Using vanadium in spinel as a sensor of oxygen fugacity in meteorites: Applications to Mars, Vesta, and other asteroids.
- Jacobs Engineering
Some meteorites do not contain mineral assemblages required to apply traditional oxy-barometers. Here we introduce a technique using vanadium X-ray absorption features in spinels to characterize the oxygen fugacity of meteoritic dunites, pyroxenites, and chondrites. Igneous and metamorphic rocks commonly contain a mineral assemblage that allows oxygen fugacity to be calculated or constrained such as FeTi oxides, olivine-opx-spinel, or some other oxybarometer. Some rocks, however, contain a limited mineral assemblage and do not provide constraints on fO{sub 2} using mineral equilibria. Good examples of the latter are orthopyroxenites or dunites, such as diogenites, ALH 84001, chassignites, or brachinites. In fact it is no surprise that the fO{sub 2} of many of these samples is not well known, other than being 'reduced' and below the metal saturation value. In order to bridge this gap in our understanding, we have initiated a study of V in chromites in natural meteorite samples. Because the V pre-edge peak intensity and energy in chromites varies with fO{sub 2}, and this has been calibrated over a large fO{sub 2} range, we can apply this relation to rocks for which we otherwise have no fO{sub 2} constraints.
- Research Organization:
- Advanced Photon Source (APS), Argonne National Laboratory (ANL), Argonne, IL (US)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE
- OSTI ID:
- 1009060
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- ENGLISH
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