Research output: Contribution to Journal/Magazine › Journal article › peer-review
Research output: Contribution to Journal/Magazine › Journal article › peer-review
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TY - JOUR
T1 - Formation of vesicles in asteroidal basaltic meteorites
AU - McCoy, T. J.
AU - Ketcham, R. A.
AU - Wilson, Lionel
AU - Benedix, G. K.
AU - Wadhwa, M.
AU - Davis, A. M.
PY - 2006/6/15
Y1 - 2006/6/15
N2 - Rare asteroidal vesicular basalts have previously been thought to form in surficial lava flows with CO as the vesicle-forming gas. However, vesicular lava flows are unlikely on small, airless bodies such as asteroids. To unravel the origin of these rocks, we analyzed vesicle sizes and abundances for two angrites and two eucrites using high-resolution X-ray computed tomography and conducted numerical modeling of bubble formation in a dike of ascending magma. Modeling results indicate that thin (< 30 cm wide) dikes are trapped at 5 km depth where 75 ppm of CO and CO2 contribute equally to vesicle formation. Vesicular eucrites were metamorphosed in this deep-seated environment, the gas was lost, and they were excavated by impacts.
AB - Rare asteroidal vesicular basalts have previously been thought to form in surficial lava flows with CO as the vesicle-forming gas. However, vesicular lava flows are unlikely on small, airless bodies such as asteroids. To unravel the origin of these rocks, we analyzed vesicle sizes and abundances for two angrites and two eucrites using high-resolution X-ray computed tomography and conducted numerical modeling of bubble formation in a dike of ascending magma. Modeling results indicate that thin (< 30 cm wide) dikes are trapped at 5 km depth where 75 ppm of CO and CO2 contribute equally to vesicle formation. Vesicular eucrites were metamorphosed in this deep-seated environment, the gas was lost, and they were excavated by impacts.
KW - basalts
KW - vesicles
KW - asteroids
KW - meteorites
KW - volatiles
U2 - 10.1016/j.epsl.2006.04.002
DO - 10.1016/j.epsl.2006.04.002
M3 - Journal article
VL - 246
SP - 102
EP - 108
JO - Earth and Planetary Science Letters
JF - Earth and Planetary Science Letters
SN - 0012-821X
IS - 1-2
ER -