Alteration of crystalline zircon solid solutions: a case study on zircon from an alkaline pegmatite from Zomba–Malosa, Malawi

A natural, altered zircon crystal from an alkaline pegmatite from the Zomba–Malosa Complex of the Chilwa Alkaline Province in Malawi has been studied by a wide range of analytical techniques to understand the alteration process. The investigated zircon shows two texturally and chemically different domains. Whereas the central parts of the grain (zircon I) appear homogeneous in backscattered electron images and are characterised by high concentrations of trace elements, particularly Th, U, and Y, the outer regions (zircon II) contain significantly less trace elements, numerous pores, and inclusions of thorite, ytttrialite, and fergusonite. Zircon II contains very low or undetectable concentrations of non-formula elements such as Ca, Al, and Fe, which are commonly observed in high concentrations in altered radiation-damaged zircon. U–Pb dating of both zircon domains by LA-ICPMS and SHRIMP yielded statistically indistinguishable U–Pb weighted average ages of 119.3 ± 2.1 (2σ) and 118 ± 1.2 (2σ) Ma, respectively, demonstrating that the zircon had not accumulated a significant amount of self-irradiation damage at the time of the alteration event. Electron microprobe dating of thorite inclusions in zircon II yielded a Th–U-total Pb model age of 122 ± 5 (2σ) Ma, supporting the age relationship between both zircon domains. The hydrothermal solution responsible for the alteration of the investigated zircon was alkaline and rich in CO₃ ²⁻, as suggested by the occurrence of REE carbonates and CO₂-bearing fluid inclusions. The alteration of the crystalline, trace element-rich zircon is explained by an interface-coupled dissolution-reprecipitation mechanism. During such a process, the congruent dissolution of the trace element-rich parent zircon I was spatially and temporally coupled to the precipitation of the trace element-poor zircon II at an inward moving dissolution-precipitation front. The driving force for such a process was merely the difference between the solubility of the trace element-rich and -poor zircon in the hydrothermal solution. The replacement process and the occurrence of mineral inclusions and porosity in the product zircon II is explained by the thermodynamics of solid solution-aqueous solution systems.     

The abundance and isotopic composition of Cd in iron meteorites

Cadmium is a highly volatile element and its abundance in meteorites may help better understand volatility‐controlled processes in the solar nebula and on meteorite parent bodies. The large thermal neutron capture cross section of ¹¹³Cd suggests that Cd isotopes might be well suited to quantify neutron fluences in extraterrestrial materials. The aims of this study were (1) to evaluate the range and magnitude of Cd concentrations in magmatic iron meteorites, and (2) to assess the potential of Cd isotopes as a neutron dosimeter for iron meteorites. Our new Cd concentration data determined by isotope dilution demonstrate that Cd concentrations in iron meteorites are significantly lower than in some previous studies. In contrast to large systematic variations in the concentration of moderately volatile elements like Ga and Ge, there is neither systematic variation in Cd concentration amongst troilites, nor amongst metal phases of different iron meteorite groups. Instead, Cd is strongly depleted in all iron meteorite groups, implying that the parent bodies accreted well above the condensation temperature of Cd (i.e., ≈650 K) and thus incorporated only minimal amounts of highly volatile elements. No Cd isotope anomalies were found, whereas Pt and W isotope anomalies for the same iron meteorite samples indicate a significant fluence of epithermal and higher energetic neutrons. This observation demonstrates that owing to the high Fe concentrations in iron meteorites, neutron capture mainly occurs at epithermal and higher energies. The combined Cd‐Pt‐W isotope results from this study thus demonstrate that the relative magnitude of neutron capture‐induced isotope anomalies is strongly affected by the chemical composition of the irradiated material. The resulting low fluence of thermal neutrons in iron meteorites and their very low Cd concentrations make Cd isotopes unsuitable as a neutron dosimeter for iron meteorites.     

Thermal history of Northwest Africa 5073––A coarse‐grained Stannern‐trend eucrite containing cm‐sized pyroxenes and large zircon grains

Abstract– We report on the bulk chemical composition, petrology, oxygen isotopic composition, trace element composition of silicates, and degree of self‐irradiation damage on zircon grains of the eucrite Northwest Africa (NWA) 5073 to constrain its formation and postcrystallization thermal history, and to discuss their implications for the geologic history of its parent body. This unequilibrated and unbrecciated meteorite is a new member of the rare Stannern‐trend eucrites. It is mainly composed of elongated, zoned pyroxene phenocrysts up to 1.2 cm, plagioclase laths up to 0.3 cm in length, and is rich in mesostasis. The latter contains zircon grains up to 30 μm in diameter, metal, sulfide, tridymite, and Ca‐phosphates. Textural observations and silicate compositions, coupled with the occurrence of extraordinary Fe‐rich olivine veins that are restricted to large pyroxene laths, indicate that NWA 5073 underwent a complex thermal history. This is also supported by the annealed state of zircon grains inferred from μ‐Raman spectroscopic measurements along with U and Th data obtained by electron probe microanalyses.     

The flattening and the orbital structure of early-type galaxies and collisionless N-body binary disc mergers

We use oblate axisymmetric dynamical models including dark haloes to determine the orbital structure of intermediate mass to massive early-type galaxies in the Coma galaxy cluster. We find a large variety of orbital compositions. Averaged over all sample galaxies the unordered stellar kinetic energy in the azimuthal and the radial direction are of the same order, but they can differ by up to 40 per cent in individual systems. In contrast, both for rotating and non-rotating galaxies the vertical kinetic energy is on average smaller than in the other two directions. This implies that even most of the rotating ellipticals are flattened by an anisotropy in the stellar velocity dispersions. Using three-integral axisymmetric toy models, we show that flattening by stellar anisotropy maximizes the entropy for a given density distribution. Collisionless disc merger remnants are radially anisotropic. The apparent lack of strong radial anisotropy in observed early-type galaxies implies that they may not have formed from mergers of discs unless the influence of dissipational processes was significant.     

Voigt profile fitting to quasar absorption lines: an analytic approximation to the Voigt–Hjerting function

The Voigt–Hjerting function is fundamental in order to correctly model the profiles of absorption lines imprinted on the spectra of bright background sources by intervening absorbing systems. In this work, we present a simple analytic approximation to this function in the context of absorption-line profiles of intergalactic H  i absorbers. Using basic calculus tools, we derive an analytic expression for the Voigt–Hjerting function that contains only fourth-order polynomial and Gaussian functions. In connection with the absorption coefficient of intergalactic neutral hydrogen, this approximation is suitable for modelling Voigt profiles with an accuracy of 10⁻⁴ or better for an arbitrary wavelength baseline, for column densities up to   N _H I= 10 ²² cm⁻²  , and for damping parameters   a ≲ 10⁻⁴  , that is, the entire range of parameters characteristic to all Lyman transitions arising in a variety of H  i absorbing systems such as Lyman α (Lyα) forest clouds, Lyman limit systems and damped Lyα systems. We hence present an approximation to the Voigt–Hjerting function that is both accurate and flexible to implement in various types of programming languages and machines, and with which Voigt profiles can be calculated in a reliable and very simple manner.     

Length scales, patterns and origin of azimuthal seismic anisotropy in the upper mantle as mapped by Rayleigh waves

We measure the degree of consistency between published models of azimuthal seismic anisotropy from surface waves, focusing on Rayleigh wave phase-velocity models. Some models agree up to wavelengths of ∼2000 km, albeit at small values of linear correlation coefficients. Others are, however, not well correlated at all, also with regard to isotropic structure. This points to differences in the underlying data sets and inversion strategies, particularly the relative 'damping' of mapped isotropic versus anisotropic anomalies. Yet, there is more agreement between published models than commonly held, encouraging further analysis. Employing a generalized spherical harmonic representation, we analyse power spectra of orientational (2Ψ) anisotropic heterogeneity from seismology. We find that the anisotropic component of some models is characterized by stronger short-wavelength power than the associated isotropic structure. This spectral signal is consistent with predictions from new geodynamic models, based on olivine texturing in mantle flow. The flow models are also successful in predicting some of the seismologically mapped patterns. We substantiate earlier findings that flow computations significantly outperform models of fast azimuths based on absolute plate velocities. Moreover, further evidence for the importance of active upwellings and downwellings as inferred from seismic tomography is presented. Deterministic estimates of expected anisotropic structure based on mantle flow computations such as ours can help guide future seismologic inversions, particularly in oceanic plate regions. We propose to consider such a priori information when addressing open questions about the averaging properties and resolution of surface and body wave based estimates of anisotropy.