Chromium-bearing olivine in the St. Mesmin chondrite

Olivine phenocrysts in microporphyritic xenoliths in the St. Mesmin chondrite (LL-breccia) show parallel rimward variations of FeO (10 to > -30wt.%), CaO (0·1–0·4%), MnO (0·2–0·8%) and Cr₂O₃ (0·2–0·7%). Aluminum is near background levels and does not vary systematically with iron. Titanium, sodium and nickel are below the limit of detection. Covariation of Fe and Cr in this olivine distinguishes it from the olivines in lunar mare basalts, in which Cr varies inversely with Fe.Transmission electron microscopy of the St. Mesmin olivine suggests that it is free of submicroscopic inclusions and exsolution lamellae and that the chromium present occurs in solid solution in the olivine. Charge balance and ionic radius considerations suggest that it occurs as Cr²⁺, whose effective ionic radius is nearly identical to that of Mn²⁺.The different Fe-Cr relationships observed in the lunar basaltic and St. Mesmin olivines reflect different crystallization sequences. Chromian spinel coprecipitated with olivine in the lunar basalts, reducing the activity of chromium in the melt and leading to the observed anticorrelation of Fe and Cr in olivine (butler, 1972). By contrast, olivine precipitated first in the St. Mesmin microporphyry and was the only solid phase present until more than half of the rock had crystallized. Parallel variation of Fe and Cr reflects crystallization from a melt in which the activity of chromium was increasing.