| Abstract: | Mineral inclusions have been recovered from 11 Muong Nong-type indochinites by heavy liquid separation of crushed and sieved (74–149 μm) specimens. The mineral inclusions were identified by x-ray diffraction analysis and energy dispersive x-ray analysis. The phases identified include zircon, Al2SiO5 (corundum plus SiO2), rutile, chromite and quartz. In addition, cristobalite and tridymite were apparently associated with some of the quartz grains. The inclusions were all silt size and size sorted according to specific gravity. All the inclusions showed evidence of various degrees of shock metamorphism (e.g. fracturing, droplet formation, x-ray asterism). The mineral assemblage indicates a sedimentary source material. Thus it appears that the Muong Nong-type indochinites were formed by shock melting of a well-sorted, silt-size, sedimentary material. |
