天然富勒烯及其在P-T界线地层的研究进展

富勒烯（Fullerene）为除金刚石和石墨外碳元素的第三种同素异形体,自Kroto等1985年发现以来,对富勒烯的研究一直是世界性的热点话题,并在多个方面取得重要进展。它具有稳定的封闭笼状结构,被认为在星际空间广泛存在。富勒烯的形成条件特殊,普通的地球环境和地质过程不利于富勒烯的生成。1992年天然富勒烯在俄罗斯前寒武纪地层桑加岩（Shungite）中被发现,引起了人们对天然富勒烯研究的兴趣。随着富勒烯在陨石和撞击构造中的发现,人们更加关注事件地层中富勒烯存在的可能性以及它们的可能来源。二叠纪—三叠纪（P-T）之交发生了地质历史上规模最大的生物灭绝事件,因此,学者十分关注P-T界线地层中是否能检测到天然富勒烯的的存在。文章回顾了富勒烯在陨石、撞击构造、K-T界线地层和P T界线地层的研究进展,并重点对P-T界线富勒烯的存在问题进行讨论,指出从样品采集到样品测试,每一个环节都可能影响富勒烯的检出。P-T界线地层富勒烯可能源于陨石撞击、天然大火等极端地质事件,而包裹在富勒烯碳笼的稀有气体的同位素组成提供了进一步区分的重要证据。事件地层中普遍存在富勒烯,表明天然富勒烯可以作为地层中发生过重大灾变事件的重要的地球化学指标,而具有异常稀有气体同位素组成的富勒烯则是地外撞击事件的最直接证据。     

Analysis of systematic error in “bead method” measurements of meteorite bulk volume and density

The Archimedean glass bead method for determining meteorite bulk density has become widely applied. We used well characterized, zero-porosity quartz and topaz samples to determine the systematic error in the glass bead method to support bulk density measurements of meteorites for our ongoing meteorite survey. Systematic error varies according to bead size, container size and settling method, but in all cases is less than 3%, and generally less than 2%. While measurements using larger containers (above 150 cm³) exhibit no discernible systematic error but much reduced precision, higher precision measurements with smaller containers do exhibit systematic error. For a 77 cm³ container using 40-80 μm diameter beads, the systematic error is effectively eliminated within measurement uncertainties when a “secured shake” settling method is employed in which the container is held securely to the shake platform during a 5 s period of vigorous shaking. For larger 700-800 μm diameter beads using the same method, bulk volumes are uniformly overestimated by 2%. Other settling methods exhibit sample-volume-dependent biases. For all methods, reliability of measurement is severely reduced for samples below ∼5 cm³ (10-15 g for typical meteorites), providing a lower-limit selection criterion for measurement of meteoritical samples.     

亳县陨石矿物中包裹体的研究

通过对安徽亳县陨石矿物中包裹体的相态、成分和结构构造等研究可大致把它们分为晶质包裹体、熔融包裹体和气相包裹体三类。陨石的形成至少经历了星云凝聚—熔融—固态三个阶段。熔融阶段是陨石形成的一个重要阶段,其最低温度为1050℃～1200℃。各种类型包裹体成分的差异和分布不均匀性反映了原始熔浆成分的不均一性,也就是说“熔滴”在凝聚时化学成分和物理化学条件上的差异而导致陨石矿物中包裹体成分的差异,同时也反映了陨石矿物中包裹体在形成、演化过程中经历了多个阶段的特点。     

亳县陨石物理力学性质的实验研究

本文对亳县陨石的物理力学特性进行了多种实验方法的探讨。在MTS伺服控制材料试验机上测得了陨石的全程应力—应变曲线。同时,通过单轴压缩试验确定了抗压强度、弹性模量和泊松比,并运用频谱振幅比法对应力波衰减特性进行了研究,给出了品质因子。此外,还采用脉冲法给出了弹性波速度;液体浸透法给出了密度和孔隙度。文中还将亳县陨石的测试结果与其它陨石物理力学参数进行了比较分析。最后,还根据亳县陨石与岩石物理力学性质的对比,推演出亳县陨石在其母体所处的环境类似于地球上地幔的顶部。     

What can We Learn about Atmospheric Meteor Ablation and Light Production from Laser Ablation?

Laboratory based laser ablation techniques can be used to study the size of the luminous region, predict spectral features, estimate the luminous efficiency factor, and assess the role of chemically differentiated thermal ablation. A pulsed Nd:YAG laser was used to ablate regions from ordinary and carbonaceous chondrite meteorites. CCD cameras and a digital spectroscope were used to measure the size and spectrum from the cloud of vaporised material. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) based energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy (EDS) provided elemental abundance values in ablated and unablated regions. These results indicated some degree of differential ablation, with the most significant effect being significant loss of carbon from carbonaceous chondrites. This work suggests that a carbon matrix may play the role of the glue in the two component dustball model.     

Petrography and classification of NWA 7402: A new sulfide-rich unequilibrated ordinary chondrite

We classify a new chondritic find Northwest Africa (NWA) 7402. This meteorite is highly unequilibrated, and is therefore potentially significant for the study of primitive Solar System materials. Mineralogy, mineral chemistry, and modal abundances of minerals indicate that NWA 7402 is most likely an L chondrite. However, the specimen contains a higher abundance of sulfide than commonly seen in ordinary chondrites. The structural order of organic matter in the matrix and the chromium content of Fe-rich olivine grains indicate a petrologic type of 3.1. NWA 7402 largely escaped thermal metamorphism, and secondary phases formed by aqueous alteration are rare to absent. Minor planar fractures and undulatory extinction of olivine grains suggest that NWA 7402 experienced shock up to stage 2 or 3. Terrestrial weathering is heterogeneous in the specimen; much of the stone's exterior shows substantial Fe oxidation (weathering grade 2), while some parts of the interior remain relatively fresh (weathering grade 1). NWA 7402 has some unusual features that should be investigated further. The sulfide abundance is higher than reported sulfide contents for other L chondrites, and the chromium content of the olivines does not fall on the trend established for unequilibrated ordinary chondrites by Grossman and Brearley (2005).     

天门山震旦系/寒武系界线事件沉积序列的初步观察与对比分析

湖南省早寒武世石煤层的铱异常发现之后,人们纷纷从地球化学方面推测一次陨石撞击事件的可能性。本文进一步分析了天门山晚震旦世—早寒武世的沉积构造特征,与Ｅｌｔａｎｉｎ小行星撞击Ｂｅｌｌｉｎｇｓｈａｕｓｅｎ海形成的各个沉积单元对比,认为天门山上震旦统灯影组—下寒武统牛蹄塘组是一个完整的海洋撞击事件沉积序列。应进一步在武陵山区寻找这次撞击事件的发生地点,确定陨石撞击坑。这对寻找撞击型金刚石矿具有重要意义。     

Impact cratering: The South American record—Part 2

In the first part of this review of the impact record of South America, we have presented an up-to-date introduction to impact processes and to the criteria to identify/confirm an impact structure and related deposits, as well as a comprehensive examination of Brazilian impact structures. The current paper complements the previous one, by reviewing the impact record of other countries of South America and providing current information on a number of proposed impact structures. Here, we also review those structures that have already been discarded as not being formed by meteorite impact. In addition, current information on impact-related deposits is presented, focusing on impact glasses and tektites known from this continent, as well as on the rare K–Pg boundary occurrences revealed to date and on reports of possible large airbursts. We expect that this article will not only provide systematic and up-to-date information on the subject, but also encourage members of the South American geoscientific community to be aware of the importance of impact cratering and make use of the criteria and tools to identify impact structures and impact deposits, thus potentially contributing to expansion and improvement of the South American impact record.     

Noble gases,nitrogen and cosmic ray exposure age of the Sulagiri chondrite

The Sulagiri meteorite fell in India on 12 September 2008,LL6 chondrite class is the largest among all the Indian meteorites.Isotopic compositions of noble gases(He,Ne,Ar,Kr and Xe) and nitrogen in the Sulagiri meteorite and cosmic ray exposure history are discussed.Low cosmogenic(~(22)Ne/~(21)Ne)_c ratio is consistent with irradiation in a large body.Cosmogenic noble gases indicate that Sulagiri has a 4πcosmic-ray exposure(CRE) age of 27.9 ± 3.4 Ma and is a member of the peak of CRE age distribution of IX chondrites.Radiogenic ~4He and ~(40)Ar concentrations in Sulagiri yields the radiogenic ages as 2.29 and4.56 Ca,indicating the loss of He from the meteorite.Xenon and krypton are mixture of Q and spallogenic components.