Meteorite finds by EUROMET near Frontier Mountain,North Victoria Land,Antarctica

Abstract— A team from EUROMET (a joint initiative of scientific institutions in Europe interested in meteorites) was sent for the first time to Antarctica in the 1990/91 season to undertake a systematic search for meteorites. The project was organised within the framework of the Italian Antarctic Program (Programma Nationale di Richerche in Antartide, PNRA). The search was carried out in the vicinity of Frontier Mountain (North Victoria Land) and 256 meteorite fragments were discovered, most of which were wind-blown across the blue-ice field to the NE of Frontier Mountain and finally caught in an ice depression about 5 km to the N. The larger meteorites which remained on the ice surface from which they were uncovered may have been transported down to the mountain edge where they have subsequently been destroyed or covered in debris. A search for meteorites at neighbouring Sequence Hills, where similar glaciological conditions as at Frontier Mountain exist, proved unsuccessful. At this location the surface of the blue ice in the valleys with suspected meteorite concentrations was covered by meltwater lakes.     

In situ identification,pairing, and classification of meteorites from Antarctica through magnetic susceptibility measurements

Abstract— We report on the effectiveness of using magnetic measurements in the search for meteorites on the Antarctic ice sheet, which is thus far the Earth's most productive terrain. Magnetic susceptibility measurements carried out with a pocket meter (SM30) during the 2003/04 PNRA meteorite collection expedition to northern Victoria Land (Antarctica) proved to be a rapid, sensitive, non‐destructive means for the in situ identification, pairing, and classification of meteorites. In blue ice fields characterized by the presence of moraines and glacial drifts (e.g., Miller Butte, Roberts Butte, and Frontier Mountain), magnetic susceptibility measurements allowed discrimination of meteorites from abundant terrestrial stones that look like meteorites thanks to the relatively high magnetic susceptibility of the former with respect to terrestrial rocks. Comparative measurements helped identify 16 paired fragments found at Johannessen Nunataks, thereby reducing unnecessary duplication of laboratory analyses and statistical bias. Following classifications schemes developed by us in this and previous works, magnetic susceptibility measurements also helped classify stony meteorites directly in the field, thereby providing a means for selecting samples with higher research priority. A magnetic gradiometer capable of detecting perturbations in the Earth's magnetic field induced by the presence of meteorites was an efficient tool for locating meteorites buried in snow along the downwind margin of the Frontier Mountain blue ice field. Based on these results, we believe that magnetic sensors should constitute an additional payload for robotic search for meteorites on the Antarctic ice sheet and, by extension, on the surface of Mars where meteorite accumulations are predicted by theoretical works. Lastly, magnetic susceptibility data was successfully used to crosscheck the later petrographic classification of the 123 recovered meteorites, allowing the detection of misclassified or peculiar specimens.     

The meteorite collection sites of Antarctica

Abstract— Antarctic meteorites have been and are being well studied but the potential for glaciological and climatological information in the sites where they are found is only beginning to be realized. To date, meteorite stranding surfaces have been identified only in East Antarctica: (1) The MacKay Glacier/David Glacier region contains the Allan Hills and the Reckling Moraine/Elephant Moraine stranding surfaces. Because the Allan Hills Main Icefield has a large proportion of meteorites with long terrestrial ages, these concentrations of meteorites must have had catchment areas extending well inland, in contrast to the present. Where known, bedrock topography is mesa-like in form and influences ice flow directions. Ice levels at the Allan Hills may have been higher by 50–100 m in the past. Reckling Moraine and Elephant Moraine are located on a long patch of ice running westward from Reckling Peak; the ice appears to be pouring over a bedrock escarpment. (2) In North Victoria Land, ice diverges around Frontier Mountain and flows into a site behind the barrier where ablation occurs extensively. It is proposed that meteorites and rocks were dumped by ice flow at the mouth of a valley in the lee of the mountain at the site where a meltwater pond existed, in a depression produced by ablation. Later, the pond migrated headward along the valley to a point where it is today, leaving a morainal deposit with the meteorites at a higher level. (3) Between the Beardmore and Law Glaciers, ice flows sluggishly into the southwestern margin of the Walcott Névé. Northeastern sections of the Walcott are virtually barren of meteorites. The entering Plateau ice is diverted northward to flow along the base of Lewis Cliff. This flow apparently terminates in an ice tongue protruding into a vast moraine, where a very large concentration of meteorites was found on the ice. This final segment of flowing ice is called the Lewis Cliff Ice Tongue. Meteorite Moraine, a subsidiary occurrence 2 km to the northeast, is also found against morainal deposits. The origin of the moraines and the history of meteorite concentration at this site is the subject of some debate. (4) The Transantarctic Mountains are submerged along one segment many hundreds of km in length by ice flowing off the Polar Plateau. The Thiel Mountains, Pecora Escarpment and Patuxent Range are the only surface indications of the underlying mountains along this interval, and meteorite stranding surfaces are found at each of these sites. Little is yet known about ice dynamics at these sites. (5) The immense Yamato Mountains meteorite stranding surface covers an area of about 4000 km². So far, most meteorites have been recovered in the upper reaches of this blue ice field, where ice flow is slowed by outlying subice barriers of the Yamato Mountains. Individual massifs in this range extend northward over 50 km, and the Yamato Meteorite Icefield loses 1100 m in elevation over this distance. (6) The Sør Rondane Mountains form a barrier to ice flow off the Polar Plateau. The major meteorite stranding surface associated with this barrier is the Nansenisen Icefield, a large ablation area about 50 km upstream of the mountains. The existence of a meteorite stranding surface at this site has not been explained so far. Most meteorite stranding surfaces have been functioning for a long time. They are sites where net ablation of the surface is occurring; the ice at these sites is stagnant or flowing only slowly, and the numbers of meteorites with great terrestrial ages decrease exponentially. Concentration mechanisms operating at these sites involve ablation, direct infall, time, low temperatures, moderate weathering and wind ablation. Detrimental to concentration are ice flow out of the area and extreme weathering. In spite of the fact that the Antarctic Ice Sheet is thought to be over 10 Ma old, we do not find stranding surfaces with meteorites having greater terrestrial ages than 1 Ma. This suggests that stranding surfaces are transient features, affected on a continental scale by possible extreme warming during late Pliocene and on a smaller scale by regional changes that produce differential effects between icefields. The latter effect is suggested by differences in the average terrestrial age of meteorites at different stranding surfaces. In either case, these sites seem to appear as a result of thinning near the edges of the ice sheet, and stratigraphic sequences may be exposed in the ice at stranding surfaces. We review five models for the production of meteorite stranding surfaces: (1) simple deflation of the ice sheet, in which ablation removes great thicknesses of overlying ice, exposing the contained meteorites while allowing direct falls to accumulate, (2) simple accumulation of direct falls on a bare ice surface that is not deflating, (3) ablation of ice trapped against a barrier, in which meteorites accumulate by direct infall while inflowing ice contributes meteorites by ablation discovery, (4) deceleration of ice by a subice barrier, which allows ablation discovery of meteorites in incoming ice and accumulation of other meteorites on the surface by direct infall and (5) stagnation of ice by encounter with an ice mass able to produce an opposing flow vector, in which ablation discovery and direct infall accumulation processes operate to build the meteorite concentration.     

Terrestrial ages,pairing, and concentration mechanism of Antarctic chondrites from Frontier Mountain,Northern Victoria Land

Abstract— We report concentrations of cosmogenic ¹⁰Be, ²⁶Al, ³⁶Cl, and ⁴¹Ca in the metal phase of 26 ordinary chondrites from Frontier Mountain (FRO), Antarctica, as well as cosmogenic ¹⁴C in eight and noble gases in four bulk samples. Thirteen out of 14 selected H chondrites belong to two previously identified pairing groups, FRO 90001 and FRO 90174, with terrestrial ages of ?40 and ?100 kyr, respectively. The FRO 90174 shower is a heterogeneous H3–6 chondrite breccia that probably includes more than 300 individual fragments, explaining the high H/L chondrite ratio (3.8) at Frontier Mountain. The geographic distribution of 19 fragments of this shower constrains ice fluctuations over the past 50–100 kyr to less than ?40 m, supporting the stability of the meteorite trap over the last glacial cycle. The second H‐chondrite pairing group, FRO 90001, is much smaller and its geographic distribution is mainly controlled by wind‐transport. Most L‐chondrites are younger than 50 kyr, except for the FRO 93009/01172 pair, which has a terrestrial age of ?500 kyr. These two old L chondrites represent the only surviving members of a large shower with a similar preatmospheric radius (?80 cm) as the FRO 90174 shower. The find locations of these two paired L‐chondrite fragments on opposite sides of Frontier Mountain confirm the general glaciological model in which the two ice flows passing both ends of the mountain are derived from the same source area on the plateau. The 50 FRO meteorites analyzed so far represent 21 different falls. The terrestrial ages range from 6 kyr to 500 kyr, supporting the earlier proposed concentration mechanism.     

Meteorite infall as a function of mass: Implications for the accumulation of meteorites on Antarctic ice

Abstract— Antarctic meteorites are considerably smaller, on average, than those recovered elsewhere in the world, and seem to represent a different portion of the mass distribution of infalling meteorites. When an infall rate appropriate to the size of Antarctic meteorites is used (1000 meteorites 10 grams or larger/km²/10⁶ years), it is found that direct infall can produce the meteorite accumulations found on eight ice fields in the Allan Hills region in times ranging from a few thousand to nearly 200 000 years, with all but the Allan Hills Main and Near Western ice fields requiring less than 30 000 years. Meteorites incorporated into the ice over time are concentrated on the surface when the ice flows into a local area of rapid ablation. The calculated accumulation times, which can be considered the average age of the exposed ice, agree well with terrestrial ages for the meteorites and measured ages of exposed ice. Since vertical concentration of meteorites through removal of ice by ablation is sufficient to explain the observed meteorite accumulations, there is no need to invoke mechanisms to bring meteorites from large areas to the relatively small blue-ice patches where they are found. Once a meteorite is on a bare ice surface, freeze-thaw cycling and wind break down the meteorite and remove it from the ice. The weathering lifetime of a 100-gram meteorite on Antarctic ice is on the order of 10 000 ± 5000 years.     

Frontier Mountain meteorite specimens of the acapulcoite‐lodranite clan: Petrography,pairing, and parent‐rock lithology of an unusual intrusive rock

Abstract— In this paper we reconstruct the heterogeneous lithology of an unusual intrusive rock from the acapulcoite‐lodranite (AL) parent asteroid on the basis of the petrographic analysis of 5 small (<8.3 g) meteorite specimens from the Frontier Mountain ice field (Antarctica). Although these individual specimens may not be representative of the parent‐rock lithology due to their relatively large grain size, by putting together evidence from various thin sections and literature data we conclude that Frontier Mountain (FRO) 90011, FRO 93001, FRO 99030, and FRO 03001 are paired fragments of a medium‐ to coarse‐grained igneous rock which intrudes a lodranite and entrains xenoliths. The igneous matrix is composed of enstatite (Fs_{13.3 ± 0.4} Wo_{3.1 ± 0.2}), Cr‐rich augite (Fs_{6.1 ± 0.7} Wo_{42.3 ± 0.9}), and oligoclase (Ab_{80.5 ± 3.3} Or_{3.2 ± 0.6}). The lodranitic xenoliths show a fine‐grained (average grain size 488 ± 201 μm) granoblastic texture and consist of olivine Fa_{9.5 ± 0.4} and Fe,Ni metal and minor amounts of enstatite Fs_{12.7 ± 0.4} Wo_{1.8 ± 0.1}, troilite, chromite, schreibersite, and Ca‐phosphates. Crystals of the igneous matrix and lodranitic xenoliths are devoid of shock features down to the scanning electron microscope scale. From a petrogenetic point of view, the lack of shock evidence in the lodranitic xenoliths of all the studied samples favors the magmatic rather than the impact melting origin of this rock. FRO 95029 is an acapulcoite and represents a separate fall from the AL parent asteroid, i.e., it is not a different clast entrained by the FRO 90011, FRO 93001, FRO 99030, and FRO 03001 melt, as in genomict breccias common in the meteoritic record. The specimen‐to‐meteorite ratio for the AL meteorites so far found at Frontier Mountain is thus 2.5.     

Results from the Greenland Search for Meteorites expedition

Abstract— Following discoveries of blue ice areas in Greenland resembling meteorite‐bearing blue ice fields in Antarctica, a surface search of several of the most promising sites was carried out in August 2003. The ice fields are located in Kong Christian X Land, in northeastern Greenland around 74°N at elevations between 2100 and 2400 m. No meteorites were found in any of the localities that were searched. Evidence of occasional significant melting (filled crevasses and melt sheets) suggest that summer temperatures are sometimes high enough that dark rocks, like meteorites, can melt through the upper layers of ice. Small terrestrial rocks and cryogenite were found down to 50 cm below the ice surface. Meter‐sized terrestrial rocks were found on top of the ice downstream from nunataks. These rocks shade the ice below, and since they were apparently too massive to warm up during warm days, they remained at the surface as the surrounding ice ablated away. Our findings strongly suggest that Greenland is currently unlikely to harbor significant meteorite concentrations on blue ice fields.     

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and amino acids in meteorites and ice samples from LaPaz Icefield,Antarctica

Abstract— –We have analyzed ice samples and meteorites from the LaPaz region of Antarctica to investigate the composition of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and amino acids with the goal to understand whether or not there is a compositional relationship between the two reservoirs. Four LL5 ordinary chondrites (OCs) and one CK carbonaceous chondrite were collected as part of the 2003/2004 ANSMET season. Ice samples collected from directly underneath the meteorites were extracted. In addition, exhaust particles from the snowmobiles used during the expedition were collected to investigate possible contributions from this source. The meteorite samples, the particulate matter and solid‐state extracts of the ice samples and the exhaust filters were subjected to two‐step laser mass spectrometry (L2MS) to investigate the PAH composition. For amino acids analysis, the meteorites were extracted with water and acid hydrolyzed, and the extracts were analyzed with offline OPA/NAC derivatization combined with liquid chromatography with UV fluorescence detection and time of flight mass spectrometry (LC‐FD/ToF‐MS). PAHs in the particulate matter of the ice were found to be qualitatively similar to the meteorite samples, indicating that micron‐sized grains of the meteorite may be embedded in the ice samples. The concentration levels of dissolved PAHs in all the ice samples were found to be below the detection limit of the L2MS. The PAH composition of the snowmobile exhaust is significantly different to the one in particulate matter, making it an unlikely source of contamination for Antarctic meteorites. The amino acids glycine, β‐alanine and γ‐amino‐n‐butyric acid that were detected at concentrations of 3 to 19 parts per billion (ppb) are probably indigenous to the Antarctic meteorites. Some of the LaPaz ice samples were also found to contain amino acids at concentration levels of 1 to 33 parts per trillion (ppt), in particular α‐aminoisobutyric acid (AIB), an abundant non‐protein amino acid of extraterrestrial origin found in some carbonaceous chondrites. We hypothesize that this amino acid could have been extracted from Antarctic micrometeorites and the particulate matter of the meteorites during the concentration procedure of the ice samples.     

Terrestrial age measurements using natural thermoluminescence of a drained zone under the fusion crust of Antarctic ordinary chondrites

Abstract— Miono et al. (1990) and Miono and Nakanishi (1994) have proposed that the build‐up of natural thermoluminescence (TL) in a drained layer directly below the meteorite fusion crust can be used to determine terrestrial ages of meteorites in the 40 to 200 ka range. We have measured the natural TL of the drained layer of 15 meteorites. The data indicate that this technique could be used to determine terrestrial ages of meteorites with ages <200 ka, after which TL equilibrium is reached. Comparison of TL build‐up with terrestrial ages for a suite of Antarctic meteorites suggests that the meteorites have been exposed to temperatures of 0 to 5 °C. The close correspondence between natural TL levels and surface exposure TL growth curves suggest that Allan Hills meteorites with ages <200 ka have spent a significant portion of their terrestrial history exposed on the ice surface, rather than being buried in the ice sheet. The technique is, however, sensitive to thermal history; and, for Antarctic meteorites with terrestrial ages <200 ka, natural TL of the drained zone largely reflects exposure on the ice surface.     

Ultraviolet photolysis of anthracene in H2O interstellar ice analogs: Potential connection to meteoritic organics

Abstract— The polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) anthracene was oxidized by exposure to ultraviolet (UV) radiation in H₂O ice under simulated astrophysical conditions, forming several anthracene ketones (9‐anthrone, 1,4‐anthraquinone, and 9,10‐anthraquinone) and alcohols (1‐anthrol and 2‐anthrol). Two of the ketones produced have been detected in the Murchison meteorite but, to our knowledge, there has been no search for the alcohols or other oxidized anthracenes in meteorites. These results seem consistent with the possibility that interstellar ice photochemistry could have influenced the inventory of aromatics in meteorites. Since quinones are also fundamental to biochemistry, their formation in space and delivery to planets is relevant to studies relating to the habitability of planets and the evolution of life.     

Accumulation mechanisms of micrometeorites in an ancient supraglacial moraine at Larkman Nunatak,Antarctica

We report the discovery of a large accumulation of micrometeorites (MMs) in a supraglacial moraine at Larkman Nunatak in the Grosvenor Mountains of the Transantarctic Range in Antarctica. The MMs are present in abundances of ~600 particles kg⁻¹ of moraine sediment and include a near-complete collection of MM types similar to those observed in Antarctic blue ice and within bare-rock traps in the Antarctic. The size distribution of the observed particles is consistent with those collected from snow collections suggesting the moraine has captured a representative collection of cosmic spherules with significant loss of only the smallest particles (<100 μm) by wind. The presence of microtektites with compositions similar to those of the Australasian strewn field suggests the moraine has been accumulating for 780 ka with dust-sized debris. On the basis of this age estimate, it is suggested that accumulation occurs principally through ice sublimation. Direct infall of fines is suggested to be limited by snow layers that act as barriers to accumulation and can be removed by wind erosion. MM accumulation in many areas in Antarctica, therefore, may not be continuous over long periods and can be subject to climatic controls. On the basis of the interpretation of microtektites as Australasian, Larkman Nunatak deposit is the oldest known supraglacial moraine and its survival through several glacial maxima and interglacial periods is surprising. We suggest that stationary ice produced by the specific ice flow conditions at Larkman Nunatak explains its longevity and provides a new type of record of the East Antarctic ice sheet.     

Ice dynamics of the Allan Hills meteorite concentration sites revealed by satellite aperture radar interferometry

Abstract— The ice flow conditions of a 100 times 100 km area of Victoria Land, Antarctica were analyzed with the synthetic aperture radar (SAR) technique. The area includes a number of meteorite concentration sites, in particular the Allan Hills ice fields. Regional ice flow velocities around the Midwestern and Near‐western ice fields and the Allan Hills main ice field are shown to be ≤2.5 m yr^?1. These sites are located on a horseshoe‐shaped area that bounds an area characterized by higher ice flow velocities of up to 5 m yr^?1. Meteorite find locations on the Elephant Moraine are located in this “high ice flow” area. The SAR derived digital elevation model (DEM) shows atypical low surface slopes for Antarctic conditions, which are the cause for the slow ice movements. Numerous ice rises in the area are interpreted to cap sub‐ice obstacles, which were formed by tectonic processes in the past. The ice rises are considered to represent temporary features, which develop only during warm stages when the regional ice stand is lowered. Ice depressions, which develop in warm stages on the lee side of ice rises, may act as the sites of temporary build‐up of meteorite concentrations, which turn inoperative during cold stages when the regional ice level rises and the ice rises disappear. Based on a simplified ice flow model, we argue that the regional ice flow in cold stages is reduced by a factor of at least 3.     

The Dar al Gani meteorite field (Libyan Sahara): Geological setting,pairing of meteorites,and recovery density

Abstract— As of July 2001, 1238 Libyan meteorites have been reported. Most were found in two areas called Dar al Gani and Hamadah al Hamra. Dar al Gani is located on a plateau of marine carbonate rocks with marly components. Eight‐hundred and sixty‐nine meteorites between 6 g and 95 kg totalling 687 kg have been found here but the calculated mean recovery density is comparatively low with one meteorite on 6.5 km². Dar al Gani is a perfect site for the recognition and preservation of meteorites. The existence of meteorites is the result of a combination of specific geological and geomorphological conditions: there is a bright‐colored, old limestone plateau (<2 Ma), under arid weather conditions over long periods of time, with rapid elimination of surface water if present and low erosion rates. The preservation of meteorites is guaranteed through the absence of quartz sand on the plateau, strongly reducing wind erosion and a basic environment emerging from the carbonate ground retards rusting of metallic meteorite components. A supposed soil cover during pluvial times has probably protected older meteorites and led to a concentration of meteorites of different periods. An evaluation of Dar al Gani meteorites suggests the existence of at least 26 strewnfields and 26 meteorite pairs reducing the number of falls to, at most, 534. Shock and weathering grades as a tool for the recognition of pairings turned out to be problematic, as several strewnfields showed paired meteorites which had been classified to different shock and weathering grades.     

Stones from Mohave County,Arizona: Multiple falls in the “Franconia strewn field”

One of the most productive and well‐sampled dense collection areas for meteorites on Earth is the “Franconia strewn field” in Mohave County, Arizona, which since 2002 has yielded hundreds of meteorites in an ellipsoidal area approximately 5 × 16 km across. Based on petrographic, mineral‐chemical, and terrestrial age data, we conclude that among 14 meteorites examined, there are at least 6 and possibly 8 distinct meteorites represented, which fell over a period of approximately 0–20 kyr ago. These include equilibrated H‐chondrites such as Franconia (H5) and Buck Mountains (BM) 001 (H6); H3–6 breccias such as Buck Mountains Wash and BM 004; and L6 chondrites such as BM 002 and BM 003 (which may be paired), Palo Verde Mine, and BM 005. To confidently pair such meteorites often requires thorough petrographic examination, mineral‐chemical analyses, and terrestrial ages. We estimate that 50 ± 10% of the larger specimens in this area are paired, yielding a relatively high value of approximately 2.3–2.9 distinct meteorites km^?2. The meteorite flux estimated for Franconia area is higher than the flux inferred from contemporary fireball data for larger masses. We suggest that one large H3–6 meteoroid fell in the area, most likely that of Buck Mountains Wash approximately 4 kyr ago, which produced an elliptical strewn field with masses generally increasing toward one end, and which raised the meteorite productivity in the recovery area.     

Noble gases and mineralogy of meteorites from China and the Grove Mountains,Antarctica: A 0.05 Ma cosmic ray exposure age of GRV 98004

Abstract— We determined the mineralogical and chemical characteristics and the He, Ne, and Ar isotopic abundances of 2 meteorites that fell in China and of 2 meteorites that were recovered by the 15th Chinese Antarctic Research Expedition. Guangmingshan (H5), Zhuanghe (H5), and Grove Mountain (GRV) 98002 (L5) yield cosmic ray exposure (CRE) ages of 68.7 ± 10.0 Ma, 3.8 ± 0.6 Ma, and 17.0 ± 2.5 Ma, respectively. These ages are within the range typically observed for the respective meteorite types. GRV 98004 (H5) had an extremely short parent body‐Earth transfer time of 0.052 ± 0.008 Ma. Its petrography and mineral chemistry are indistinguishable from other typical H5 chondrites. Only 3 other meteorites exist with similarly low CRE ages: Farmington (L5), Galim (LL6), and ALH 82100 (CM2). We show that several asteroids in Earth‐crossing orbits, or in the main asteroid belt with orbits close to an ejection resonance, are spectrally matching candidates and may represent immediate precursor bodies of meteorites with CRE ages ≤0.1 Ma.     

Amino acid analyses of Antarctic CM2 meteorites using liquid chromatography‐time of flight‐mass spectrometry

Abstract— Amino acid analyses of the Antarctic CM2 chondrites Allan Hills (ALH) 83100 and Lewis Cliff (LEW) 90500 using liquid chromatography‐time of flight‐mass spectrometry (LC‐ToF‐MS) coupled with UV fluorescence detection revealed that these carbonaceous meteorites contain a suite of indigenous amino acids not present in Antarctic ice. Several amino acids were detected in ALH 83100, including glycine, alanine, β‐alanine, γ‐amino‐n‐butyric acid (γ‐ABA), and α‐aminoisobutyric acid (AIB) with concentrations ranging from 250 to 340 parts per billion (ppb). In contrast to ALH 83100, the CM2 meteorites LEW 90500 and Murchison had a much higher total abundance of these amino acids (440–3200 ppb). In addition, ALH 83100 was found to have lower abundances of the α‐dialkyl amino acids AIB and isovaline than LEW 90500 and Murchison. There are three possible explanations for the depleted amino acid content in ALH 83100: 1) amino acid leaching from ALH 83100 during exposure to Antarctic ice meltwater, 2) a higher degree of aqueous alteration on the ALH 83100 parent body, or 3) ALH 83100 originated on a chemically distinct parent body from the other two CM2 meteorites. The high relative abundance of ?‐amino‐n‐caproic acid (EACA) in the ALH 83100 meteorite as well as the Antarctic ice indicates that Nylon‐6 contamination from the Antarctic sample storage bags may have occurred during collection.     

Gold Basin meteorite strewn field,Mojave Desert,northwestern Arizona: Relic of a small late Pleistocene impact event

Abstract— Over 4450 meteorite specimens with a total mass of 168 760 g have been found in the Gold Basin (L4) strewn field over an area of 225 km². The meteorite is a breccia, composed only of fragments of L‐chondrite materials. The parent meteoroid had a kinetic energy equivalent to ～5 to 50 ktons when it hit the top of the atmosphere. Cosmogenic nuclide studies indicate the meteorite has a terrestrial age of 15 000 ± 600 years, corresponding to the Late Pinedale portion of the Wisconsin Glaciation. Conditions in the Gold Basin, which is now part of the Mojave Desert, were wetter and cooler at the time of the fall. Mössbauer analyses indicate the sample is 30 to 35% oxidized. This is less than that in meteorites with similar ages found in eastern New Mexico, but comparable to that found in meteorites from the Sahara and the Nullarbor Region. Oxidation is likely to have occurred soon after the fall, when exposure to precipitation was at its maximum. Four other new meteorites were also found in the Gold Basin strewn field.     

Data‐driven taxonomy matching of asteroid and meteorite

The matching of asteroids and meteorites is a significant step toward a better understanding of the origin, structure, and history of the solar system. We propose a data‐driven approach for investigating common taxonomic structure between asteroids and meteorites; C‐, S‐, and V‐type for the former, and carbonaceous chondrite, ordinary chondrite, and howardite‐eucrite‐diogenite (HED) meteorite for the latter. In the numerical experiments, by checking whether the taxonomy information of meteorites improves classification for asteroid data, we examine the existence of common structure over the two domains. For this purpose, we compare the resultant accuracies of two clustering methods which are with/without the guidance of meteorite data. We observe that the guidance of meteorite taxonomy improves the accuracy for classifying asteroids, either with the reflectance spectra or major chemical compositions of meteorites. This fact serves as a piece of evidence that there is a common taxonomic structure and links between meteorites and asteroids, supporting a long‐standing hypothesis.     

The origin of the Brunflo fossil meteorite and extraterrestrial chromite in mid‐Ordovician limestone from the Gärde quarry (Jämtland,central Sweden)

Abstract— The Brunflo fossil meteorite was found in the 1950s in mid‐Ordovician marine limestone in the Gärde quarry in Jämtland. It originates from strata that are about 5 million years younger than similar limestone that more recently has yielded >50 fossil meteorites in the Thorsberg quarry at Kinnekulle, 600 km to the south. Based primarily on the low TiO₂ content (about 1.8 wt%) of its relict chromite the Brunflo meteorite had been tentatively classified as an H chondrite. The meteorite hence appears to be an anomaly in relation to the Kinnekulle meteorites, in which chromite composition, chondrule mean diameter and oxygen isotopic composition all indicate an L‐chondritic origin, reflecting an enhanced flux of meteorites to Earth following the disruption of the L chondrite parent body 470 Ma. New chondrule‐size measurements for the Brunflo meteorite indicate that it too is an L chondrite, related to the same parent‐body breakup. Chromite maximum diameters and well‐defined chondrule structures further show that Brunflo belongs to the L4 or L5 type. Chromites in recently fallen L4 chondrites commonly have low TiO₂ contents similar to the Brunflo chromites, adding support for Brunflo being an L4 chondrite. The limestone in the Gärde quarry is relatively rich (about 0.45 grain kg⁻¹) in sediment‐dispersed extraterrestrial chromite grains (>63 μm) with chemical composition similar to those in L chondrites and the limestone (1–3 grains kg⁻¹) at Kinnekulle, suggesting that the enhanced flux of L chondrites prevailed, although somewhat diminished, at the time when the Brunflo meteorite fell.     

Numerical models of the thermomechanical evolution of planetesimals: Application to the acapulcoite‐lodranite parent body

The acapulcoite‐lodranite meteorites are members of the primitive achondrite class. The observation of partial melting and resulting partial removal of Fe‐FeS indicates that this meteorite group could be an important link between achondrite and iron meteorites, on the one hand, and chondrite meteorites, on the other. Thus, a better understanding of the thermomechanical evolution of the parent body of this meteorite group can help improve our understanding of the evolution of early planetesimals. Here, we use 2‐D and 3‐D finite‐difference numerical models to determine the formation time, initial radius of the parent body of the acapulcoite‐lodranite meteorites, and their formation depth inside the body by applying available geochronological, thermal, and textural constraints to our numerical data. Our results indicate that the best fit to the data can be obtained for a parent body with 25–65 km radius, which formed around 1.3 Ma after calcium‐aluminum‐rich inclusions. The 2‐D and 3‐D results considering various initial temperatures and the effect of porosity indicate possible formation depths of the acapulcoite‐lodranite meteorites of 9–19 and 14–25 km, respectively. Our data also suggest that other meteorite classes could form at different depths inside the same parent body, supporting recently proposed models (Elkins‐Tanton et al. 2011 ; Weiss and Elkins‐Tanton 2013 ).