CRYSTALLIZATION RATES OF SHOCK MELTS IN THREE MARTIAN BASALTS: EXPERIMENTAL SIMULATION WITH IMPLICATIONS FOR METEOROID DIMENSIONS

Abstract

Dynamic crystallization experiments have been performed on synthetic glasses representative of shock-generated melts observed in Los Angeles, Sayh al Uhaymir 150 and Dar al Gani 476 martian basalts. On the basis of qualitative (texture) and quantitative (fractal analysis) results, we show that melt pockets in Los Angeles cooled at a rate of 1040-1560 °C/h. Sayh al Uhaymir 150 and Dar al Gani 476 melt pockets cooled at 780 °C/h. Conductive cooling models, for a range of meteoroid diameters (10-50 cm), indicate that the minimum meteoroid diameter was small, on the order of 10-15 cm and that melt pockets cooled from post-shock temperatures within minutes. Our results also have bearing on shock implanted martian atmospheric components because it is during cooling that the melt pockets have the potential to lose gases. Modeling of argon diffusion in a spherical melt pocket indicates that during cooling and quench crystallization ~4-60% of trapped martian atmospheric argon may be lost from the melt pocket through diffusive transport. © 2005 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.