Ar-39-Ar-40 of achondrites: Evidence for a lunar-like cataclysm

The observation that the K-Ar, Pb-Pb, and Rb-Sr ages of a significant number of lunar highland rocks were reset in the interval of 4.1-3.8 Ga ago led to the concept of a cataclysmic bombardment of the moon during this period. An important consideration for understanding the early bombardment history of the solar system, including the moon, is whether evidence also exists in meteorites for resetting of radiometric ages by cataclysmic bombardment of their parent bodies. A comparison of Ar-39-Ar-40 ages of achondritic meteorites with ages of lunar highland rocks should help elucidate the nature of the early bombardment of the solar system. We are participating in various consortia studies of primarily Antarctic eucrites and howardites for which we measured Ar-39-Ar-40 ages of various clasts and matrix samples. The results of these studies are presented

Cosmogenic Ar-36 from neutron capture by Cl-35 in the Chico L6 chondrite: Additional evidence for large shielding

The cosmic ray produced Ar-36/Ar-38 ratio measured in iron meteorites is about 0.65, but is not well determined for stone meteorites due to the common presence of trapped Ar or absorbed atmospheric Ar in bulk analysis. Almost all single-extraction measurements of stones give Ar-36/Ar-38 ratios intermediate between the trapped and air values of 5.3 and the expected cosmogenic value of about 0.65. The isotopic composition of Ar was measured for stepwise temperature release of both chondritic and melt portions of Chico. The Chico data suggest that for large chondrites, the cosmogenic Ar-36/Ar-38 ratio may well be higher than 0.65, and therefore the procedure of correcting bulk analysis results may underestimate the concentration of cosmogenic Ar-38. In this context we note that in analysis of many Antarctic chondrites observed that determined amounts of cosmogenic Ar-38 averaged about 13 percent too low in comparison to that expected from measurements of other cosmogenic species

Antarctic meteorite descriptions, 1980

Specimens found in the Alan Hills area include 361 ordinary chondrites, 4 carbonaceous chondrites, 6 achondrites, and 2 irons. Thirteen specimens measured over 11 cm in diameter and 69 between 5 to 10 cm in diameter are reported. The remainder of the finds were small, and many were paired. One of the irons was estimated to weigh about 20 kilograms

Ar-Ar Dating of Martian Chassignites, NWA2737 and Chassigny, and Nakhlite MIL03346

Until recently only three nakhlites and one chassignite had been identified among martian meteorites. These four exhibit very similar radiometric ages and cosmic ray exposure (CRE) ages, indicating that they may have derived from a common location on Mars and were ejected into space by a single impact. This situation is quite different from that of martian shergottites, which exhibit a range of radiometric ages and CRE ages (1). Recently, several new nakhlites and a new martian dunite (NWA2737) have been recognized. Here we report our results of Ar-39-Ar-40 dating for the MIL03346 nakhlite and the NWA2737 "chassignite", along with new results on Chassigny

Martian Chronology and Atmospheric Composition: In Situ Measurements versus Sample Return

I examine two significant issues of martian science from the point of view of in situ measurements by robotic spacecraft versus sample return and analysis in terrestrial labs. (1) To define martian history, ages of geological processes and surface features are required. Estimated ages from surface crater densities have limitations, and the ages measured for martian meteorites cannot be associated with specific martian locales. Whereas returned martian rocks could be accurately dated, some have suggested sending a robotic spacecraft to Mars to measure rock ages using the classical K- Ar-40 technique, considered the easiest to implement. (2) To understand the evolution of the martian atmosphere and its interactions with the surface, requires precise measurements of atmospheric composition. A significant amount of information has derived from measurements by Viking and of martian meteorites. Instrumentation on the Mars Science Lander (MSL) spacecraft to be launched in the near future promises to determine atmospheric composition even more precisely. If MSL is successful, which questions about atmospheric composition will remain and thus will require atmospheric sample return to answer

Ar-Ar Dating of Martian Meteorite, Dhofar 378: An Early Shock Event?

Martian meteorite, Dhofar 378 (Dho378) is a basaltic shergottite from Oman, weighing 15 g, and possessing a black fusion crust. Chemical similarities between Dho378 and the Los Angeles 001 shergottite suggests that they might have derived from the same Mars locale. The plagioclase in other shergottites has been converted to maskelenite by shock, but Dho378 apparently experienced even more intense shock heating, estimated at 55-75 GPa. Dho378 feldspar (approximately 43 modal %) melted, partially flowed and vesiculated, and then partially recrystallized. Areas of feldspathic glass are appreciably enriched in K, whereas individual plagioclases show a range in the Or/An ratio of approximately 0.18-0.017. Radiometric dating of martian shergottites indicate variable formation times of ~160-475 Myr, whereas cosmic ray exposure (CRE) ages of shergottites indicate most were ejected from Mars within the past few Myr. Most determined Ar-39-Ar-40 ages of shergottites appear older than other radiometric ages because of the presence of large amounts of martian atmosphere or interior Ar-40. Among all types of meteorites and returned lunar rocks, the impact event that initiated the CRE age very rarely reset the Ar-Ar age. This is because a minimum time and temperature is required to facilitate Ar diffusion loss. It is generally assumed that the shock-texture characteristics in martian meteorites were produced by the impact events that ejected the rocks from Mars, although the time of these shock events (as opposed to CRE ages) are not directly dated. Here we report Ar-39-Ar-40 dating of Dho378 plagioclase. We suggest that the determined age dates the intense shock heating event this meteorite experienced, but that it was not the impact that initiated the CRE age

Ar-Ar Ages of Nakhlites Y000593, NWA998, and Nakhla and CRE Age of NWA998.

The seven known Martian nakhlites are Nakhla, Lafayette, Governador Valadares, and four recent finds from hot and cold deserts: MIL03346 from the Transantarctic Mountains, a paired group from the Yamato Mountains (Y000593, Y000749, and Y000802; 1), and two from Morocco (NWA998 and NWA817; 2). Radiometric ages (Sm-Nd, Rb-Sr, U-Pb, and Ar-Ar) for the first three nakhlites, along with Chassigny, fall in the range of 1.19-1.37 Gyr and may suggest a common formation age (e.g., 3). These meteorites also show very similar cosmic-ray (space) exposure ages, which suggests a single ejection event from Mars (3). The ages for nakhlites are different from those of Martian shergottites, whose radiometric ages vary by nearly a factor of three (approximately 165-475 Myr) and whose space exposure ages vary over a factor of approximately 20 (3). Shergottite ages suggest that multiple locations on the Martian surface have been sampled, whereas nakhlite data imply that only one Mars surface location has been sampled. Because older Martian surfaces are expected to be more abundant, it seems surprising that all nakhlites would represent only one Martian impact event. To address this issue, we are measuring the Ar-39-Ar-40 ages of Y-000593, NWA-998, Nakhla, and MIL-03346, and the space (CRE) exposure age of NWA998

Disturbances in the Isotopic Record of Asuka 881394

Asuka 881394 is a unique achondrite with a granulitic texture, very calcic approximately An(sub 98) plagioclase, and pigeonite that has not inverted to orthopyroxene. First thought to be a eucrite, recent Oisotopic studies show it has a closer affinity to angrites . Initial isotopic studies provided evidence for now extinct A-26, Mn-53, and Sm-146. A recent study confirmed an early chronology with an absolute Pb-207 - Pb-206 age of 4566.5 +/- 0.2 Ma, a new measurement of the Al-Mg formation interval as 3.7 +/- 0.1 Ma since Al-26/Al-27 = approximately 4.63 x 10(exp -5) for the E60 CAI, and a Mn-Cr formation interval of -6.0 +/- 0.2 Ma relative to LEW86010 ("LEW"). Absolute ages relative to age anchors presented by were 4563.4 +/- 0.2 Ma by Al- Mg and 4564.6 +/- 0.5 Ma by Mn-Cr. These ages are in good, but not perfect, agreement with the Pb-207 - Pb-206 age. Perhaps the most direct comparison of the early chronology of A881394 as determined by various workers is provided by reported Al-26/Al-27 values of 1.18 +/- 0.14, 1.28 +/- 0.07, and 2.1 +/- 0.4 x 10(exp -6). Analyses of mineral separates by TIMS and MC-ICPMS6] agree well, but the higher value obtained by in situ SIMS analysis is significant in light of the slight inconsistency between absolute ages inferred from the short-lived chronometers and the Pb-207 - Pb-206 age. We examine the possibility that inconsistencies in the earliest fine-scale chronology of Asuka 881394 may be related to isotopic "disturbances" observed in Ar-39 - Ar-40, Rb-97 - Sr-87, and Sm-147 - Nd-143 chronometers

Ar-39-Ar-40 ages of four ureilites

Ureilites Novo Urei, Havero, and Kenna show strong evidence of one or more Ar-40 degassing events in the time period of 3.3-4.1 Ga ago. These ages may be compared to current interpretations of ureilite chronology. These include the suggestion of metasomatic activity on the parent body 3.7 Ga ago that reset some Sm-Nd ages and the suggestion that ureilites have experienced terrestrial contamination of several trace elements (including Pb and LREE), which makes suspect ages younger than approximately 4.5 Ga. Because the K-Ar chronometer can be sensitive to metamorphic events, we made Ar-39-Ar-40 determinations on bulk samples (0.12-0.14 g each) of four ureilites. The Ar-39-Ar-40 age spectra and K/Ca ratios as a function of cumulative Ar release from stepwise temperature extractions for the four ureilites analyzed are shown. Because Ar-39-Ar-40 ages shown by low and high temperature extractions may be suspect, we examined the intermediate temperature extractions. Although interpretation of these spectra is obviously uncertain, we believe that the most recent times of Ar degassing can be roughly inferred. These times are approximately 3.3 Ga for Havero, 3.3-3.7 Ga for Novo Urei, and approximately 4.1 Ga for Kenna, for which Ar degassing may not have been complete. The indication of Ar-39-Ar-40 degassing ages of 3.3-4.1 Ga for three ureilites that also contain an enhanced LREE component and (excepting Havero) produce a 3.74 Ga Sm-Nd age, suggests that both chronometers may have responded to the same parent body event. On the other hand, it is also possible that the Ar data reflect one or more separate events that did not strongly affect the Sm-Nd system, a situation that commonly occurs in eucrites. Thus the existence of reset Ar ages does not require similarly reset Sm-Nd ages

Ar-Ar Age of NWA-1460 and Evidence For Young Formation Ages of the Shergottites

Agreement of Ar-Ar, Sm-Nd, and Rb-Sr ages for NWA1460, and the inconsistency between a low shock-heating temperature for Zagami and the proposition that a 4.0 Gyr-old Zagami lost most of its Ar-40 are inconsistent with ancient formation ages for these shergottites, but are consistent with relatively young igneous formation ages