetrataenite came from the troilite. Troilite can accommodate 5 mg/g Ni at high temperatures (>1170 K) but much less Ni at lower temperatures; because this is far higher than the metamorphic temperature inferred for Semarkona (∼670 K), the troilite must be primary. Primary troilite fitting the three criteria occurs in a smaller fraction of low-FeO [FeO/(FeO + MgO) in olivine and/or low-Ca pyroxene not greater than 0.075] than high-FeO porphyritic chondrules in Semarkona (9% vs. 33%). Coarse-grained low-FeO porphyritic chondrules appear to contain somewhat more troilite on average than those of medium grain size.We found a few troilite-free, metallic-Fe-Ni-bearing, low-FeO chondrules that contain Na2O-bearing augite and Na2O- and K2O-rich mesostasis; these chondrules were probably formed after ambient nebular temperatures cooled below 910 K (the 50% condensation temperature of Na) and before they reached 650 K. Literature reports of rare fayalitic microchondrules in the rims around a few normal-size chondrules suggest that chondrule formation persisted until nebular temperatures cooled below 500 K.Secondary troilite occurs in a few percent of Semarkona chondrules as thin veins mobilized by shock; troilite or pyrrhotite in the outer portions of some chondrules occur within opaque assemblages containing magnetite, carbide, Ni-rich sulfide, awaruite, and Co-rich kamacite produced by parent-body hydrothermal alteration.

CHONDRULES

▪ Abstract Chondrules are ∼1-mm igneous droplets in primitive meteorites, and their abundance suggests widespread melting in the protoplanetary disk. Chondrules with relict unmelted grains or igneous rims record multi111ple melting events. There are two main types of chondrules, type I (FeO-poor and volatile-poor) and type II [FeO-rich and approximately chondritic (solar) in composition]. Type I chondrules in the unmetamorphosed chondrite Semarkona show evidence of evaporative loss with regard to the moderately volatile elements. Loss of S produces much of the FeNi metal in chondrules. Though the finest grained type I and II chondrules in Semarkona are both approximately chondritic in bulk composition, they differ in FeO content of olivine, indicating different precursors. Simulations suggest temperatures of chondrule formation of 1550–1900°C, with short (&lt;1 min) heating times. Short-lived isotopes suggest that chondrules formed relatively late, and nebular shock waves are the current favorite heating mechanism. As chondrules were transported to the midplane more easily than fine dust or fluffy aggregates, they were probably important components in building planets.