10.04.2013 Views

PDF (Hi-Res) - Smithsonian Institution Libraries

PDF (Hi-Res) - Smithsonian Institution Libraries

PDF (Hi-Res) - Smithsonian Institution Libraries

SHOW MORE
SHOW LESS

You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles

YUMPU automatically turns print PDFs into web optimized ePapers that Google loves.

78 SMITHSONIAN CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE EARTH SCIENCES<br />

FIGURE 5.—An Mg-rich olivine and pyroxene chondrule<br />

(shown by arrow in Figure 4), is lined with nickel-iron and<br />

troilite, black. It is intergrown with matrix (lower right) and<br />

with a fragment of a barred "equilibrated" olivine (Fa^)<br />

chondrule (lower left), which is part of a fragment of preexisting<br />

chondrite (shown under arrow in Figure 4). Length<br />

of section, 0.6 mm.<br />

drules (Figure 6), some with Si-Al enriched and only<br />

partly devitrified glass. This glass has approximately<br />

66% SiO2, 21% A12O3, and 8% soda; the<br />

normative composition is again almost albitic with<br />

some quartz and minor corundum and pyroxene.<br />

Shock alterations, including fracturing wavy extinction<br />

and veining (Fredriksson, et al., 1964), are<br />

abundant and the glass may be impact-produced;<br />

however, it would hardly be in equilibrium with<br />

olivine-pyroxene at metamorphic temperatures of<br />

800° to 1000° C.<br />

Olivine: Fa^.o<br />

Pyroxene: Woj s En77 Fs^<br />

Plagioclase: Or5 Ab7S AnJ7<br />

SEGOWLIE<br />

Segowlie perfectly fits the definitions for a crys-<br />

talline chondrite and almost as well for the L6<br />

group. The photomicrograph in Figure 7 shows<br />

individual patches with equigranular, recrystallized<br />

structure, identical to that in the H-chondrite<br />

Andura (Fredriksson, et al., 1975). However, the<br />

grain size varies grossly between the different parts,<br />

i.e., the stone is still a breccia. Thus it seems<br />

unlikely even in this case that the structure is due<br />

to simple metamorphic recrystallization. Some parts<br />

(Figure 8) also show rather well-delineated chondrules,<br />

i.e., a structure more like L5.<br />

Olivine: Fa^.,<br />

Pyroxene: Wo, En78 Fs22; W044<br />

Plagioclase: Or5 Ab77 An18<br />

SULTANPUR<br />

Walker, 1924; Coulson, 1940<br />

Sultanpur has been classified as a black chondrite<br />

and an L6, but both designations are somewhat<br />

questionable. It is more a black chondrite than<br />

Atarra, but not in the same sense as shock products<br />

like Farmington and McKinney (Fredriksson, et al.,<br />

1964; Heymann, 1967). Sultanpur seems rather to<br />

be close to a brecciated (and veined) gray chondrite.<br />

The grain size is much finer and the<br />

chondrules better defined than in the L6 Segowlie;<br />

thus Sultanpur could probably also be an L5,<br />

particularly because the plagioclase does not occur<br />

as clear, well-defined grains. Evidence of shock<br />

effects, e.g., fracturing and undulatory extinction,<br />

in both olivine and pyroxene are common,<br />

however.<br />

Discussion<br />

Bulk and phase compositions, as well as phase<br />

abundances (Tables 1, 2), clearly show the close<br />

relation among these eight meteorites in spite of<br />

their different appearances and classifications. Essentially<br />

only the contents of nickel-iron and troilite<br />

vary significantly (Table 3), while the silicate fractions<br />

are chemically almost identical even in the<br />

obviously fragmentary Mabwe-Khoywa. The silicate<br />

fraction compositions in Table 4 were obtained<br />

by deducting metal, troilite, Fe for ilmenite and<br />

chromite, and Ca for apatite from the bulk analysis.<br />

While normative and modal amounts of pyroxene<br />

are close, both olivine and plagioclase are higher<br />

in the norm, which must be compensated for by

Hooray! Your file is uploaded and ready to be published.

Saved successfully!

Ooh no, something went wrong!