Formation, preservation and extinction of high-pressure minerals in meteorites: temperature effects in shock metamorphism and shock classification

The goal of classifying shock metamorphic features in meteorites is to estimate the corresponding shock pressure conditions. However, the temperature variability of shock metamorphism is equally important and can result in a diverse and heterogeneous set of shock features in samples with a common overall shock pressure. In particular, high-pressure (HP) minerals, which were previously used as a solid indicator of high shock pressure in meteorites, require complex pressure-temperature-time (P-T-t) histories to form and survive. First, parts of the sample must be heated to melting temperatures, at high pressure, to enable rapid formation of HP minerals before pressure release. Second, the HP minerals must be rapidly cooled to below a critical temperature, before the pressure returns to ambient conditions, to avoid retrograde transformation to their low-pressure polymorphs. These two constraints require the sample to contain large temperature heterogeneities, e.g. melt veins in a cooler groundmass, during shock. In this study, we calculated shock temperatures and possible P-T paths of chondritic and differentiated mafic-ultramafic rocks for various shock pressures. These P-T conditions and paths, combined with observations from shocked meteorites, are used to constrain shock conditions and P-T-t histories of HP-mineral bearing samples. The need for rapid thermal quench of HP phases requires a relatively low bulk-shock temperature and therefore moderate shock pressures below ~ 30 GPa, which matches the stabilities of these HP minerals. The low-temperature moderate-pressure host rock generally shows moderate shock-deformation features consistent with S4 and, less commonly, S5 shock stages. Shock pressures in excess of 50 GPa in meteorites result in melt breccias with high overall post-shock temperatures that anneal out HP-mineral signatures. The presence of ringwoodite, which is commonly considered an indicator of the S6 shock stage, is inconsistent with pressures in excess of 30 GPa and does not represent shock conditions different from S4 shock conditions. Indeed, ringwoodite and coexisting HP minerals should be considered as robust evidence for moderate shock pressures (S4) rather than extreme shock (S6) near whole-rock melting.

Natural Fe-bearing aluminous bridgmanite in the Katol L6 chondrite

Bridgmanite, the most abundant mineral of the Earth's lower mantle, has been reported in only a few shocked chondritic meteorites; however, the compositions of these instances differ from that expected in the terrestrial bridgmanite. Here, we report the first natural occurrence of Fe-bearing aluminous bridgmanite in shock-induced melt veins within the Katol L6 chondrite with a composition that closely matches those synthesized in high-pressure and temperature experiments over the last three decades. The Katol bridgmanite coexists with majorite and metal-sulfide intergrowths. We found that the natural Fe-bearing aluminous bridgmanite in the Katol L6 chondrite has a significantly higher Fe³⁺/ΣFe ratio (0.69 ± 0.08) than coexisting majorite (0.37 ± 0.10), which agrees with experimental studies. The Katol bridgmanite is arguably the closest natural analog for the bridgmanite composition expected to be present in the Earth's lower mantle. Textural observations and comparison with laboratory experiments suggest that the Katol bridgmanite formed at pressures of ∼23 to 25 gigapascals directly from the chondritic melt generated by the shock event. Thus, the Katol L6 sample may also serve as a unique analog for crystallization of bridgmanite during the final stages of magma ocean crystallization during Earth's formation.

Petrology and mineralogy of the Viñales meteorite, the latest fall in Cuba

The new Cuban chondrite, Viñales, fell on February first, 2019 at Pinar del Rio, northwest of Cuba (22°37'10″N, 83°44'34″W). A total of about 50-100 kg of the meteorite were collected and the masses of individual samples are in a range 2-1100 g. Two polished thin sections were studied by optical microscope, Raman spectroscopy and electron microprobe analysis in this study. The meteorite mainly consists of olivine (Fa24.6), low-Ca pyroxene (Fs20.5), and troilite and Fe-Ni metal, with minor amounts of feldspar (Ab82.4-84.7). Three poorly metamorphosed porphyritic olivine-pyroxene and barred olivine chondrules are observed. The homogeneous chemical compositions and petrographic textures indicate that Viñales is a L6 chondrite. The Viñales has fresh black fusion crust with layered structure, indicating it experienced a high temperature of ∼1650°C during atmospheric entry. Black shock melt veins with width of 100-600 μm are pervasive in the Viñales and olivine, bronzite, and metal phases are dominate minerals of the shock melt vein. The shock features of major silicate minerals suggest a shock stage S3, partly S4, and the shock pressure could be >10 GPa.

High pressure minerals in the Château-Renard (L6) ordinary chondrite: implications for collisions on its parent body

We report the first discoveries of high-pressure minerals in the historical L6 chondrite fall Château-Renard, based on co-located Raman spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) with energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy and electron backscatter diffraction, electron microprobe analysis, and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) with selected-area electron diffraction. A single polished section contains a network of melt veins from ~40 to ~200 μm wide, with no cross-cutting features requiring multiple vein generations. We find high-pressure minerals in veins greater than ~50 μm wide, including assemblages of ringwoodite + wadsleyite, ringwoodite + wadsleyite + majorite-pyrope_ss, and ahrensite + wadsleyite. In association with ahrensite + wadsleyite at both SEM and TEM scale, we find a sodic pyroxene whose Raman spectrum is indistinguishable from that of jadeite but whose composition and structure are those of omphacite. We discuss constraints on the impact record of this meteorite and the L-chondrites in general.

A new high-pressure form of Mg2SiO4 highlighting diffusionless phase transitions of olivine

High-pressure polymorphism of olivine (α-phase of Mg₂SiO₄) is of particular interest for geophysicists aiming to understand the structure and dynamics of the Earth’s interior because of olivine’s prominent abundance in the upper mantle. Therefore, natural and synthetic olivine polymorphs have been actively studied in the past half century. Here, we report a new high-pressure polymorph, the ε*-phase, which was discovered in a heavily shocked meteorite. It occurs as nanoscale lamellae and has a topotaxial relationship with the host ringwoodite (γ-phase of Mg₂SiO₄). Olivine in the host rock entrapped in a shock-induced melt vein initially transformed into polycrystalline ringwoodite through a nucleation and growth mechanism. The ringwoodite grains then coherently converted into the ε*-phase by shear transformation during subsequent pressure release. This intermediate metastable phase can be formed by all Mg₂SiO₄ polymorphs via a shear transformation mechanism. Here, we propose high-pressure transformations of olivine that are enhanced by diffusionless processes, not only in shocked meteorites but also in thick and cold lithosphere subducting into the deep Earth.

Discovery of natural MgSiO3 tetragonal garnet in a shocked chondritic meteorite

MgSiO3 tetragonal garnet, which is the last of the missing phases of experimentally predicted high-pressure polymorphs of pyroxene, has been discovered in a shocked meteorite. The garnet is formed from low-Ca pyroxene in the host rock through a solid-state transformation at 17 to 20 GPa and 1900° to 2000°C. On the basis of the degree of cation ordering in its crystal structure, which can be deduced from electron diffraction intensities, the cooling rate of the shock-induced melt veins from ~2000°C was estimated to be higher than 10(3)°C/s. This cooling rate sets the upper bound for the shock-temperature increase in the bulk meteorite at ~900°C.

Jadeite in Chelyabinsk meteorite and the nature of an impact event on its parent body

The Chelyabinsk asteroid impact is the second largest asteroid airburst in our recorded history. To prepare for a potential threat from asteroid impacts, it is important to understand the nature and formational history of Near-Earth Objects (NEOs) like Chelyabinsk asteroid. In orbital evolution of an asteroid, collision with other asteroids is a key process. Here, we show the existence of a high-pressure mineral jadeite in shock-melt veins of Chelyabinsk meteorite. Based on the mineral assemblage and calculated solidification time of the shock-melt veins, the equilibrium shock pressure and its duration were estimated to be at least 3–12 GPa and longer than 70 ms, respectively. This suggests that an impactor larger than 0.15–0.19 km in diameter collided with the Chelyabinsk parent body at a speed of at least 0.4–1.5 km/s. This impact might have separated the Chelyabinsk asteroid from its parent body and delivered it to the Earth.

Evidence for fractional crystallization of wadsleyite and ringwoodite from olivine melts in chondrules entrained in shock-melt veins

Peace River is one of the few shocked members of the L-chondrites clan that contains both high-pressure polymorphs of olivine, ringwoodite and wadsleyite, in diverse textures and settings in fragments entrained in shock-melt veins. Among these settings are complete olivine porphyritic chondrules. We encountered few squeezed and flattened olivine porphyritic chondrules entrained in shock-melt veins of this meteorite with novel textures and composition. The former chemically unzoned (Fa(24-26)) olivine porphyritic crystals are heavily flattened and display a concentric intergrowth with Mg-rich wadsleyite of a very narrow compositional range (Fa(6)-Fa(10)) in the core. Wadsleyite core is surrounded by a Mg-poor and chemically stark zoned ringwoodite (Fa(28)-Fa(38)) belt. The wadsleyite-ringwoodite interface denotes a compositional gap of up to 32 mol % fayalite. A transmission electron microscopy study of focused ion beam slices in both regions indicates that the wadsleyite core and ringwoodite belt consist of granoblastic-like intergrowth of polygonal crystallites of both ringwoodite and wadsleyite, with wadsleyite crystallites dominating in the core and ringwoodite crystallites dominating in the belt. Texture and compositions of both high-pressure polymorphs are strongly suggestive of formation by a fractional crystallization of the olivine melt of a narrow composition (Fa(24-26)), starting with Mg-rich wadsleyite followed by the Mg-poor ringwoodite from a shock-induced melt of olivine composition (Fa(24-26)). Our findings could erase the possibility of the resulting unrealistic time scales of the high-pressure regime reported recently from other shocked L-6 chondrites.

Timescales of shock processes in chondritic and martian meteorites

The accretion of the terrestrial planets from asteroid collisions and the delivery to the Earth of martian and lunar meteorites has been modelled extensively. Meteorites that have experienced shock waves from such collisions can potentially be used to reveal the accretion process at different stages of evolution within the Solar System. Here we have determined the peak pressure experienced and the duration of impact in a chondrite and a martian meteorite, and have combined the data with impact scaling laws to infer the sizes of the impactors and the associated craters on the meteorite parent bodies. The duration of shock events is inferred from trace element distributions between coexisting high-pressure minerals in the shear melt veins of the meteorites. The shock duration and the associated sizes of the impactor are found to be much greater in the chondrite (approximately 1 s and 5 km, respectively) than in the martian meteorite (approximately 10 ms and 100 m). The latter result compares well with numerical modelling studies of cratering on Mars, and we suggest that martian meteorites with similar, recent ejection ages (10(5) to 10(7) years ago) may have originated from the same few square kilometres on Mars.

Natural occurrence and synthesis of two new postspinel polymorphs of chromite

A high-pressure polymorph of chromite, the first natural sample with the calcium ferrite structure, has been discovered in the shock veins of the Suizhou meteorite. Synchrotron x-ray diffraction analyses reveal an orthorhombic CaFe2O4-type (CF) structure. The unit-cell parameters are a = 8.954(7) A, b = 2.986(2) A, c = 9.891(7) A, V = 264.5(4) A3 (Z = 4) with space group Pnma. The new phase has a density of 5.62 g/cm3, which is 9.4% denser than chromite-spinel. We performed laser-heated diamond anvil cell experiments to establish that chromite-spinel transforms to CF at 12.5 GPa and then to the recently discovered CaTi2O4-type (CT) structure above 20 GPa. With the ubiquitous presence of chromite, the CF and CT phases may be among the important index minerals for natural transition sequence and pressure and temperature conditions in mantle rocks, shock-metamorphosed terrestrial rocks, and meteorites.

Natural NaAlSi(3)O(8)-hollandite in the shocked sixiangkou meteorite

The hollandite high-pressure polymorph of plagioclase has been identified in shock-induced melt veins of the Sixiangkou L6 chondrite. It is intimately intergrown with feldspathic glass within grains previously thought to be "maskelynite." The crystallographic nature of the mineral was established by laser micro-Raman spectroscopy and x-ray diffraction. The mineral is tetragonal with the unit cell parameters a = 9.263 +/- 0.003 angstroms and c = 2.706 +/- 0.003 angstroms. Its occurrence with the liquidus pair majorite-pyrope solid solution plus magnesiowustite sets constraints on the peak pressures that prevailed in the shock-induced melt veins. The absence of a calcium ferrite-structured phase sets an upper bound for the crystallization of the hollandite polymorph near 23 gigapascals.

Percolation of core melts at lower mantle conditions

Experiments at high pressure and temperature to determine the dihedral angle of core melts in lower mantle phases yielded a value of approximately 71 degrees for perovskite-dominated matrices. This angle, although greater than the 60 degrees required for completely efficient percolation, is considerably less than the angles observed in mineral matrices at upper mantle pressure-temperature conditions in experiments. In other words, molten iron alloy can flow much more easily in lower mantle mineralogies than in upper mantle mineralogies. Accordingly, although segregation of core material by melt percolation is probably not feasible in the upper mantle, core formation by percolation may be possible in the lower mantle.