Formation Of Calcium-aluminum-rich Inclusions Research Articles

Early generation of a refractory inclusions-enriched H-chondritic parent body: A safe harbor for Ca, Al-rich inclusions

Calcium-aluminum-rich inclusions (CAIs) commonly observed in chondritic meteorites are the oldest dated solids formed in the Solar System. Short-lived isotope chronologies (26Al-26Mg, 182Hf-182W) suggest a ∼2 Ma gap between the formation of CAIs and the accretion of the final chondrite parent bodies. One thin section, 3.27 cm2 in size, of an ordinary chondrite NWA 3358 (H3.1) studied contains 52 refractory inclusions (CAIs and amoeboid olivine aggregates (AOAs)) comprising 0.14 % of its area, which is the highest abundance of refractory inclusions among non-carbonaceous chondrites containing on average ∼0.009 area % of CAIs and AOAs. In combination with a low chondrule/matrix ratio of ∼1.5, this makes NWA 3358 a unique ordinary chondrite. The aqueously-formed fayalites (Fa>99) in NWA 3358 have the inferred initial 53Mn/55Mn ratio of (5.56 ± 0.44) × 10−6 which is the highest measured value for secondary minerals in chondrites and corresponds to the formation time of ∼1.0–1.5 Ma after CAIs. Based on the 53Mn-53Cr chronology of fayalite formation and the thermal modeling, we infer that the first-generation of an H chondrite parent body, ∼6–12 km in diameter, accreted within 1.0 Ma after formation of CAIs, filling the gap of ∼2 Ma between CAIs and the earliest chondrite parent bodies. This early accretion provides a possible mechanism of CAIs/AOAs storage in the inner solar nebula and could explain the high amount of refractory inclusions in NWA 3358. A later destruction of these first-generation bodies may also explain the presence of CAIs and chondrules of different ages within later formed chondrite parent bodies.

The Impact of Serpentinization on the Initial Conditions of Satellite Forming Collisions of Large Kuiper Belt Objects

Kuiper Belt objects are thought to be formed at least a few million years after the formation of calcium–aluminum-rich inclusions (CAIs), at a time when the 26Al isotope—the major source of radiogenic heat in the early solar system—had significantly depleted. The internal structure of these objects is highly dependent on any additional source that can produce extra heat in addition to that produced by the remaining, long-lasting radioactive isotopes. In this paper, we explore how serpentinization, the hydration of silicate minerals, can contribute to the heat budget and to what extent it can modify the internal structure of large Kuiper Belt objects. We find that the extent of restructuring depends very strongly on the start time of the formation process, the size of the object, and the starting ice-to-rock ratio. Serpentinization is able to restructure most of the interior of all objects in the whole size range (400–1200 km) and ice-to-rock ratio range investigated if the process starts early, ∼3 Myr after CAI formation, potentially leading to a predominantly serpentine core much earlier than previously thought (≤5 Myr versus several tens of million years). While the ratio of serpentinized material gradually decreases with the increasing formation time, the increasing ice-to-rock ratio, and the increasing start time of planetesimal formation in the outer solar system, in the case of the largest objects a significant part of the interior will be serpentinized even if the formation starts relatively late, ∼5 Myr after CAI formation. Therefore it is feasible that the interior of planetesimals may have contained a significant amount of serpentine, and in some cases, it could have been a dominant constituent, at the time of satellite-forming impacts.

Protracted Timescales for Nebular Processing of First-formed Solids in the Solar System

The calcium–aluminum-rich inclusions (CAIs) from chondritic meteorites are the first solids formed in the solar system. Rim formation around CAIs marks a time period in early solar system history when CAIs existed as free-floating objects and had not yet been incorporated into their chondritic parent bodies. The chronological data on these rims are limited. As seen in the limited number of analyzed inclusions, the rims formed nearly contemporaneously (i.e., <300,000 yr after CAI formation) with the host CAIs. Here we present the relative ages of rims around two type B CAIs from NWA 8323 CV3 (oxidized) carbonaceous chondrite using the 26Al–26Mg chronometer. Our data indicate that these rims formed ∼2–3 Ma after their host CAIs, most likely as a result of thermal processing in the solar nebula at that time. Our results imply that these CAIs remained as free-floating objects in the solar nebula for this duration. The formation of these rims coincides with the time interval during which the majority of chondrules formed, suggesting that some rims may have formed in transient heating events similar to those that produced most chondrules in the solar nebula. The results reported here additionally bolster recent evidence suggesting that chondritic materials accreted to form chondrite parent bodies later than the early-formed planetary embryos, and after the primary heat source, most likely 26Al, had mostly decayed away.

Oxygen isotope exchange kinetics between CAI melt and carbon monoxide gas: Implication for CAI formation in the earliest Solar System

Coarse-grained igneous calcium-aluminum-rich inclusions (CAIs) are suggested to have experienced gas–melt isotope exchange of oxygen during the melting events of their precursors. Therefore, their oxygen isotope variation would preserve information about the high-temperature processes in the earliest Solar System. We experimentally determined oxygen isotope exchange kinetics between CAI analog melt and carbon monoxide (CO) gas at 1420 °C and 1460 °C under CO gas partial pressures of 0.1, 0.5, and 1 Pa to understand the role of CO gas on the oxygen isotope exchange. We observed oxygen isotope zoning profiles inside the reacted samples that formed through the oxygen isotope exchange reaction at the melt surface and oxygen diffusion in the melt. The zoning profiles were fitted using a three-dimensional spherical diffusion model with time-dependent surface concentration. The oxygen isotope exchange efficiency for colliding CO molecules is estimated to be ∼3.3 × 10–4, which is much smaller than that for H2O (0.28). The oxygen diffusion coefficient obtained in this study is similar to that obtained in the oxygen isotope exchange experiments between the CAI melt and H2O, suggesting that the diffusion species in the melt is O2–, despite the surrounding atmospheres.A comparison of the isotope exchange reaction kinetics between (1) CAI melt and CO gas, (2) CAI melt and H2O gas, and (3) CO and H2O gases shows that the reaction rate decreases in the order of (3), (2), and (1). The rapid isotope exchange of the reaction (1) indicates that the oxygen isotopic compositions of H2O and CO should have been equilibrated during the melting and crystallization processes of igneous CAIs. Both H2O and CO change the oxygen isotope compositions of molten CAI in the same direction, although reaction (2) controls the isotope exchange timescale between the CAI melt and surrounding gas. Our dataset demonstrates that type B CAIs having melilite with homogeneous oxygen isotope composition should have been heated for 2–3 days at PH2 > 100 Pa above the melilite liquidus (∼1400 °C) in the solar protoplanetary disk.

Earliest evidence of nebular shock waves recorded in a calcium-aluminum-rich Inclusion

Calcium-aluminum-rich inclusions (CAIs) and chondrules are among the most predominant chondritic components contained within primitive meteorites. As CAIs arethe first solids to form in the solar nebula, they contain a record of its earliest chemical and physical processes. Here we combine electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) and 26Al-26Mg chronology techniques to determine the crystallographic properties and ages of CAI components that provide temporal as well as spatial constraints on their origins and subsequent processing in the solar protoplanetary disk. We find evidence of shock deformation within a CAI, suggesting that it was deformed as a free-floating object soon after the CAI formation at the beginning of the Solar System. Our results suggest that even though CAIs and chondrules formed in distinct environments and on different timescales, they were likely affected by similar shock processes that operated over large temporal (0 to ∼4 Ma) and spatial (0.2 to at least 2 to 3 au) extents. Our results imply that nebular shock events were active on a wider scale in the solar protoplanetary disk than previously recognized.

The Thermal Evolution of Planetesimals During Accretion and Differentiation: Consequences for Dynamo Generation by Thermally‐Driven Convection

AbstractThe meteorite paleomagnetic record indicates that differentiated (and potentially, partially differentiated) planetesimals generated dynamo fields in the first 5–40 Myr after the formation of calcium‐aluminum‐rich inclusions (CAIs). This early period of dynamo activity has been attributed to thermal convection in the liquid cores of these planetesimals during an early period of magma ocean convection. To better understand the controls on thermal dynamo generation in planetesimals, we have developed a one dimensional model of the thermal evolution of planetesimals from accretion through to the shutdown of convection in their silicate magma oceans for a variety of accretionary scenarios. The heat source of these bodies is the short‐lived radiogenic isotope 26Al. During differentiation, 26Al partitions into the silicate portion of these bodies, causing their magma oceans to heat up and introducing stable thermal stratification to the top of their cores, which inhibits dynamo generation. In “instantaneously” accreting bodies, this effect causes a delay on the order of &gt;10 Myr to whole core convection and dynamo generation while this stratification is eroded. However, gradual core formation in bodies that accrete over &gt;0.1 Myr can minimize the development of this stratification, allowing dynamo generation from ∼4 Myr after CAI formation. Our model also predicts partially differentiated planetesimals with a core and mantle overlain by a chondritic crust for accretion timescales &gt;1.2 Myr, although none of these bodies generate a thermal dynamo field. We compare our results from thousands of model runs to the meteorite paleomagnetic record to constrain the physical properties of their parent bodies.

New implications for the origin of the IAB main group iron meteorites and the isotopic evolution of the noncarbonaceous (NC) reservoir

The origin of the IAB main group (MG) iron meteorites is explored through consideration of 182W isotopic compositions, thermal modeling of 26Al decay, and mass independent (nucleosynthetic) Mo isotopic compositions of planetesimals formed in the noncarbonaceous (NC) protosolar isotopic reservoir. A refined 182W model age for the meteorites Campo del Cielo, Canyon Diablo, and Nantan suggests that the IAB-MG parent body underwent some form of metal-silicate segregation as early as 5.3 ± 0.4 Myr after calcium-aluminum rich inclusion (CAI) formation or as late as 13.8 ± 1.4 Myr after CAI formation. If melting of the IAB-MG occurred prior to 7 Myr after CAI formation, it was likely driven by 26Al decay for a parent body radius >40 km. Otherwise, additional heat from impact is required for melting metal this late in Solar System history. If melting was partially or wholly the result of internal heating, a thermal model of 26Al decay heat production constrains the accretion age of the IAB-MG parent body to ∼1.7 ± 0.4 Myr after CAI formation. If melting was, instead, dominantly caused by impact heating, thermal modeling suggests the parent body accreted more than 2 Myr after CAI formation. Comparison of Mo mass independent isotopic compositions of the IAB-MG to other NC bodies with constrained accretion ages suggests that the Mo isotopic composition of the NC reservoir changed with time, and that the IAB-MG parent body accreted between 2 to 3 Myr after CAI formation, thus requiring an origin by impact. The relationship between nucleosynthetic Mo isotopic compositions and accretion ages of planetesimals from the NC reservoir suggests that isotopic heterogeneity developed from either addition of s-process material to, or removal of coupled r-/p-process material from the NC reservoir.

Beryllium-10 production in gaseous protoplanetary disks and implications for the astrophysical setting of refractory inclusions

Calcium-aluminum-rich inclusions (CAIs), the oldest known solids of the solar system, show evidence for the past presence of short-lived radionuclide beryllium-10, which was likely produced by spallation during protosolar flares. While such 10Be production has hitherto been modeled at the inner edge of the protoplanetary disk, I calculate here that spallation at the disk surface may reproduce the measured 10Be/9Be ratios at larger heliocentric distances. Beryllium-10 production in the gas prior to CAI formation would dominate that in the solid. Interestingly, provided the Sun’s proton to X-ray output ratio does not decrease strongly, 10Be/9Be at the CAI condensation front would increase with time, explaining the reduced values in a (presumably early) generation of CAIs with nucleosynthetic anomalies. CAIs thus need not have formed very close to the Sun and may have condensed at 0.1–1 AU where sufficiently high temperatures originally prevailed.

Genetics, crystallization sequence, and age of the South Byron Trio iron meteorites: New insights to carbonaceous chondrite (CC) type parent bodies.

The nucleosynthetic Mo, Ru, and W isotopic compositions of the South Byron Trio iron meteorite grouplet (SBT) are consistent with all three meteorites originating on a single parent body that formed in the carbonaceous chondrite (CC) isotopic domain within the Solar nebula. Consistent with a common origin, the highly siderophile element (HSE) concentrations of the SBT can be related to one another by moderate degrees of fractional crystallization of a parental melt with initially chondritic relative abundances of HSE, and with initial S and P contents of ~7 and ~1 wt. %, respectively. Tungsten-182 isotopic data for the SBT indicate the parent body underwent metal-silicate differentiation 2.1 ± 0.8 Myr after calcium aluminum rich inclusion formation, and thermal modeling suggests the parent body formed 1.1 ± 0.5 Myr after CAI formation. This accretion age is not resolved from the accretion ages of other CC and most noncarbonaceous (NC) type iron meteorite parent bodies. Comparison of the projected parental melt composition of the SBT to those projected for the IVA and IVB iron meteorite groups suggests that at least some portions of the CC nebular domain were more oxidized compared to the NC domain. In addition, comparison of the SBT parental melt S content to estimates for parent bodies of the IIAB, IIIAB, IVA, IID, and IVB "magmatic" iron meteorite groups suggests that CC type iron meteorite parental melts were characterized by a general depletion in S, in addition to depletions in some other moderately volatile elements. Based on chemical and O isotope similarities, prior studies have suggested the possibility of a common parent body for the SBT and the Milton pallasite. Molybdenum and Ru isotopic compositions of Milton also provide permissive evidence for this. The HSE concentrations in the Milton metal, however, cannot be related to the SBT by any known crystal-liquid fractionation or mixing path. Thus, Milton more likely formed on a different, chemically distinct, but genetically identical parent body present in the CC nebular domain.

Reassessing the origin and chronology of the unique achondrite Asuka 881394: Implications for distribution of 26Al in the early Solar System

The achondrite Asuka 881394 has mineralogy broadly similar to that of eucrites but is isotopically, chemically and texturally distinct from them. Previous U-Pb chronology shows that it is very old; forming within the first 0.8 Ma of the formation of calcium-aluminum rich inclusions (CAIs). However, the age difference between Asuka 881394 and other very old Solar System materials (CAIs, quenched angrites) measured with the 26Al-26Mg and 53Mn-53Cr extinct radionuclide chronometers, and 207Pb/206Pb chronometer, is not the same. This could be interpreted to reflect heterogeneity in the distribution of 26Al and 53Mn in the early Solar System. Given the significant implications for the early Solar System chronology if 26Al and 53Mn are indeed heterogeneously distributed, in this study we further investigate the origin of Asuka 881394 and the apparent age discordance between short-lived and absolute chronometers, by focusing on measurement of its ε54Cr composition, renewed measurements of the absolute Pb-Pb age and new, high precision measurements of its 26Al-26Mg systematics.New Cr isotope data places additional constraints on the origin of Asuka 881394; its ε 54Cr value of −0.37 ± 0.10ε is resolvable outside of uncertainty from HED meteorites (−0.72 ± 0.10ε), reinforcing evidence from oxygen isotopic analyses that suggest it originated from a distinct parent body, unlikely to be 4 Vesta. New Pb-Pb analyses, combined with using a directly measured 238U/235U ratio for age calculation, result in a recalculated Pb-Pb age of 4564.95 ± 0.53 Ma, ∼1.5 Ma younger than the previously reported age. With this age Asuka 881394 remains one of the oldest known achondrites in our Solar System. New high precision 26Al-26Mg data produce an initial 26Al/27Al ratio of 1.48 ± 0.12 × 10−6, within error of previous data. This ratio corresponds to an Al-Mg age of 4563.69 ± 0.36 Ma or 4564.83 ± 0.21 Ma relative to CAIs and the D’Orbigny angrite, respectively. Thus, depending on which age anchor is used, the 26Al-26Mg age is either 1.26 Ma or 0.12 Ma younger than the new Pb-Pb age, the latter being unresolved within analytical uncertainty.Though a potential age discrepancy between 26Al-26Mg and Pb-Pb could be a result of heterogeneous distribution of 26Al, we demonstrate with our new high precision Mg isotope data, in conjunction with petrographic evidence, that the Mg isotope system has been disturbed in Asuka 881394. We suggest that the 26Al-26Mg system closed to diffusion after the U-Pb system, either due to slow cooling on the parent body or low-grade metamorphic re-equilibration of Mg. Thus, we can satisfactorily explain the observed age discrepancy between 26Al-26Mg and U-Pb systems in Asuka 881394 without invoking heterogeneous distribution of 26Al/27Al ratio in the early Solar System.Comparison of the Asuka 881394 data with that of other anomalous achondrites from distinct parent bodies suggests that these could also have evolved from a source region with a canonical 26Al/27Al ratio. Because these achondrites have significant differences in their ε54Cr-Δ17O systematics, which could be indicative of location within the early protoplanetary disk, it is consistent with homogeneous distribution of 26Al in the early Solar System. Angrites remain an outlier; either because they evolved from a source with a lower 26Al/27Al ratio or because their 26Al-26Mg or Pb-Pb data are problematic. In either case, this suggests that basaltic angrites are questionable as the age anchor for the entire Solar System as a whole, and other very old, well preserved achondrites should be considered for that role.

A multielement isotopic study of refractory FUN and F CAIs: Mass-dependent and mass-independent isotope effects

Calcium-aluminum-rich inclusions (CAIs) are the oldest dated objects that formed inside the Solar System. Among these are rare, enigmatic objects with large mass-dependent fractionation effects (F CAIs), which sometimes also have large nucleosynthetic anomalies and a low initial abundance of the short-lived radionuclide 26Al (FUN CAIs). We have studied seven refractory hibonite-rich CAIs and one grossite-rich CAI from the Murchison (CM2) meteorite for their oxygen, calcium, and titanium isotopic compositions. The 26Al-26Mg system was also studied in seven of these CAIs. We found mass-dependent heavy isotope enrichment in all measured elements, but never simultaneously in the same CAI. The data are hard to reconcile with a single-stage melt evaporation origin and may require reintroduction or reequilibration for magnesium, oxygen and titanium after evaporation for some of the studied CAIs.The initial 26Al/27Al ratios inferred from model isochrons span a range from <1×10−6 to canonical (∼5×10−5). The CAIs show a mutual exclusivity relationship between inferred incorporation of live 26Al and the presence of resolvable anomalies in 48Ca and 50Ti. Furthermore, a relationship exists between 26Al incorporation and Δ17O in the hibonite-rich CAIs (i.e., 26Al-free CAIs have resolved variations in Δ17O, while CAIs with resolved 26Mg excesses have Δ17O values close to −23‰). Only the grossite-rich CAI has a relatively enhanced Δ17O value (∼−17‰) in spite of a near-canonical 26Al/27Al. We interpret these data as indicating that fractionated hibonite-rich CAIs formed over an extended time period and sampled multiple stages in the isotopic evolution of the solar nebula, including: (1) an 26Al-poor nebula with large positive and negative anomalies in 48Ca and 50Ti and variable Δ17O; (2) a stage of 26Al-admixture, during which anomalies in 48Ca and 50Ti had been largely diluted and a Δ17O value of ∼−23‰ had been achieved in the CAI formation region; and (3) a nebula with an approximately canonical level of 26Al and a Δ17O value of ∼−23‰ in the CAI formation region.

New constraints on the relationship between 26Al and oxygen, calcium, and titanium isotopic variation in the early Solar System from a multielement isotopic study of spinel-hibonite inclusions

We report oxygen, calcium, titanium and 26Al–26Mg isotope systematics for spinel-hibonite inclusions (SHIBs), a class of calcium–aluminum-rich inclusions (CAI) common in CM chondrites. In contrast to previous studies, our analyses of 33 SHIBs and four SHIB-related objects obtained with high spatial resolution demonstrate that these CAIs have a uniform Δ17O value of approximately −23‰, similar to many other mineralogically pristine CAIs from unmetamorphosed chondrites (e.g., CR, CV, and Acfer 094). Five SHIBs studied for calcium and titanium isotopes have no resolvable anomalies beyond 3σ uncertainties. This suggests that nucleosynthetic anomalies in the refractory elements had been significantly diluted in the environment where SHIBs with uniform Δ17O formed. We established internal 26Al–26Mg isochrons for eight SHIBs and found that seven of these formed with uniformly high levels of 26Al (a multi-CAI mineral isochron yields an initial 26Al/27Al ratio of ∼4.8×10−5), but one SHIB has a smaller initial 26Al/27Al of∼2.5×10−5, indicating variation in 26Al/27Al ratios when SHIBs formed. The uniform calcium, titanium and oxygen isotopic characteristics found in SHIBs with both high and low initial 26Al/27Al ratios allow for two interpretations. (1) If subcanonical initial 26Al/27Al ratios in SHIBs are due to early formation, as suggested by Liu et al. (2012), our data would indicate that the CAI formation region had achieved a high degree of isotopic homogeneity in oxygen and refractory elements before a homogeneous distribution of 26Al was achieved. (2) Alternatively, if subcanonical ratios were the result of 26Al–26Mg system resetting, the clustering of SHIBs at a Δ17O value of ∼−23‰ would imply that a 16O-rich gaseous reservoir existed in the nebula until at least ∼0.7Ma after the formation of the majority of CAIs.

Oxygen isotopes in the early protoplanetary disk inferred from pyroxene in a classical type B CAI

A major unanswered question in solar system formation is the origin of the oxygen isotopic dichotomy between the Sun and the planets. Individual Calcium–Aluminum-rich inclusions (CAIs) from CV chondrites exhibit almost the full isotopic range, but how their composition evolved is still unclear, which prevents robust astrochemical conclusions. A key issue is notably the yet unsolved origin of the 16O-rich isotopic composition of pyroxene in type B CAIs. Here, I report an in-situ oxygen isotope study of the archetypal type B CAI USNM-3529-Z from Allende with emphasis on the isotopic composition of pyroxene and its isotopic and petrographic relationships with other major minerals. The O isotopic composition of pyroxene is correlated with indicators of magmatic growth, indicating that the pyroxene evolved from a 16O-poor composition and became progressively enriched in 16O during its crystallization, contrary to the long held assumption that pyroxene was initially 16O-rich. This variation is well explained by isotopic exchange between a 16O-poor partial melt having the isotopic composition of melilite and a 16O-rich gas having the isotopic composition of spinel, during pyroxene crystallization.The isotopic evolution of 3529-Z is consistent with formation in an initially 16O-rich environment where spinel and gehlenitic melilite crystallized, followed by a 16O-depletion associated with melilite partial melting and recrystallization and finally a return to the initial 16O-rich environment before pyroxene crystallization. This strongly suggests that the environment of CAI formation was globally 16O-rich, with local 16O-depletions systematically associated with high temperature events. The Al/Mg isotopic systematics of 3529-Z further indicates that this suite of isotopic changes occurred in the first 150 000 yr of the solar system, during the main CAI formation period. A new astrophysical setting is proposed, where the 16O-depletion occurs in an optically thin surface layer of the disk and may have originated by evaporation of 16O-poor interstellar dust or non-mass-dependant isotopic fractionation.

Early accretion of protoplanets inferred from a reduced inner solar system 26Al inventory

The mechanisms and timescales of accretion of 10–1000 km sized planetesimals, the building blocks of planets, are not yet well understood. With planetesimal melting predominantly driven by the decay of the short-lived radionuclide 26Al (26Al→26Mg; t1/2=0.73 Ma), its initial abundance determines the permissible timeframe of planetesimal-scale melting and its subsequent cooling history. Currently, precise knowledge about the initial 26Al abundance [(26Al/27Al)0] exists only for the oldest known solids, calcium aluminum-rich inclusions (CAIs) – the so-called canonical value. We have determined the 26Al/27Al of three angrite meteorites, D'Orbigny, Sahara 99555 and NWA 1670, at their time of crystallization, which corresponds to (3.98±0.15)×10−7, (3.64±0.18)×10−7, and (5.92±0.59)×10−7, respectively. Combined with a newly determined absolute U-corrected Pb–Pb age for NWA 1670 of 4564.39±0.24 Ma and published U-corrected Pb–Pb ages for the other two angrites, this allows us to calculate an initial (26Al/27Al)0 of (1.33−0.18+0.21)×10−5 for the angrite parent body (APB) precursor material at the time of CAI formation, a value four times lower than the accepted canonical value of 5.25×10−5. Based on their similar 54Cr/52Cr ratios, most inner solar system materials likely accreted from material containing a similar 26Al/27Al ratio as the APB precursor at the time of CAI formation. To satisfy the abundant evidence for widespread planetesimal differentiation, the subcanonical 26Al budget requires that differentiated planetesimals, and hence protoplanets, accreted rapidly within 0.25±0.15 Ma of the formation of canonical CAIs.

No nebular magnetization in the Allende CV carbonaceous chondrite

Magnetic fields in the solar nebula may have played a central role in mass and angular momentum transport in the protosolar disk and facilitated the accretion of the first planetesimals. Thought to be key evidence for this hypothesis is the high unblocking-temperature, randomly oriented magnetization in chondrules in the Allende CV carbonaceous chondrite. However, it has recently been realized that most of the ferromagnetic minerals in Allende are products of secondary processes on the parent planetesimal. Here we reevaluate the pre-accretional magnetism hypothesis for Allende using new paleomagnetic analyses of chondrules including the first measurements of mutually oriented subsamples from within individual chondrules. We confirm that Allende chondrules carry a high-temperature component of magnetization that is randomly oriented among chondrules. However, we find that subsamples of individual chondrules are also non-unidirectionally magnetized. Therefore, the high-temperature magnetization in Allende chondrules is not a record of nebular magnetic fields and is instead best explained by remagnetization during metasomatism in a <8 μT magnetic field. This low field intensity suggests that any core dynamo on the CV parent body decayed before the end of metasomatism, likely <40 My after the formation of calcium aluminum-rich inclusions (CAIs). Despite widespread practice, the magnetization in Allende should not be used to constrain magnetic fields in the protosolar nebula.

Amoeboid olivine aggregates from CH carbonaceous chondrites

Amoeboid olivine aggregates (AOAs) in CH carbonaceous chondrites are texturally and mineralogically similar to those in other carbonaceous chondrite groups. They show no evidence for alteration and thermal metamorphism in an asteroidal setting and consist of nearly pure forsterite (Fa<3; in wt%, CaO=0.1–0.8, Cr2O3=0.04–0.48; MnO<0.5), anorthite, Al-diopside (in wt%, Al2O3=0.7–8.1; TiO2<1), Fe,Ni-metal, spinel, and, occasionally, low-Ca pyroxene (Fs1Wo2–3), and calcium–aluminum-rich inclusions (CAIs). The CAIs inside AOAs are composed of hibonite, grossite, melilite (Åk13–44), spinel, perovskite, Al,Ti-diopside (in wt%, Al2O3 up to 19.6; TiO2 up to 13.9), and anorthite. The CH AOAs, including CAIs within AOAs, have isotopically uniform 16O-rich compositions (average Δ17O=−23.4±2.3‰, 2SD) and on a three-isotope oxygen diagram plot along ∼slope-1 line. The only exception is a low-Ca pyroxene-bearing AOA 1-103 that shows a range of Δ17O values, from −24‰ to −13‰. Melilite, grossite, and hibonite in four CAIs within AOAs show no evidence for radiogenic 26Mg excess (δ26Mg). In contrast, anorthite in five out of six AOAs measured has δ26Mg corresponding to the inferred initial 26Al/27Al ratio of (4.3±0.7)×10−5, (4.2±0.6)×10−5, (4.0±0.3)×10−5, (1.7±0.2)×10−5, and (3.0±2.6)×10−6. Anorthite in another AOA shows no resolvable δ26Mg excess; an upper limit on the initial 26Al/27Al ratio is 5×10−6. We infer that CH AOAs formed by gas–solid condensation and aggregation of the solar nebula condensates (forsterite and Fe,Ni-metal) mixed with the previously formed CAIs. Subsequently they experienced thermal annealing and possibly melting to a small degree in a 16O-rich gaseous reservoir during a brief epoch of CAI formation. The low-Ca pyroxene-bearing AOA 1-103 may have experienced incomplete melting and isotope exchange in an 16O-poor gaseous reservoir. The lack of resolvable δ26Mg excess in melilite, grossite, and hibonite in CAIs within AOAs reflects heterogeneous distribution of 26Al in the solar nebula during this epoch. The observed variations of the inferred initial 26Al/27Al ratios in anorthite of the mineralogically pristine and uniformly 16O-rich CH AOAs could have recorded (i) admixing of 26Al in the protoplanetary disk during the earliest stages of its evolution and/or (ii) closed-system Mg-isotope exchange between anorthite and Mg-rich minerals (spinel, forsterite, and Al-diopside) during subsequent prolonged (days-to-weeks) thermal annealing at high temperature (∼1100°C) and slow cooling rates (∼0.01Kh−1) that has not affected their O-isotope systematics. The proposed thermal annealing may have occurred in an impact-generated plume invoked for the origin of non-porphyritic magnesian chondrules and Fe,Ni-metal grains in CH and CB carbonaceous chondrites about 5Myr after formation of CV CAIs.

Highly siderophile elements and 187Re–187Os isotopic systematics of the Allende meteorite: Evidence for primary nebular processes and late-stage alteration

The abundances of highly siderophile elements (HSE) Re, Os, Ir, Ru, Pt, and Pd, as well as 187Re–187Os isotopic systematics were determined for calcium–aluminum-rich inclusions (CAIs), chondrules, and matrix, separated from the CV3 carbonaceous chondrite Allende. Consistent with prior studies, CAIs are characterized by significant depletions in Pd relative to the other HSE, while the other HSE are in generally bulk chondritic relative abundances. The depletions in Pd can be linked with initial formation of CAIs via condensation, or subsequent processing by evaporative processes. Chondrules generally have relative HSE patterns similar to CAIs, although they have lower absolute abundances. Palladium depletions in chondrules may reflect solid metal–liquid metal fractionation at the time of formation, or alternatively, be the result of processes that acted on precursor materials. Matrix samples have nearly chondritic absolute abundances of all HSE measured. Consequently, matrix is the only major chondritic component examined here that shows no relative depletion in Pd. Mass balance suggests the existence of an unidentified Pd-rich carrier, although it is possible that the dataset presented here is too limited to represent typical HSE abundances of some chondritic components (e.g., chondrules).The 187Re–187Os isotopic systematics of only six out of twenty-four Allende chondritic components analyzed plot within uncertainties of a 4568Ma primordial reference isochron. The deviations from the expected isochron most likely reflect late-stage, open-system behavior within the last 2 billion years, and, in some cases, could even have resulted from terrestrial alteration. The open-system behavior is most readily observed in small, millimeter-size sub-samples of Allende, consistent with Re and/or Os mobility on that scale.

26Al‐26Mg isotope systematics of the first solids in the early solar system

AbstractHigh‐precision bulk aluminum‐magnesium isotope measurements of calcium‐aluminum‐rich inclusions (CAIs) from CV carbonaceous chondrites in several laboratories define a bulk 26Al‐26Mg isochron with an inferred initial 26Al/27Al ratio of approximately 5.25 × 10−5, named the canonical ratio. Nonigneous CV CAIs yield well‐defined internal 26Al‐26Mg isochrons consistent with the canonical value. These observations indicate that the canonical 26Al/27Al ratio records initial Al/Mg fractionation by evaporation and condensation in the CV CAI‐forming region. The internal isochrons of igneous CV CAIs show a range of inferred initial 26Al/27Al ratios, (4.2–5.2) × 10−5, indicating that CAI melting continued for at least 0.2 Ma after formation of their precursors. A similar range of initial 26Al/27Al ratios is also obtained from the internal isochrons of many CAIs (igneous and nonigneous) in other groups of carbonaceous chondrites. Some CAIs and refractory grains (corundum and hibonite) from unmetamorphosed or weakly metamorphosed chondrites, including CVs, are significantly depleted in 26Al. At least some of these refractory objects may have formed prior to injection of 26Al into the protosolar molecular cloud and its subsequent homogenization in the protoplanetary disk. Bulk aluminum and magnesium‐isotope measurements of various types of chondrites plot along the bulk CV CAI isochron, suggesting homogeneous distribution of 26Al and magnesium isotopes in the protoplanetary disk after an epoch of CAI formation. The inferred initial 26Al/27Al ratios of chondrules indicate that most chondrules formed 1–3 Ma after CAIs with the canonical 26Al/27Al ratio.

Heterogeneous distribution of 26Al at the birth of the solar system: Evidence from refractory grains and inclusions

Abstract–We review recent results on O‐ and Mg‐isotope compositions of refractory grains (corundum, hibonite) and calcium, aluminum‐rich inclusions (CAIs) from unequilibrated ordinary and carbonaceous chondrites. We show that these refractory objects originated in the presence of nebular gas enriched in 16O to varying degrees relative to the standard mean ocean water value: the Δ17OSMOW value ranges from approximately −16‰ to −35‰, and recorded heterogeneous distribution of 26Al in their formation region: the inferred (26Al/27Al)0 ranges from approximately 6.5 × 10−5 to &lt;2 × 10−6. There is no correlation between O‐ and Mg‐isotope compositions of the refractory objects: 26Al‐rich and 26Al‐poor refractory objects have similar O‐isotope compositions. We suggest that 26Al was injected into the 26Al‐poor collapsing protosolar molecular cloud core, possibly by a wind from a neighboring massive star, and was later homogenized in the protoplanetary disk by radial mixing, possibly at the canonical value of 26Al/27Al ratio (approximately 5 × 10−5). The 26Al‐rich and 26Al‐poor refractory grains and inclusions represent different generations of refractory objects, which formed prior to and during the injection and homogenization of 26Al. Thus, the duration of formation of refractory grains and CAIs cannot be inferred from their 26Al‐26Mg systematics, and the canonical (26Al/27Al)0 does not represent the initial abundance of 26Al in the solar system; instead, it may or may not represent the average abundance of 26Al in the fully formed disk. The latter depends on the formation time of CAIs with the canonical 26Al/27Al ratio relative to the timing of complete delivery of stellar 26Al to the solar system, and the degree of its subsequent homogenization in the disk. The injection of material containing 26Al resulted in no observable changes in O‐isotope composition of the solar system. Instead, the variations in O‐isotope compositions between individual CAIs indicate that O‐isotope composition of the CAI‐forming region varied, because of coexisting of 16O‐rich and 16O‐poor nebular reservoirs (gaseous and/or solid) at the birth of the solar system, or because of rapid changes in the O‐isotope compositions of these reservoirs with time, e.g., due to CO self‐shielding in the disk.

Isotopically uniform, 16O-depleted calcium, aluminum-rich inclusions in CH and CB carbonaceous chondrites

In situ oxygen-isotope measurements of calcium–aluminum-rich inclusions (CAIs) from the metal-rich carbonaceous chondrites Isheyevo (CH/CB-like), Acfer 214 paired with Acfer 182 (CH), QUE 94411 paired with QUE 94627 (CBb), and Hammadah al Hamra 237 (CBb) revealed the presence of a common population of igneous, isotopically uniform, 16O-depleted inclusions: Δ17O (average±2 standard deviations)=−7±4‰, −6±5‰, and −8±3‰, respectively. All CAIs from CBs and a significant fraction of those from CHs and Isheyevo are 16O-depleted. Most of the 16O-depleted CAIs consist of Ti-poor Al-diopside, spinel, melilite, and forsterite and surrounded by a single- and double-layered rim of forsterite±diopside. The 16O-depleted CAIs composed of hibonite, grossite, melilite, and spinel, and surrounded by the multilayered melilite+diopside±forsterite rims are less common. Some of the 16O-depleted refractory igneous inclusions composed of Al-diopside, forsterite, and ±spinel have chondrule-like textures (skeletal or barred). They are mineralogically most similar to Al-diopside-rich chondrules found in metal-rich carbonaceous chondrites and composed of Al-diopside, forsterite, Al-rich low-Ca pyroxene, ±glassy mesostasis, and ±spinel, suggesting there is a continuum between these objects.We suggest that (i) most of the isotopically uniform and 16O-depleted CAIs resulted from remelting of pre-existing, possibly 16O-rich refractory inclusions. The remelting may have occurred during formation of the magnesian, non-porphyritic (cryptocrystalline and skeletal) chondrules in CHs, CBs, and Isheyevo either by an unspecified, late, single-stage, highly-energetic event or in an impact-generated plume previously hypothesized for their origin; both mechanisms probably occurred in the solar nebula (i.e., in the presence of the nebula gas). The forsterite±pyroxene rims around 16O-depleted CAIs may have resulted from evaporation–recondensation of silicon and magnesium during this event. Some of the Al-diopside-rich CAIs may have formed by evaporation of the Al-rich chondrule melts. (ii) In addition to these components, the CHs and Isheyevo contain a high abundance of chondrules and refractory inclusions formed by the commonly inferred nebular processes – evaporation, condensation, and incomplete melting of dust aggregates during multiple transient heating events. These include 16O-rich CAIs, amoeboid olivine aggregates, and ferromagnesian and aluminum-rich chondrules with porphyritic textures. Such components are also present in CB chondrites, but they are exceptionally rare. These observations indicate that there are multiple generations of CAIs in metal-rich carbonaceous chondrites. (iii) Because the isotopically uniform, 16O-depleted, igneous CAIs and the magnesian cryptocrystalline and skeletal olivine–pyroxene chondrules are found almost exclusively in metal-rich carbonaceous chondrites, the hypothesized impact-plume mechanism of chondrule formation and recycling of CAIs are not common processes.