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Petrology of Zircon-Bearing Diogenite Northwest Africa 10666The howardite, eucrite, and diogenite (HED) meteorites are a group of achondrites thought to be derived from the asteroid 4 Vesta, though there is active debate as to whether all diogenites are part of the HED suite. Petrologic investigation of the HED meteorite group provides a means of understanding early planetary differentiation processes and early evolution of planets in our solar system. Diogenites are predominantly coarse grained ortho-pyroxenites with some samples containing appreciable amounts of clinopyroxene, olivine, chromite, and plagioclase. Accessory metal, troilite, and apatite are common. Many diogenites are brecciated, however, there are few poorly to unbrecciated samples. Diogenites are important because they may represent the lower crust of 4 Vesta. Although Mg isotope data indicates that the sources of diogenites are ancient, their crystallization ages are difficult to constrain due to their protracted thermal histories. The limited chronologic data for diogenites also limits the ability to test petrogenetic connections with eucrites and even parent body. A reliable and high closure-temperature isotope system, such as U-Pb in zircon, is needed to address the timing of diogenite igneous crystallization. Description of the textures and mineralogy of diogenites are essential to their classification and understanding their formation, in particular, whether all phases are petrogenetically related. Here, we present detailed petrographic data from a rare zircon-bearing feldspathic diogenite, Northwest Africa (NWA) 10666 and provide textural evidence for igneous crystallization of the zircon.
Document ID
20170002054
Acquisition Source
Johnson Space Center
Document Type
Conference Paper
Authors
Tanner, T. B. (Houston Univ. Houston, TX, United States)
Jeffcoat, C. R. (Houston Univ. Houston, TX, United States)
Righter, M. (Houston Univ. Houston, TX, United States)
Berger, E. L. (Jacobs Technologies Engineering Science Contract Group Houston, TX, United States)
Lapen, T. J. (Houston Univ. Houston, TX, United States)
Irving, A. J. (Washington Univ. Seattle, WA, United States)
Kuehner, S. M. (Washington Univ. Seattle, WA, United States)
Fujihara, G. (Hawaii Univ. Hilo, HI, United States)
Date Acquired
March 8, 2017
Publication Date
March 20, 2017
Subject Category
Geosciences (General)
Lunar And Planetary Science And Exploration
Report/Patent Number
JSC-CN-38704
Meeting Information
Meeting: Lunar and Planetary Science Conference
Location: The Woodlands, TX
Country: United States
Start Date: March 20, 2017
End Date: March 24, 2017
Sponsors: Lunar and Planetary Inst.
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Public Use Permitted.

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