Petrologic investigations of martian meteorite Northwest Africa (NWA) 13227 indicate it is an olivine-gabbroic shergottite, a relatively new shergottite group, which differs from previously described gabbroic shergottites due to relatively high quantities of olivine. NWA 13227 is comprised of phenocrystic, oscillatory-zoned pyroxene and olivine, set in a matrix of maskelynite, Fe-Cr-Ti oxides, phosphates, and sulfides. It displays gabbroic and poikilitic textures in 2D from back-scattered electron images, and in 3D from X-ray Computed Tomography (XCT) imaging, suggesting affinities to both poikilitic and gabbroic shergottites. Measured epsilon Hf and epsilon Nd values of bulk rock (-19.7 and -5.9, respectively) and its chondrite-normalized La/Yb ratio of 1.13 indicate the specimen is derived from a mantle reservoir relatively enriched in incompatible trace elements and is similar to that which produced most 'enriched shergottites.' Based on the Ti/Al ratio of pyroxene, phosphorous zoning in olivine, and minor components in phosphates and oxides, we infer that NWA 13227 began crystallizing under reducing conditions of QFM-2.6 and temperatures of similar to 1100 degrees C, consistent with conditions in Mars' lower crust/upper mantle. The sample finished crystallizing at or near the surface under redox conditions between QFM-0.5 to QFM-0.1 and temperatures of similar to 850 degrees C. The volatile element compositions in apatite indicate that NWA 13227 experienced degassing during the last stages of crystallization. The timing of crystallization is estimated at 225 Ma +/- 50 Ma using a Lu-Hf and Sm-Nd source versus age model.
The RbSr isotopic system is an important cosmochemical tool for constraining the evolution of moderately volatile (Rb) and refractory (Sr) elements in the earliest Solar System. Presented here are RbSr isotopic systematics of twenty-two fractions of the evolved achondrite Erg Chech 002, the oldest crustal rock yet identified in the Solar System. Although the data show a large amount of scatter, likely due to terrestrial alteration, an errorchron yields an age within uncertainties of published PbPb ages. Initial 87Sr/86Sr ratios of both the errorchron and of individual mineral fractions show that Erg Chech 002 formed from materials evolving with a typical CI-chondrite nebular Rb/Sr ratio and that any Rb depletion on its parent body must have occurred almost simultaneously with the crystallization of the meteorite. Additionally, LuHf systematics of bulk Erg Chech 002 overlap with the chondritic range. Other early-formed parent bodies similarly show initial 87Sr/86Sr ratios close to a CI-chondrite evolution line. Despite nucleosynthetic variations of 84Sr/86Sr being evident between inner and outer Solar System materials, no variations are detectable in 87Sr/86Sr for Erg Chech 002 or other early-formed parent bodies. Although the initial 87Sr/86Sr of Erg Chech 002 overlaps with that of all other early-accreted bodies, the initial 87Sr/86Sr of asteroid 4 Vesta (BABI) remains the most precise and relevant initial value for the bulk silicate Earth.
The Tissint strewn field has produced over 16 kg of material that has minimal terrestrial weathering and/or contamination. Tissint, along with 16 other incompatible trace element (ITE)-depleted shergottite specimens with igneous crystallization ages spanning 327-2403 Ma, were ejected together from Mars 1.1 m.y. ago. Despite the geochemical similarities of fragments from the Tissint strewn field, there are reported discrepancies in age determinations from different fragments that raise the possibility that the strewn field may be heterogenous. There are also questions about whether the shock ejection event incorporated martian soil components into impact glass, and the sources of radiogenic Sr and Pb that have been measured from leachate fractions in previous studies. An impact melt-rich fragment of Tissint was analyzed by LA-ICPMS for rare-earth element (REE) and highly siderophile element (HSE) concentrations and Pb isotopic compositions. Leachate and residues from 8 specimens representing separate individual fragments collected from the strewn field were analyzed for Rb-Sr. Unleached fractions of the 8 specimens were also analyzed for Sm-Nd and Lu-Hf. The measured REE and HSE concentrations of impact melt glass and associated sulfide measured by LA-ICPMS are consistent with bulk rock compositions of Tissint and show no evidence for incorporation of more ITE-enriched martian surface components. Measured Pb isotopic compositions confirm that the impact melt glass and associated sulfide contain no evidence for incorporation of more radiogenic materials than the Pb compositions inherited from the primary magma. In situ Pb isotopic data from sulfide likely represents the most robust method for constraining initial Pb isotopic compositions of shergottites whereas approaches that rely on leaching and digestion may not remove all mineral and/or crack surface contaminants. Rubidium-strontium analyses of the 8 Tissint specimens indicate that labile components hosting HCl-soluble Rb and Sr are not in isotopic equilibrium with the igneous assemblage and that the washed residues are in isotopic equilibrium with the igneous assemblage. The Sr isotopic compositions of the leachate are within the range of "more ITE-enriched' depleted shergottites, perhaps indicating sources from the igneous pile on Mars. The radiogenic Sr component could represent crack and mineral surface coatings of volatilized materials derived from nearby depleted shergottite rock units during the impact ejection process but are not radiogenic enough to represent ITE-enriched crust or mantle components. The Lu-Hf isotopic data from the specimens indicate no evidence of contamination or element mobility, whereas the Rb-Sr and Sm-Nd isotopic systems show evidence for element mobility and potential mixing with an isotopic component not in equilibrium with the igneous phases. The calculated ages using data compiled fromBrennecka et al. (2014), and Grosshans(2013) for Lu-Hf, Rb-Sr, and Sm-Nd are 571 +/- 84 Ma, 590 +/- 49 Ma and 559 +/- 39 Ma, respectively. These data indicate thatthe specimens analyzed here are cogenetic and the Tissint strewn field appears to be homogeneous.(c) 2022 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
GABBROIC ACHONDRITE ERG CHECH 002: AN ANCIENT PLANETARY CRUSTAL SAMPLE? P. K. Carpenter, A. J. Irving, M. Righter, T. J. Lapen and J. H. Tepper Dept. of Earth & Planetary Sciences, Washington University, St. Louis, MO, USA, Dept. of Earth & Space Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA (irvingaj@uw.edu), Dept. of Earth & Atmospheric Sciences, University of Houston, TX, USA, Dept. of Geology, University of Puget Sound, Tacoma, WA, USA.
Martian poikilitic shergottites are cumulate rocks that can help advance the understanding of magmatic evolution from near the base of the crust (-10 kbar) to near-surface conditions. Through a comprehensive petrographic and geochemical study, we aim to better understand poikilitic shergottite formation and the evolution in the martian interior. A suite of poikilitic shergottites, including Northwest Africa (NWA) 7755, NWA 11043, NWA 11065, NWA 10618 and Alan Hills (ALHA) 77005, were investigated for their major, minor, and trace element compositions of olivine-hosted melt inclusions (MI). The MI occur within both the early-evolutional stage textural and late-evolution stage textural domains in olivine. Major element compositions of MI indicate fractional crystallization between the early and late-crystallizing domains. Calculated parental melt compositions from these MI data yielded results that also petrogenetically link the poikilitic shergottites with the olivine-phyric shergottite subgroup. Trace element compositions of MI show that the later-crystallizing MI could have undergone open-system processes, such as fluid exsolution. Lutetium-Hf and Sm-Nd isotopic analyses were performed on NWA 7755 and NWA 11043 to constrain their age and source isotopic compositions. Northwest Africa 7755 shows a 176Lu/177Hf crystallization age of 223 +/- 46 Ma, which fits into the expected range for enriched shergottites of -165 Ma to 225 Ma. A similar crystallization age and 176Lu/177Hf and 147Sm/144Nd source composition of NWA 7755 to the other enriched shergottites suggest that this specimen likely shares a long-lived geochemical source with these samples that has lasted for at least 60 Ma. Northwest Africa 11043 shows scatter throughout the Lu-Hf and Sm-Nd isotopic data, suggesting that this sample is not in isotopic equilibrium. This sample was possibly inherited from high-temperature processes, such as incomplete magmas mixing from a similar, but distinct, source. We conducted in situ U-Th-Pb isotope analyses of Ca-phosphate minerals for NWA 11043 and found an unreliable crystallization age of 59.2 +/- 138.4 Ma: phosphates are likely recording the period of shock metamorphism related to the ejection event. Consistent crystallization ages and magmatic histories support previous work that suggest there is a common magmatic system on Mars that is responsible for the formation of enriched shergottites.
The Earth's timing of accretion and acquisition of moderately volatile compounds is uncertain. Hafnium-W and Mn-Cr isotopic data can bracket the timing of early planetary differentiation and core formation. The Ag-Pd system has also been utilized but its application has been limited by a lack of high pressure and temperature metal-silicate partitioning for Pd and Ag. Because Ag (and Bi) are volatile chalcophile siderophile elements, understanding their early distribution can constrain the origin of volatile elements in differentiated bodies and planets. Unfortunately, neither Ag or Bi have been studied across the wide range of pressure and temperature conditions that are relevant to accretion and core-mantle differentiation. Here, new high-pressure and temperature multi-anvil metal-silicate equilibrium experiments for Bi and Ag have been carried out at conditions relevant to planetary accretion and metal silicate differentiation that allow a more refined and complete understanding of element partitioning during core formation. The new metal-silicate partitioning data are combined with previously reported data, and utilized to predict the distributions of Bi, Pd, and Ag at conditions of accretion relevant for Earth and Mars. Application of the new partitioning results to Earth shows that D(Bi) and D(Ag) (D = metal/silicate concentration ratio) are lowered due to the effect of pressure and Si alloyed in the metallic liquid, resulting in higher predicted mantle Bi and Ag abundances than in the bulk silicate Earth (BSE), as well as high and variable Pd/Ag. The unradiogenic Ag isotopic composition of the BSE could have been generated by early accretion of volatile-poor (high Pd/Ag) pre-cursors, followed by later accretion of volatile–rich (low Pd/Ag) material, in agreement with earlier studies of Pd-Ag and Mn-Cr (Schönbächler et al., 2010). However, these main accretion phases would have to be followed by segregation of a sulfide liquid (at least 1.5% of magma ocean) at high pressures (>30 GPa), to explain the primitive upper mantle (PUM) Bi, Pd, and Ag, as well as Au, Pt, Cu and Ni concentrations as proposed previously. If the early accreted bulk Earth was volatile depleted with high Pd/Ag ratios, portions of the mantle may contain ancient domains that developed positive 107Ag isotopic anomalies (as also argued by noble gases, Nd, W, and Os isotopes). In comparison, Bi, Pd, and Ag concentrations in the martian mantle could have been set by simple metal-silicate equilibrium. Mars accreted and differentiated relatively rapidly, while also developing a deep magma ocean with a high Pd/Ag ratio that could have evolved positive 107Ag anomalies, in contrast to Earth. Measurements on shergottites may reveal these predicted Ag isotopic anomalies.
The Pamir gneiss domes represent the most extensive exposure of mid to lower crustal rocks in the Himalayan-Tibetan orogen north of the India-Asia suture zone. Unlike other domes in the Central and Southern Pamir, the Muztaghata dome stands out due to its higher metamorphic grade, more complex structural elements, and variable timing of metamorphism. In order to unravel the P-T-t history of the Muztaghata dome and better constrain the timing of peak metamorphism, we applied petrologic modeling in concert with geochronology to samples from the structure. The Muztaghata gneiss dome is composed of a structurally higher metapelite-dominated terrane in the west and a structurally lower orthogneiss terrane in the east. Our results from the western terrane indicate high-pressure eclogite facies peak conditions of similar to 800 degrees C/22 kbar at similar to 25-20 Ma. Zircon grains from metapelitic samples from the western terrane also yield Early Jurassic metamorphic U-Pb ages with REE signals that indicate coeval garnet growth. Our results from the eastern terrane record high-pressure amphibolite facies peak conditions of similar to 650 degrees C/14 kbar at similar to 24-20 Ma, noticeably lower than the structurally higher western terrane indicating structural juxtaposition during Miocene exhumation. Peak metamorphic conditions from the eastern terrane indicate depths below the current Moho, supporting the interpretation that the Early Miocene Pamir crust was thicker than present. This was followed by rapid exhumation from depths of similar to 75-80 km and partial westward collapse of the Pamir after 20 Ma, possibly driven in part by regional lithospheric delamination.