IGNEOUS RIMS ON MICROMETEORITES

Abstract

Melting of micrometeorites (MMs) due to atmospheric entry heating causes significant changes in the textures, mineralogies and compositions of particles that obscure their primary properties and greatly complicate interpretation of these extraterrestrial materials. Despite the abundance of melted MMs, the nature of melting processes in these materials is poorly constrained. In this study, mineralogical, textural, and compositional data on 77 MMs with igneous rims are presented, which suggest that fusion of micrometeorites during atmospheric entry occurs initially by surface melting. Textural and mineralogical evidence are presented that demonstrate unequivocally that igneous rims crystallized from a melt surrounding a largely unmelted core and establish melting as a gradational process. The compositions of igneous rims on fine-grained MMs (fgMMs) are broadly similar to those of the unmelted core except for depletions in volatile and moderately volatile elements produced by partial evaporation and suggest the formation of the rims by melting of the fine-grained matrix core. Enrichments in Fe/Si, Ni/Si, and Mn/Si in igneous rims compared with unmelted cores within fgMMs are suggested to occur due to the migration of Fe-S eutectic liquids from the core of the particle into the surface melt layer. The sulphide liquids are probably generated in the core of the particle under reducing conditions resulting by the pyrolysis of carbonaceous materials. The presence of igneous rims on fgMMs is enabled by the thermal decomposition of phyllosilicates and, therefore, indicates that fgMMs were hydrated particles prior to atmospheric entry. In contrast the compositions of igneous rims on coarse-grained MMs (cgMMs) are difficult to reconcile with those of the unmelted core and instead closely resemble those of fgMMs. The igneous rims of cgMMs are, therefore, suggested to form by melting of fine-grained matrix that was present on the exterior of these particles prior to atmospheric entry. Coarse-grained MMs with igneous rims thus were originally composite micrometeoroids, which consist of both fine-grained and coarse-grained materials, and are thought to be samples of chondrule-like objects. The abundance of composite MMs to cgMMs allows a first estimate of the mean chondrule radius within the parent bodies of MMs of ?625 ?m to be made. ? 2006 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.