Sodium-, chlorine-rich mesostases in Chainpur (LL3) and Parnallee (LL3) chondrules

Abstract— Forty-six chondrules from Chainpur (LL3.4) and 39 chondrules and clasts from Parnallee (LL3.6) have been sectioned and searched for Na-, Cl-rich phases by electron probe microanalysis (EPMA). Oxygen isotopic compositions, I-Xe ages and ion probe data were also obtained on some of these chondrules. Sodium-, Cl-rich glass and microcrystalline sodalite (Na₄Al₃Si₃O₁₂Cl), nepheline (NaAlSiO₄), scapolite (Na₄Al₃Si₉O₂₄Cl) have been identified in 7% of the Chainpur and 8% of the Parnallee samples. These phases are present in chondrule mesostases or, in one case, the plagioclase of a barred-olivine chondrule. None of the chondrules contain >5 vol% Na-, Cl-rich phases. In the Chainpur chondrules, they originated through partial devitrification of silica-undersaturated, rare-earth-element-(REE), Na- and Cl-rich mesostases. Two processes have been identified that led to the formation of these mesostases. In two of the chondrules, which consist mainly of low-Ca pyroxene, the extended, metastable crystallization of low-Ca pyroxene created silica-undersaturated, REE-rich residua. Barium- and Cl-enrichments in nepheline and scapolite of one chondrule suggest that there was also an influx of alkalis and Cl during crystallization of the low-Ca pyroxene. Similarly, another one of the Chainpur chondrules, mainly composed of olivine phenocrysts, is markedly enriched in Cl (10 × OC). As there is no evidence of corrosive metasomatism in any of the chondrules, Cl- (and alkali) enrichment is believed to have occurred when they were still partially molten. The chondrules were derived from normal O-isotopic reservoirs, so the postulated influx of Ba, Na and Cl did not occur on an exotic parent body. Trace amounts of nepheline and sodalite, present in two Parnallee chondrules, crystallized from small Na-, Cl-, REE-rich residua following extended crystallization of anorthite. An I-Xe age of 5.0 Ma post-Bjurböle obtained on one of these Parnallee chondrules dates the crystallization of feldspathoid and, thus, formation of the chondrule.     

Chemistry and oxygen isotopic composition of cluster chondrite clasts and their components in LL3 chondrites

Cluster chondrites are characterized by close‐fit textures of deformed and indented chondrules, taken as evidence for hot chondrule accretion (Metzler 2012 ). We investigated seven cluster chondrite clasts from six brecciated LL3 chondrites and measured their bulk oxygen isotopic and chemical composition, including REE, Zr, and Hf. The same parameters were measured in situ on 93 chondrules and 4 interchondrule matrix areas. The CI‐normalized REE patterns of the clasts are flat, showing LL‐chondritic concentrations. The mean chemical compositions of chondrules in clasts and other LL chondrites are indistinguishable and we conclude that cluster chondrite chondrules are representative of the normal LL chondrule population. Type II chondrules are depleted in MgO, Al₂O₃ and refractory lithophiles (REE, Zr, Hf) by factors between 0.65 and 0.79 compared to type I chondrules. The chondrule REE patterns are basically flat with slight LREE < HREE fractionations. Many chondrules exhibit negative Eu anomalies while matrix shows a complementary pattern. Chondrules scatter along a correlation line with a slope of 0.63 in the oxygen 3‐isotope diagram, interpreted as the result of O‐isotope exchange between chondrule melts and ¹⁸O‐rich nebular components. In one clast, a distinct anticorrelation between chondrule size and δ¹⁸O is found, which may indicate a more intense oxygen isotope exchange by smaller chondrules. In some clasts the δ¹⁸O values of type I chondrules are correlated with concentrations of SiO₂ and MnO and anticorrelated with MgO, possibly due to the admixture of a SiO₂‐ and MnO‐rich component to chondrule melts during oxygen isotope exchange. Two chondrules with negative anomalies in Sm, Eu, and Yb were found and may relate their precursors to refractory material known from group III CAIs. Furthermore, three chondrules with strong LREE > HREE and Zr/Hf fractionations were detected, whose formation history remains to be explained.     

Young asteroid mixing revealed in ordinary chondrites: The case of NWA 5764, a polymict LL breccia with L clasts

Polymict chondritic breccias—rocks composed of fragments originating from different chondritic parent bodies—are of particular interest because they give insights into the mixing of asteroids in the main asteroid belt (occurrence, encounter velocity, transfer time). We describe Northwest Africa (NWA) 5764, a brecciated LL6 chondrite that contains a >16 cm³ L4 clast. The L clast was incorporated in the breccia through a nondestructive, low‐velocity impact. Identical cosmic‐ray exposure ages of the L clast and the LL host (36.6 ± 5.8 Myr), suggest a short transfer time of the L meteoroid to the LL parent body of 0.1 ± 8.1 Myr, if that meteoroid was no larger than a few meters. NWA 5764 (together with St. Mesmin, Dimmitt, and Glanerbrug) shows that effective mixing is possible between ordinary chondrite parent bodies. In NWA 5764 this mixing occurred after the peak of thermal metamorphism on the LL parent body, i.e., at least several tens of Myr after the formation of the solar system. The U,Th‐He ages of the L clast and LL host, identical at about 2.9 Ga, might date the final assembly of the breccia, indicating relatively young mixing in the main asteroid belt as previously evidenced in St. Mesmin.     

Noble gas measurements in the L/LL5 chondrite Knyahinya

Abstract— The L/LL5 chondrite Knyahinya had an approximately spherical shape, and as it experienced a single stage exposure history, it represents a very interesting object to study depth profiles of cosmic-ray-produced nuclide concentrations. Such data are required to improve and to validate model calculations of production rates. We report Ne, Ar, Kr and Xe isotopic abundances in five bulk samples. The adopted procedure of noble gas extraction included two pyrolysis steps at 450 °C and 650 °C, respectively, followed by a combustion step in pure O₂ at 650 °C before melting the sample. This procedure allows for the separation of a significant fraction of the trapped Kr and Xe, leading to an enrichment of the cosmic-ray produced component, which is released in the melting step. The isotopic composition of the trapped Xe component measured in the combustion step is found to be identical with the OC-Xe composition (Lavielle and Marti, 1992) and supports the suggestion that ordinary chondrites formed in a homogeneous trapped noble gas reservoir. Cosmic-ray produced Kr and Xe components and depth profiles were measured, including for the first time a ⁸¹Kr profile. The calculated exposure age of 39.5 ± 1.0 Ma, based on the ⁸¹Kr-Kr method, is found to be in excellent agreement with previous determinations. The concentrations of trapped and fissiogenic noble gas components are clearly lower than those generally observed in type 5 ordinary chondrites and may suggest diffusion losses before a meter-sized object was exposed to the cosmic radiation.     

Cosmogenic radionuclides in L5 and LL5 chondrites from Queen Alexandra Range,Antarctica: Identification of a large L/LL5 chondrite shower with a preatmospheric mass of approximately 50,000 kg

Abstract– The collection of approximately 3300 meteorites from the Queen Alexandra Range (QUE) area, Antarctica, is dominated by more than 2000 chondrites classified as either L5 or LL5. Based on concentrations of the cosmogenic radionuclides ¹⁰Be, ²⁶Al, ³⁶Cl, and ⁴¹Ca in the metal and stone fraction of 16 QUE L5 or LL5 chondrites, we conclude that 13 meteorites belong to a single meteorite shower, QUE 90201, with a large preatmospheric size and a terrestrial age of 125 kyr. Members of this shower have properties typical of L (e.g., pyroxene composition) and LL chondrites (e.g., metal abundance and composition), as well as properties intermediate between the L and LL groups (e.g., olivine composition), and is thus best described as an L/LL5 chondrite. Based on comparison with model calculations, the measured radionuclide concentrations in the metal and stone fractions of QUE 90201 indicate irradiation in an object with a preatmospheric radius of approximately 150 cm, representing one of the largest chondrites known so far. Based on the abundance of small L5 and LL5 chondrites at QUE and their distinct mass distribution, we conclude that the QUE 90201 shower includes up to 2000 fragments with a total recovered mass of 60–70 kg, <1% of the preatmospheric mass of approximately 50,000 kg. The mass distribution of the QUE 90201 shower suggests that the meteoroid experienced catastrophic atmospheric fragmentation(s), either because it was a fragile object or it had a high entry velocity.     

NWA 10214—An LL3 chondrite breccia with an assortment of metamorphosed,shocked, and unique chondrite clasts

NWA 10214 is an LL3‐6 breccia containing ~8 vol% clasts including LL5, LL6, and shocked‐darkened LL fragments as well as matrix‐rich Clast 6 (a new kind of chondrite). This clast is a dark‐colored, subrounded, 6.1 × 7.0 mm inclusion, consisting of 60 vol% fine‐grained matrix, 32 vol% coarse silicate grains, and 8 vol% coarse opaque grains. The large chondrules and chondrule fragments are mainly Type IB; one small chondrule is Type IIA. Also present are one 450 × 600 μm spinel‐pyroxene‐olivine CAI and one 85 × 110 μm AOI. Clast 6 possesses a unique set of properties. (1) It resembles carbonaceous chondrites in having relatively abundant matrix, CAIs, and AOIs; the clast's matrix composition is close to that in CV3 Vigarano. (2) It resembles type‐3 OC in its olivine and low‐Ca pyroxene compositional distributions, and in the Fe/Mn ratio of ferroan olivine grains. Its mean chondrule size is within 1σ of that of H chondrites. The O‐isotopic compositions of the chondrules are in the ordinary‐ and R‐chondrite ranges. (3) It resembles type‐3 enstatite chondrites in the minor element concentrations in low‐Ca pyroxene grains and in having a high low‐Ca pyroxene/olivine ratio in chondrules. Clast 6 is a new variety of type‐3 OC, somewhat more reduced than H chondrites or chondritic clasts in the Netschaevo IIE iron; the clast formed in a nebular region where aerodynamic radial drift processes deposited a high abundance of matrix material and CAIs. A chunk of this chondrite was ejected from its parent asteroid and later impacted the LL body at low relative velocity.     

40Ar/39Ar ages of L4, H5, EL6, and feldspathic ureilitic clasts from the Almahata Sitta polymict ureilite (asteroid 2008 TC3)

The Almahata Sitta (AhS) meteorite consists of disaggregated clasts from the impact of the polymict asteroid 2008 TC₃, including ureilitic (70%–80%) and diverse non-ureilitic materials. We determined the ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar release patterns for 16 AhS samples (3–1500 μg) taken from three chondritic clasts, AhS 100 (L4), AhS 25 (H5), and MS-D (EL6), as well as a clast of ureilitic trachyandesite MS-MU-011, also known as ALM-A, which is probably a sample of the crust of the ureilite parent body (UPB). Based on our analyses, best estimates of the ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar ages (Ma) of the chondritic clasts are 4535 ± 10 (L4), 4537–4555 with a younger age preferred (H5), and 4513 ± 17 (EL6). The ages for the L4 and the H5 clasts are older than the most published ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar ages for L4 and H5 meteorites, respectively. The age for the EL6 clast is typical of older EL6 chondrites. These ages indicate times of argon closure ranging up to 50 Ma after the main constituents of the host breccia, that is, the ureilitic components of AhS, reached the >800°C blocking temperatures of pyroxene and olivine thermometers. We suggest that these ages record the times at which the clasts cooled to the Ar closure temperatures on their respective parent bodies. This interpretation is consistent with the recent proposal that the majority of xenolithic materials in polymict ureilites were implanted into regolith 40–60 Ma after calcium–aluminum-rich inclusion and is consistent with the interpretation that 2008 TC₃ was a polymict ureilite. With allowance for its 10-Ma uncertainty, the 4549-Ma ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar age of ALM-A is consistent with closure within a few Ma of the time recorded by its Pb/Pb age either on the UPB or as part of a rapidly cooling fragment. Plots of age versus cumulative ³⁹Ar release for 10 of 15 samples with ≥5 heating steps indicate minor losses of ⁴⁰Ar over the last 4.5 Ga. The other five such samples lost some ⁴⁰Ar at estimated times no earlier than 3800–4500 Ma bp . Clustering of ages in the low-temperature data for these five samples suggests that an impact caused localized heating of the AhS progenitor ~2.7 Ga ago. In agreement with the published work, 10 estimates of cosmic-ray exposure ages based on ³⁸Ar concentrations average 17 ± 5 Ma but may include some early irradiation.     

Experimental Study of the Product Composition of the Chelyabinsk Meteorite (LL5) Outgassing

The Chelyabinsk meteorite sample of type LL5 was subjected to calcination in the specially constructed instrument in the temperature range 200–800°C in increments of 100°C. The composition of the obtained volatile constituents was examined on a chromatograph. Detected were: CO₂, H₂O, and N₂ in concentrations of 5–40 μg/g of the sample; H₂, CO, CH₄, and H₂S in concentrations of 0.1–2.0 μg/g. By observing changes in the selected component concentrations over time (up to 90 minutes), it was concluded that chemical reactions in the system between volatile components occur directly during outgassing.

     

Flattened chondrules in the LAP 04581 LL5 chondrite: Evidence for an oblique impact into LL3 material and subsequent collisional heating

Abstract– LaPaz Icefield (LAP) 04581 is a shock‐stage S2 LL5 chondrite that initially consisted of unrecrystallized LL3 material with a moderately abundant fine‐grained porous matrix (on the order of 15 vol%). A rare oblique impact created shearing stresses that produced a petrofabric in the rock, induced frictional melting of troilite (thereby forming a large troilite vein), and caused chondrule flattening. The latter process was facilitated by impact‐induced collapse of matrix pores. Chondrule flattening could not have occurred if the rock had been impacted after it had been metamorphosed to type 5 levels because the fine‐grained matrix would have previously recrystallized and developed low porosity. Ar‐Ar dating of LAP 04581 yields an age of 4175 Ma. This date is long after ²⁶Al had decayed away and most likely reflects the timing of a second impact event that shocked the rock to S4–S5 levels. The troilite vein became polycrystalline at this time and the whole rock was annealed to petrologic type 5, perhaps by being buried beneath hot ejecta of low thermal diffusivity. After annealing, the rock was weakly shocked to S2 levels. LAP 04581 serves as an example of impact‐induced heating being a viable mechanism for chondrite metamorphism.     

Mineralogy,chemistry, and noble gas contents of Adzhi-Bogdo– an LL3–6 chondritic breccia with L-chondritic and granitoidal clasts

Abstract— Adzhi-Bogdo is an ordinary chondrite regolith breccia (LL3–6) which fell on 1949 October 30 in Gobi Altay, Mongolia. The rock consists of submm- to cm-sized fragments embedded in a fine-grained clastic matrix. The polymict breccia contains various types of clasts, some of which must be of foreign origin. Components of the breccia include chondrules, melt rock clasts (some of which are K-rich), highly recrystallized rock fragments (“granulites”), breccia clasts, pyroxene-rich fragments with achondritic textures, and alkali-granitoids. The composition of olivine in most fragments is in the range of LL-chondrites. However, olivine in some components has significantly lower fayalite contents, characteristic of L-chondrites. The bulk meteorite is very weakly shocked (S2). Based on the bulk chemical composition, Adzhi-Bogdo is an ordinary chondrite. The concentrations of Fe and Ni are somewhat intermediate between L- and LL-chondrites. The contents of solar gases indicate that Adzhi-Bogdo is a regolith breccia. Most of the solar He and probably a part of the solar Ne of Adzhi-Bogdo has been lost. It is suggested that Adzhi-Bogdo experienced an (impact-induced) thermal event early in its history, because most of the radiogenic ⁴⁰Ar is retained.     

The Chervettaz (L5) meteorite

Abstract The Chervettaz meteorite was an observed fall on 1901 November 30. Our study confirms the previous classification as an L5 chondrite. Weak deformations indicate stage S3 of shock deformations.     

On the occurrence and origin of anthropogenic radionuclides found in a fragment of the Chelyabinsk (LL5) meteorite

A piece of the 2013 Chelyabinsk meteorite was investigated for its content of anthropogenic radionuclides. In addition to traces of cesium‐137 that had been previously reported for this particular fragment, we found an unusually high amount of strontium‐90, which indicates that the source of this contamination was the Kyshtym accident (1957). A high Sr‐90/Cs‐137 activity ratio is characteristic for Kyshtym‐derived contaminations. Based on the cesium‐137 content in the soil from the finding site, it is estimated that the fragment was contaminated with soil particles in the milligram range upon impact. Investigation of the soil revealed very unusual ferromagnetic characteristics and an iron‐rich chemical composition. Mössbauer spectroscopy indicated the presence of steel components in this soil, suggesting that the investigated meteorite fragment was found in an industrial dumping site rather than natural soil.     

Magnetic properties of the LL5 ordinary chondrite Chelyabinsk (fall of February 15, 2013)

Here we characterize the magnetic properties of the Chelyabinsk chondrite (LL5, S4, W0) and constrain the composition, concentration, grain size distribution, and mineral fabric of the meteorite's magnetic mineral assemblage. Data were collected from 10 to 1073 K and include measurements of low‐field magnetic susceptibility (χ₀), the anisotropy of χ₀, hysteresis loops, first‐order reversal curves, Mössbauer spectroscopy, and X‐ray microtomography. The REM and REM′ paleointensity protocols suggest that the only magnetizations recorded by the chondrite are components of the Earth's magnetic field acquired during entry into our planet's atmosphere. The Chelyabinsk chondrite consists of light and dark lithologies. Fragments of the light lithology show logχ₀ = 4.57 ± 0.09 (s.d.) (n = 135), while the dark lithology shows 4.65 ± 0.09 (n = 39) (where χ₀ is in 10^?9 m³ kg^?1). Thus, Chelyabinsk is three times more magnetic than the average LL5 fall, but is similar to a subgroup of metal‐rich LL5 chondrites (Paragould, Aldsworth, Bawku, Richmond) and L/LL5 chondrites (Glanerbrug, Knyahinya). The meteorite's room‐temperature magnetization is dominated by multidomain FeNi alloys taenite and kamacite (no tetrataenite is present). However, below approximately 75 K remanence is dominated by chromite. The metal contents of the light and dark lithologies are 3.7 and 4.1 wt%, respectively, and are based on values of saturation magnetization.     

CHEMICAL VARIATIONS AMONG L-GROUP CHONDRITES,II. CHEMICAL DISTINCTIONS BETWEEN L3 AND LL3 CHONDRITES

New chemical analyses of the Krymka and Manych chondrites and a review of data for other low-iron type 3 chondrites show that the ratio of metallic to total iron varies widely in LL3 chondrites and is an imperfect basis for distinguishing between these meteorites and L3 chondrites. More reliable chemical criteria — total Fe/Mg and Ni/Mg ratios, and Fe-S relationships — indicate that Krymka, Manych, Carraweena and Bishunpur are LL3 chondrites rather than samples of an iron-poor subgroup of the L-group.     

The Julesburg (L3) meteorite

Abstract— The Julesburg chondrite, a single stone weighing 57.9 kg, was found in 1983 in Sedgewick County, Colorado, USA. It contains abundant chondrules and chondrule fragments but little fine-grained matrix. The olivine composition ranges from Fa₁ to Fa₂₅ but a frequency plot of olivine compositions is strongly peaked at Fa₂₃. The low-Ca pyroxenes range from Fs₃ to Fs₂₈ and show no dominant composition. The abundance of clearly defined chondrules, the heterogeneity of the silicates and the presence of glass within chondrules indicate a type 3 chondrite, refined by thermoluminescence data to 3.6. The total iron content of 20.46% is indicative of an L-group stone. The low noble gas retention ages indicate that this meteorite was outgassed late in its history. This is supported by petrographic evidence of brecciation and shock. Aluminum-rich spinels within chondrules and inclusions contain up to 2.6% ZnO which suggests that they formed in a volatile-rich environment.     

Park Forest (L5) and the asteroidal source of shocked L chondrites

The Park Forest (L5) meteorite fell in a suburb of Chicago, Illinois (USA) on March 26, 2003. It is one of the currently 25 meteorites for which photographic documentation of the fireball enabled the reconstruction of the meteoroid orbit. The combination of orbits with pre‐atmospheric sizes, cosmic‐ray exposure (CRE), and radiogenic gas retention ages (“cosmic histories”) is significant because they can be used to constrain the meteoroid's “birth region,” and test models of meteoroid delivery. Using He, Ne, Ar, ¹⁰Be, and ²⁶Al, as well as a dynamical model, we show that the Park Forest meteoroid had a pre‐atmospheric size close to 180 g cm^?2, 0–40% porosity, and a pre‐atmospheric mass range of ~2–6 tons. It has a CRE age of 14 ± 2 Ma, and (U, Th)‐He and K‐Ar ages of 430 ± 90 and 490 ± 70 Ma, respectively. Of the meteorites with photographic orbits, Park Forest is the second (after Novato) that was shocked during the L chondrite parent body (LCPB) break‐up event approximately 470 Ma ago. The suggested association of this event with the formation of the Gefion family of asteroids has recently been challenged and we suggest the Ino family as a potential alternative source for the shocked L chondrites. The location of the LCPB break‐up event close to the 5:2 resonance also allows us to put some constraints on the possible orbital migration paths of the Park Forest meteoroid.     

Orbit and origin of the LL7 chondrite Dishchii'bikoh (Arizona)

The trajectory and orbit of the LL7 ordinary chondrite Dishchii'bikoh are derived from low‐light video observations of a fireball first detected at 10:56:26 UTC on June 2, 2016. Results show a relatively steep ~21° inclined orbit and a short 1.13 AU semimajor axis. Following entry in Earth's atmosphere, the meteor luminosity oscillated corresponding to a meteoroid spin rate of 2.28 ± 0.02 rotations per second. A large fragment broke off at 44 km altitude. Further down, mass was lost to dust during flares at altitudes of 34, 29, and 25 km. Surviving meteorites were detected by Doppler weather radar and several small 0.9–29 g meteorites were recovered under the radar reflection footprint. Based on cosmogenic radionuclides and ground‐based radiometric observations, the Dishchii'bikoh meteoroid was 80 ± 20 cm in diameter assuming the density was 3.5 g/cm³. The meteoroid's collisional history confirms that the unusual petrologic class of LL7 does not require a different parent body than three previously observed LL chondrite falls. Dishchii'bikoh was ejected 11 Ma ago from parent body material that has a 4471 ± 6 Ma U‐Pb age, the same as that of Chelyabinsk (4452 ± 21 Ma). The distribution of the four known pre‐impact LL chondrite orbits is best matched by dynamical modeling if the source of LL chondrites is in the inner asteroid belt in a low inclined orbit, with the highly inclined Dishchii'bikoh being the result of interactions with Earth before impacting.     

Deformation and thermal histories of chondrules in the Chainpur (LL3.4) chondrite

Abstract— Transmission-electron-microscopy (TEM) and optical data suggest that chondrules in the Chainpur (LL3.4) chondrite experienced varied thermal and deformation histories prior to the final agglomeration of the meteorite. Chainpur may be regarded as an agglomerate or breccia that experienced little deformation or heating during and after the final accumulation and compaction of its constituents. One chondrule in Chainpur was impact-shocked to high pressures (～ 20–50 GPa), almost certainly prior to final agglomeration, either while it was an independent entity in space or while it was in the regolith of a parent body. However, most (>85%) of the chondrules in Chainpur were evidently not significantly shock-metamorphosed subsequent to their formation. The dearth of shock effects implies that most chondrules in Chainpur did not form by shock melting, although some chondrules may have formed by this process. Dusty-metal-bearing olivine grains, which are widely interpreted to have escaped melting during chondrule formation, contain moderate densities of dislocations (～ 10⁸ cm^?2). The dislocations in these grains were introduced before or during the last episode of melting in at least one chondrule. This observation can be explained if olivine was impact-deformed before or during chondrule formation, or if olivine was strained by reduction or thermally-induced processes during chondrule formation. Low-Ca pyroxene grains in chondrules are often strained. In most cases this strain probably arose as a by-product of polytype transformations (protoenstatite → clinoenstatite/orthoenstatite and clinoenstatite → orthoenstatite) that occurred during the igneous crystallization and static annealing of chondrules. Droplet chondrules with glassy mesostases were minimally annealed, consistent with an origin as relatively rapidly cooled objects in an unconfined, cold environment. Some irregular chondrules and at least one droplet chondrule were thermally metamorphosed prior to final agglomeration, either as a result of moderately slow cooling (～ 100 °C/hr) from melt temperatures (during autometamorphism) or as a result of reheating episodes. Two of the most annealed chondrules contain relatively abundant plagioclase feldspar, and one of these has a uniform olivine composition appropriate to that of an LL4 chondrite.     

THE BLOOMINGTON (LL6) CHONDRITE AND ITS SHOCK MELT GLASSES

The Bloomington meteorite, a 67.8 gram veined, brecciated chondrite, fell during the summer of 1938 in Bloomington, Illinois. Its olivine, orthopyroxene and metal compositions (fo₆₉, en₇₄ and Fe₅₂ Ni₄₈ respectively) and its texture identify it as a brecciated LL6 chondrite of shock facies d. Shock melt glasses occur in Bloomington as sparse melt pockets and veins in clasts and as isolated masses in the black, clast-rich matrix. The vein glasses chemically resemble bulk LL-group chondrites and thus appear to reflect total melting of the host meteorite. The melt pocket and matrix glasses, like those described previously in L-group chondrites, have more varied compositions and are typically enriched in normative plagioclase. All glasses that we analyzed in Bloomington have FeO/MgO and Na/Al ratios similar to those of LL-group chondrites, indicating that melting of this meteorite involved neither a significant change in the oxidation state of iron nor loss of sodium to a vapor phase. Bloomington is a monomict breccia whose components formed in place as a result of a single episode of shock and attendant melting.     

Self-Interacting Dark Matter in the SU(3)C⊗ SU(3)L ⊗ U(1)N models

We present the gauge models based on SU(3)_C⊗ SU(3)_L ⊗ U(1)_N (3-3-1) group which contain particles satisfying conditions for dark matter. There are two such models: one with exotic positive charged lepton and a variant with right-handed neutrinos. The scalar self-interacting dark matters are stable without imposing of new symmetry and should be weak-interacting. PACS Nos: 95.35.+d, 12.60.Fr, 14.80.Cp