Noble gases in ten Nullarbor chondrites: Exposure ages,terrestrial ages,and weathering effects

Abstract— We present concentration and isotopic composition of He, Ne, and Ar in ten chondrites from the Nullarbor region in Western Australia as well as the concentrations of ⁸⁴Ke, ¹²⁹Xe, and ¹³²Xe. From the measured cosmogenic ¹⁴C concentrations (Jull et al. 1995), shielding‐corrected production rates of ¹⁴C are deduced using cosmogenic ²²Ne/²¹Ne ratios. For shielding conditions characterized by ²²Ne/²¹Ne >1.10, this correction becomes significant and results in shorter terrestrial ages. The exposure ages of the ten Nullarbor chondrites are in the range of values usually observed in ordinary chondrites. Some of the meteorites have lost radiogenic gases as well as cosmogenic ³He. Most of the analyzed specimens show additional trapped Ar, Kr, and Xe of terrestrial origin. The incorporation of these gases into weathering products is common in chondrites from hot deserts.     

Exposure history of the Mocs (L6) chondrite: A study of strewn field samples

Abstract— We measured cosmogenic radionuclides (¹⁰Be, ²⁶Al, and ³⁶Cl) and noble gases (He, Ne, and Ar) in 10 specimens of the Mocs L6 chondrite to determine the exposure history and preatmospheric relationship among fragments from known locations in the strewn field. Cosmogenic noble gas contents alone are consistent with a simple irradiation exposure of 15.2 Ma. However, Mocs has very low ²²Ne/²¹Ne ratios indicative of deep burial in a large meteoroid, but radionuclide levels at saturation values typical for much smaller meteoroids: this paradox suggests a possible complex exposure. For the latter case, we propose a two‐stage exposure history in which Mocs initially was deeply buried in a large object for 110 Ma, followed by exposure in a 65 cm object for 10.5 Ma. Relative shielding was inferred from the measured ²²Ne/²¹Ne ratios assuming constant ²²Ne/²¹Ne production for all samples during the first stage. These shielding levels, which are supported by estimates based on ³⁶Cl production by neutron capture, indicate a possible relationship between depth of samples in the Mocs meteoroid and fall location in the strewn field.     

Helium,neon, and argon in meteorites: A data collection

Abstract‐ Noble gases have been measured in meteorites for more than 100 years. The last 50 years have been especially fruitful, with concentration and isotopic compositional analysis of He, Ne, Ar, Kr, and Xe making important contributions to meteorite research. Differently trapped noble gas components are the basis for understanding planetary atmospheres and even different stages of stellar evolution. Noble gases are a valuable tool to detect pairing of meteorite specimens or even to prove whether a rock is a meteorite or not. Noble gas data, however, are distributed over a large number of publications. Sometimes, only concentrations are given for selected isotopes or just a simple derivative quantity is published. We have tried to collect all available measurements of He, Ne, and Ar in meteorites. Here, we present the data in a form that will help easily calculate isotopic or elemental ratios for selected measurements. The present compilation contains all data available as of March 2004.     

Crustal Structure across the Northwestern Margin of South China Sea: Evidence for Magma‐poor Rifting from a Wide‐angle Seismic Profile

We present results from a 484 km wide-angle seismic profile acquired in the northwest part of the South China Sea (SCS) during OBS2006 cruise. The line that runs along a previously acquired multi-channel seismic line (SO49-18) crosses the continental slope of the northern margin, the Northwest Subbasin (NWSB) of the South China Sea, the Zhongsha Massif and partly the oceanic basin of the South China Sea. Seismic sections recorded on 13 ocean-bottom seismometers were used to identify refracted phases from the crustal layer and also reflected phases from the crust-mantle boundary (Moho). Inversion of the traveltimes using a simple start model reveals crustal images in the study area. The velocity model shows that crustal thickness below the continental slope is between 14 and 23 km. The continental part of the line is characterized by gentle landward mantle uplift and an abrupt oceanward one. The velocities in the lower crust do not exceed 6.9 km/s. With the new data we can exclude a high-velocity lower crustal body (velocities above 7.0 km/s) at the location of the line. We conclude that this part of the South China Sea margin developed by a magma-poor rifting. Both, the NWSB and the Southwest Sub-basin (SWSB) reveal velocities typical for oceanic crust with crustal thickness between 5 and 7 km. The Zhongsha Massif in between is extremely stretched with only 6–10 km continental crust left. Crustal velocity is below 6.5 km/s; possibly indicating the absence of the lower crust. Multi-channel seismic profile shows that the Yitongansha Uplift in the slope area and the Zhongsha Massif are only mildly deformed. We considered them as rigid continent blocks which acted as rift shoulders of the main rift subsequently resulting in the formation of the Northwest Sub-basin. The extension was mainly accommodated by a ductile lower crustal flows, which might have been extremely attenuated and flow into the oceanic basin during the spreading stage. We compared the crustal structures along the northern margin and found an east-west thicken trend of the crust below the continent slope. This might be contributed by the east-west sea-floor spreading along the continental margin.     

Soil CO2 flux baseline in an urban monogenetic volcanic field: the Auckland Volcanic Field, New Zealand

The Auckland Volcanic Field (AVF) is a dormant monogenetic basaltic field located in Auckland, New Zealand. Though soil gas CO₂ fluxes are routinely used to monitor volcanic regions, there have been no published studies of soil CO₂ flux or soil gas CO₂ concentrations in the AVF to date or many other monogenetic fields worldwide. We measured soil gas CO₂ fluxes and soil gas CO₂ concentrations in 2010 and 2012 in varying settings, seasons, and times of day to establish a baseline soil CO₂ flux and to determine the major sources of and controlling influences on Auckland's soil CO₂ flux. Soil CO₂ flux measurements varied from 0 to 203 g m^?2 day^?1, with an average of 27.1 g m^?2 day^?1. Higher fluxes were attributed to varying land use properties (e.g., landfill). Using a graphical statistical approach, two populations of CO₂ fluxes were identified. Isotope analyses of δ¹³CO₂ confirmed that the source of CO₂ in the AVF is biogenic with no volcanic component. These data may be used to assist with eruption forecasting in the event of precursory activity in the AVF, and highlight the importance of knowing land use history when assessing soil gas CO₂ fluxes in urban environments.     

Rumuruti chondrites: Noble gases,exposure ages,pairing, and parent body history

Abstract— In this paper, we present concentration and isotopic composition of the light noble gases He, Ne, and Ar as well as of ⁸⁴Kr, ¹³²Xe, and ¹²⁹Xe in bulk samples of 33 Rumuruti (R) chondrites. Together with previously published data of six R chondrites, exposure ages are calculated and compared with those of ordinary chondrites. A number of pairings, especially between those from Northwest Africa (NWA), are suggested, so that only 23 individual falls are represented by the 39 R chondrites discussed here. Eleven of these meteorites, or almost 50%, contain solar gases and are thus regolithic breccias. This percentage is higher than that of ordinary chondrites, howardites, or aubrites. This may imply that the parent body of R chondrites has a relatively thick regolith. Concentrations of heavy noble gases, especially of Kr, are affected by the terrestrial atmospheric component, which resides in weathering products. Compared to ordinary chondrites, ¹²⁹Xe/¹³²Xe ratios of R chondrites are high.     

The L3–6 chondritic regolith breccia Northwest Africa (NWA) 869: (II) Noble gases and cosmogenic radionuclides

Abstract– We measured cosmogenic radionuclides and noble gases in the L3–6 chondrite breccia Northwest Africa (NWA) 869, one of the largest meteorite finds from the Sahara. Concentrations of ¹⁰Be, ²⁶Al, and ³⁶Cl in stone and metal fractions of six fragments of NWA 869 indicate a preatmospheric radius of 2.0–2.5 m. The ¹⁴C and ¹⁰Be concentrations in three fragments yield a terrestrial age of 4.4 ± 0.7 kyr, whereas two fragments show evidence for a recent change in shielding, most likely due to a recent impact on the NWA meteoroid, approximately 10⁵ yr ago, that excavated material up to approximately 80 cm deep and exposed previously shielded material to higher cosmic‐ray fluxes. This scenario is supported by the low cosmogenic ³He/²¹Ne ratios in these two samples, indicating recent loss of cosmogenic ³He. Most NWA samples, except for clasts of petrologic type 4–6, contain significant amounts of solar Ne and Ar, but are virtually free of solar helium, judging from the trapped ⁴He/²⁰Ne ratio of approximately 7. Trapped planetary‐type Kr and Xe are most clearly present in the bulk and matrix samples, where abundances of ¹²⁹Xe from decay of now extinct ¹²⁹I are highest. Cosmogenic ²¹Ne varies between 0.55 and 1.92 × 10^?8 cm³ STP g^?1, with no apparent relationship between cosmogenic and solar Ne contents. Low cosmogenic (²²Ne/²¹Ne)_c ratios in solar gas free specimens are consistent with irradiation in a large body. Combined ¹⁰Be and ²¹Ne concentrations indicate that NWA 869 had a 4π cosmic‐ray exposure (CRE) age of 5 ± 1 Myr, whereas elevated ²¹Ne concentrations in several clasts and bulk samples indicate a previous CRE of 10–30 Myr on the parent body, most probably as individual components in a regolith. Unlike many other large chondrites, NWA 869 does not show clear evidence of CRE as a large boulder near the surface of its parent body. Radiogenic ⁴He concentrations in most NWA 869 samples indicate a major outgassing event approximately 2.8 Gyr ago that may have also resulted in loss of solar helium.     

Exposure history and terrestrial ages of ordinary chondrites from the Dar al Gani region,Libya

Abstract— We measured the concentrations of noble gases in 32 ordinary chondrites from the Dar al Gani (DaG) region, Libya, as well as concentrations of the cosmogenic radionuclides ¹⁴C, ¹⁰Be, ²⁶Al, ³⁶Cl, and ⁴¹Ca in 18 of these samples. Although the trapped noble gases in five DaG samples show ratios typical of solar or planetary gases, in all other DaG samples, they are dominated by atmospheric contamination, which increases with the degree of weathering. Cosmic ray exposure (CRE) ages of DaG chondrites range from ?1 Myr to 53 Myr. The CRE age distribution of 10 DaG L chondrites shows a cluster around 40 Myr due to four members of a large L6 chondrite shower. The CRE age distribution of 19 DaG H chondrites shows only three ages coinciding with the main H chondrite peak at ?7 Myr, while seven ages are <5 Myr. Two of these H chondrites with short CRE ages (DaG 904 and 908) show evidence of a complex exposure history. Five of the H chondrites show evidence of high shielding conditions, including low ²²Ne/²¹Ne ratios and large contributions of neutron‐capture ³⁶Cl and ⁴¹Ca. These samples represent fragments of two or more large pre‐atmospheric objects, which supports the hypothesis that the high H/L chondrite ratio at DaG is due to one or more large unrecognized showers. The ¹⁴C concentrations correspond to terrestrial ages <35 kyr, similar to terrestrial ages of chondrites from other regions in the Sahara but younger than two DaG achondrites. Despite the loss of cosmogenic ³⁶Cl and ⁴¹Ca during oxidation of metal and troilite, concentrations of ³⁶Cl and ⁴¹Ca in the silicates are also consistent with ¹⁴C ages <35 kyr. The only exception is DaG 343 (H4), which has a ⁴¹Ca terrestrial age of 150 ± 40 kyr. This old age shows that not only iron meteorites and achondrites but also chondrites can survive the hot desert environment for more than 50 kyr. A possible explanation is that older meteorites were covered by soils during wetter periods and were recently exhumed by removal of these soils due to deflation during more arid periods, such as the current one, which started ?3000 years ago. Finally, based on the ²⁶Al/²¹Ne and ¹⁰Be/²¹Ne systematics in 16 DaG meteorites, we derived more reliable estimates of the ¹⁰Be/²¹Ne production rate ratio, which seems more sensitive to shielding than was predicted by the semi‐empirical model of Graf et al. (1990) but less sensitive than was predicted by the purely physical model of Leya et al. (2000).     

Itqiy: A study of noble gases and oxygen isotopes including its terrestrial age and a comparison with Zakłodzie

Abstract— We report noble gas, oxygen isotope, ¹⁴C and ¹⁰Be data of Itqiy as well as noble gas, ¹⁴C and ¹⁰Be results for Zak?odzie. Both samples have been recently classified as anomalous enstatite meteorites and have been compared in terms of their mineralogy and chemical composition. The composition of enstatite and kamacite and the occurrence of specific sulfide phases in Itqiy indicate it formed under similar reducing conditions to those postulated for enstatite chondrites. The new results now seem to point at a direct spatial link. The noble gas record of Itqiy exhibits the presence of a trapped subsolar component, which is diagnostic for petrologic types 4–6 among enstatite chondrites. The concentration of radiogenic ⁴He is very low in Itqiy and indicates a recent thermal event. Its ²¹Ne cosmic‐ray exposure age is 30.1 ± 3.0 Ma and matches the most common age range of enstatite chondrites (mostly EL6 chondrites) but not that of Zak?odzie. Itqiy's isotopic composition of oxygen is in good agreement with that observed in Zak?odzie as well as those found in enstatite meteorites suggesting an origin from a common oxygen pool. The noble gas results, on the other hand, give reason to believe that the origin and evolution of Itqiy and Zak?odzie are not directly connected. Itqiy's terrestrial age of 5800 ± 500 years sheds crucial light on the uncertain circumstances of its recovery and proves that Itqiy is not a modern fall, whereas the ¹⁴C results from Zak?odzie suggest it hit Earth only recently.     

New noble gas data of primitive and differentiated achondrites including Northwest Africa 011 and Tafassasset

Abstract— This work reports on the noble gas inventory of 3 new acapulcoites, 3 brachinites, 2 new eucrites from the Dar al Gani region in Libya, the unique achondrite Dar al Gani (DaG) 896 from the same locality, the new eucrite‐like achondrite Northwest Africa (NWA) 011, and the controversial sample Tafassasset. We determined cosmic ray exposure and gas retention ages, evaluated shielding conditions, and discuss the trapped noble gas component of the specimens. All exposure ages are within the known range of stony meteorites and partly confirm previously established age clusters. Shielding conditions vary, suggesting substantial shielding for all 3 brachinites and Tafassasset. We cannot exclude, however, that the Mg‐rich composition of brachinites simply simulates heavy shielding. Regarding the trapped component, we found Q‐like compositions only for the acapulcoite Thiel Mountains (TIL) 99002. The brachinite Elephant Moraine (EET) 99402 yields a high, subsolar ³⁶Ar/¹³²Xe ratio of ?400 along with a slightly elevated ⁸⁴Kr/¹³²atio, indicating minor atmospheric contamination. All the other samples, particularly the eucrite DaG 983, are characterized by clearly elevated Ar/Kr/Xe ratios due to significant terrestrial alteration. Tafassasset exhibits noble gas parameters that are different from those of CR chondrites, including a relatively high cosmic ray exposure age, the absence of a solar component, low ¹³²Xe concentrations, a low trapped ³⁶Ar/¹³²Xe ratio of ?30, and a noticeable amount of radiogenic ¹²⁹Xe. Similar attributes have been observed for some primitive achondrites. These attributes are also consistent with the metamorphic character of the sample. We, therefore, consider Tafassasset's noble gas record to be inconclusive as to its classification (primitive achondrite versus metamorphosed CR chondrite).