Abstract:
The oxygen isotopic micro-distributions within and among minerals in a coarse-grained Ca, Al-rich inclusion (CAI), 7R-19-1 from the Allende meteorite, were measured by in situ using secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS). All values of O isotopic ratios in 7R-19-1 minerals fall along the carbonaceous chondrite anhydrous mineral mixing (CCAM) line on a δ17OSMOW vs. δ18OSMOW plot. Major refractory minerals (spinel, fassaite and melilite) in 7R-19-1 showed large negative anomalies of Δ17O in the order, spinel (−21‰) > 16O-rich melilite (∼−18‰) > fassaite (−15 to +1‰) > 16O-poor melilite (−8 to +2‰). However, the lower limit values of Δ17O are similar at about −21‰, a value commonly observed in CAIs. The similarity in the extreme values of the isotope anomaly anomalies suggests that crystallization of all CAIs started from an 16O enrichment of 21‰ (Δ17O) relative to terrestrial values. The order of the O isotopic anomalies observed for 7R-19-1, except for 16O-poor melilite, is parallel to the crystallization sequence determined by experiment from CAI liquid (Stolper, 1982), indicating that the O isotopic exchange in 7R-19-1 occurred between CAI melt and surrounding gas while 7R-19-1 was crystallizing from the 16O enriched CAI liquid (∼−21‰ in Δ17O) in the 16O-poor solar nebula. However, the a single crystallization sequence during the cooling stage cannot explain the existence of 16O-poor melilite. The presence of 16O-poor melilite suggests that multiple heating events occurred during CAI formation. The sharp contact between 16O-rich and 16O-poor melilite crystals and within 16O-rich melilite indicates that these multiple heatings occurred quickly. Based on the O isotopic and chemical compositions, fassaite crystals were aggregates of relic crystals formed from CAI melt whichthat have had various O isotopic compositions from the remelting processes. The results of intra-mineral distributions of O isotopes also support multiple heating events during CAI formation.
