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Disruption of the L chondrite parent body: New oxygen isotope evidence from Ordovician relict chromite grains

Greenwood, R. C. ; Schmitz, Birger LU ; Bridges, J. C. ; Hutchison, R. and Franchi, I. A. (2007) In Earth and Planetary Science Letters 262(1-2). p.204-213
Abstract
Mid-Ordovician fossil meteorites found in the Thorsberg quarry, southern Sweden, are believed to have been deposited during a period of enhanced meteorite flux following the fragmentation of the L chondrite parent body. During diagenesis, the fossil meteorites were largely replaced by a secondary mineral assemblage. However, primary chromite grains have been preserved. High-precision oxygen isotope analysis by laser-assisted fluorination has been undertaken in order to confirm the chemical group (11, L or LL) to which the fossil meteorites belong. To test our methodology, chromites extracted from recent ordinary chondrite falls (Holbrook L6, Appley Bridge LL6 and Kernouve H6) have been analyzed and these show that ordinary chondrites can... (More)
Mid-Ordovician fossil meteorites found in the Thorsberg quarry, southern Sweden, are believed to have been deposited during a period of enhanced meteorite flux following the fragmentation of the L chondrite parent body. During diagenesis, the fossil meteorites were largely replaced by a secondary mineral assemblage. However, primary chromite grains have been preserved. High-precision oxygen isotope analysis by laser-assisted fluorination has been undertaken in order to confirm the chemical group (11, L or LL) to which the fossil meteorites belong. To test our methodology, chromites extracted from recent ordinary chondrite falls (Holbrook L6, Appley Bridge LL6 and Kernouve H6) have been analyzed and these show that ordinary chondrites can be classified into their respective groups (H, L, or LL) using the oxygen isotopic composition of chromite alone. Results from the Golvsten 001 meteorite demonstrate that this sample is an equilibrated L chondrite. The uniform major and minor element composition of chromites throughout the southern Swedish fossil meteorite section means that it is highly probable that all are L chondrites. High-precision oxygen isotope analysis of relict chromites thus further strengthens the link between the fossil meteorites and the disruption of the L chondrite parent body. The evidence presented here demonstrates that relict chromite grains survive diagenesis and can be used to classify ancient meteoritic material. Analysis of such fossil grains may prove to be a powerful tool, not only in the case of the mid-Ordovician event, but also in examining changes in the relative distribution of meteorite groups throughout geological time. (c) 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. (Less)
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author
; ; ; and
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
chromite grains, relict, L chondrite parent body, ordinary chondrites, chondrites, L, Ordovician meteorites, fossil meteorites, oxygen isotopes, meteorite classification, Thorsberg quarry, Golvsten, 001 meteorite
in
Earth and Planetary Science Letters
volume
262
issue
1-2
pages
204 - 213
publisher
Elsevier
external identifiers
  • wos:000250652900014
  • scopus:34548858157
ISSN
1385-013X
DOI
10.1016/j.epsl.2007.07.048
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
5dc2c415-5dab-4a23-93a9-c90e556c9917 (old id 653177)
date added to LUP
2016-04-01 11:42:25
date last changed
2022-02-25 20:07:56
@article{5dc2c415-5dab-4a23-93a9-c90e556c9917,
  abstract     = {{Mid-Ordovician fossil meteorites found in the Thorsberg quarry, southern Sweden, are believed to have been deposited during a period of enhanced meteorite flux following the fragmentation of the L chondrite parent body. During diagenesis, the fossil meteorites were largely replaced by a secondary mineral assemblage. However, primary chromite grains have been preserved. High-precision oxygen isotope analysis by laser-assisted fluorination has been undertaken in order to confirm the chemical group (11, L or LL) to which the fossil meteorites belong. To test our methodology, chromites extracted from recent ordinary chondrite falls (Holbrook L6, Appley Bridge LL6 and Kernouve H6) have been analyzed and these show that ordinary chondrites can be classified into their respective groups (H, L, or LL) using the oxygen isotopic composition of chromite alone. Results from the Golvsten 001 meteorite demonstrate that this sample is an equilibrated L chondrite. The uniform major and minor element composition of chromites throughout the southern Swedish fossil meteorite section means that it is highly probable that all are L chondrites. High-precision oxygen isotope analysis of relict chromites thus further strengthens the link between the fossil meteorites and the disruption of the L chondrite parent body. The evidence presented here demonstrates that relict chromite grains survive diagenesis and can be used to classify ancient meteoritic material. Analysis of such fossil grains may prove to be a powerful tool, not only in the case of the mid-Ordovician event, but also in examining changes in the relative distribution of meteorite groups throughout geological time. (c) 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.}},
  author       = {{Greenwood, R. C. and Schmitz, Birger and Bridges, J. C. and Hutchison, R. and Franchi, I. A.}},
  issn         = {{1385-013X}},
  keywords     = {{chromite grains; relict; L chondrite parent body; ordinary chondrites; chondrites; L; Ordovician meteorites; fossil meteorites; oxygen isotopes; meteorite classification; Thorsberg quarry; Golvsten; 001 meteorite}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{1-2}},
  pages        = {{204--213}},
  publisher    = {{Elsevier}},
  series       = {{Earth and Planetary Science Letters}},
  title        = {{Disruption of the L chondrite parent body: New oxygen isotope evidence from Ordovician relict chromite grains}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.epsl.2007.07.048}},
  doi          = {{10.1016/j.epsl.2007.07.048}},
  volume       = {{262}},
  year         = {{2007}},
}