TY - JOUR
T1 - Back-transformation of high-pressure minerals in shocked chondrites
T2 - Low-pressure mineral evidence for strong shock
AU - Hu, Jinping
AU - Sharp, Thomas
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2017 Elsevier Ltd
PY - 2017/10/15
Y1 - 2017/10/15
N2 - Post-shock annealing of meteorites can destroy their shock-induced features, particularly high-pressure minerals, and complicate the estimation of impact pressure–temperature conditions. However, distinguishing post-shock annealing features from thermal metamorphism effects can be practically difficult. Here we report results from Mbale, a highly shocked L chondrite, to investigate the mechanisms, kinetics and identification criteria for post-shock annealing of high-pressure signatures. Olivine fragments within shock-melt veins in Mbale occur as chemically heterogeneous nanocrystalline aggregates that contain trace wadsleyite and ringwoodite. Their strong variation in fayalite content provides evidence of iron partitioning during transformation of olivine to wadsleyite, followed by back-transformation to olivine after decompression. Experimental studies of transformation kinetics show that wadsleyite transforms to olivine in seconds at temperatures above ∼1200 K and in hours at temperatures between 900 and 1200 K. Thermal models of shock-melt cooling show that shock veins in Mbale cooled to 1200 K in 1 s. The shock pulse must have been shorter than ∼1 s to provide the high temperature conditions for post-shock back-transformation of wadsleyite. Many highly shocked L chondrites, which have abundant high-pressure minerals, must have experienced relatively long shock durations combined with rapid cooling of shock-melt regions to preserve high-pressure phases. The most highly shocked samples, such as impact melt breccias, lack high-pressure phases because of post-shock back-transformations.
AB - Post-shock annealing of meteorites can destroy their shock-induced features, particularly high-pressure minerals, and complicate the estimation of impact pressure–temperature conditions. However, distinguishing post-shock annealing features from thermal metamorphism effects can be practically difficult. Here we report results from Mbale, a highly shocked L chondrite, to investigate the mechanisms, kinetics and identification criteria for post-shock annealing of high-pressure signatures. Olivine fragments within shock-melt veins in Mbale occur as chemically heterogeneous nanocrystalline aggregates that contain trace wadsleyite and ringwoodite. Their strong variation in fayalite content provides evidence of iron partitioning during transformation of olivine to wadsleyite, followed by back-transformation to olivine after decompression. Experimental studies of transformation kinetics show that wadsleyite transforms to olivine in seconds at temperatures above ∼1200 K and in hours at temperatures between 900 and 1200 K. Thermal models of shock-melt cooling show that shock veins in Mbale cooled to 1200 K in 1 s. The shock pulse must have been shorter than ∼1 s to provide the high temperature conditions for post-shock back-transformation of wadsleyite. Many highly shocked L chondrites, which have abundant high-pressure minerals, must have experienced relatively long shock durations combined with rapid cooling of shock-melt regions to preserve high-pressure phases. The most highly shocked samples, such as impact melt breccias, lack high-pressure phases because of post-shock back-transformations.
KW - Back transformation
KW - Chondrite
KW - Mbale
KW - Post-shock annealing
KW - Shock metamorphism
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U2 - 10.1016/j.gca.2017.07.018
DO - 10.1016/j.gca.2017.07.018
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85027568865
SN - 0016-7037
VL - 215
SP - 277
EP - 294
JO - Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta
JF - Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta
ER -