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Open Research Online The Open University’s repository of research publications and other research outputs An Isotopic Investigation Of Early Planetesimal Differentiation Processes Thesis How to cite: Windmill, Richard Joseph (2021). An Isotopic Investigation Of Early Planetesimal Differentiation Processes. PhD thesis The Open University. For guidance on citations see FAQs. c 2020 Richard Joseph Windmill https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/ Version: Version of Record Link(s) to article on publisher’s website: http://dx.doi.org/doi:10.21954/ou.ro.00012472 Copyright and Moral Rights for the articles on this site are retained by the individual authors and/or other copyright owners. For more information on Open Research Online’s data policy on reuse of materials please consult the policies page. oro.open.ac.uk AN ISOTOPIC INVESTIGATION OF EARLY PLANETESIMAL DIFFERENTIATION PROCESSES Richard J. Windmill Supervisors: Dr. I. A. Franchi Professor M. Anand Dr. R. C. Greenwood Submitted to the School of Physical Sciences at The Open University in accordance with the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy June 2020 School of Physical Sciences Robert Hooke Building The Open University Walton Hall Milton Keynes MK7 6AA United Kingdom Abstract The differentiation and early evolution of planetesimals is relatively poorly understood. The Main- Group pallasites (PMGs) and IIIAB irons are differentiated meteorite groups from deep planetesimal interiors. They provide a window into the early evolution of rocky planets because of the abundance of samples from these groups and because a common planetary provenance has been proposed. Oxygen isotope analyses are crucial in understanding these relationships. The mineralogy of the PMGs and IIIABs, which seemingly record the magmatic evolution of their parent body, offers a unique opportunity to study early planetary differentiation processes. High-precision oxygen isotope analyses are used in conjunction with petrological characteristics and Cr and W isotope analyses to subdivide these groups and investigate formation processes. Two subgroups are identified in PMGs: PMG-low and PMG-high. The former exhibits an oxygen isotopic disequilibrium between olivine and chromite that is unexplainable through known mass-dependent processes. These minerals therefore either sample multiple isotopic reservoirs mixed during an impact or, less likely, are affected by complex anharmonic or nuclear field shift effects. Further investigation on these effects must be executed to completely discount these latter possibilities. The PMG-high chromite isotope ratios probably record equilibration between these two reservoirs. Chromium and W isotope analyses on PMG samples show no disequilibrium but provide an excellent chronology. High-precision oxygen isotope analyses of IIIABs has identified three previously unknown subgroups with serious implications for the interpretation of the IIIAB suite of samples. These likely originate from different planetesimals and not from complex core evolution. Finally, chromite in PMGs and IIIABs is shown to be resolvable in Δ17O which precludes a common parent planetesimal. The findings of this study suggest that there may have been many more differentiated planetesimals in the early Solar System than previously thought and necessitate care in future studies linking meteorite groups by parent body. iii iv For J.B.W and K.L.S “Space is big. You just won’t believe how vastly, hugely, mind-bogglingly big it is. I mean, you may think it’s a long way down the road to the chemist’s but that’s just peanuts to space” - Douglas Adams, The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy v vi Acknowledgements As I write this, it has been over four years since I attended my PhD interview at The Open University. It is difficult to for me to believe it was that long ago, which I suppose lends support to the old adage time flies when you’re having fun. I have, over the course of this project, had a tremendous amount of fun developing my understanding of key principles of isotope fractionation, developing as a scientist, and generally thinking about space. I am therefore indebted to the Science and Technology Facilities Council and Space SRA for funding this project as well as to the staff at The Open University who afforded me the incredible opportunity to pursue research in planetary science surrounded by such inspiring academics. My supervisory team has been excellent for the duration and has provided me with any support I needed whenever I needed it. I would like to thank Dr. Ian Franchi, my lead supervisor, for the help and insight he has provided over the duration of this project, as well as for the opportunities to attend conferences and workshops that he created. I could not have asked for a better lead supervisor and I hope that this thesis does justice to the support he has provided. My other supervisors, Professor Mahesh Anand and Dr. Richard Greenwood, have likewise been excellent and were always prepared to give up some of their time to listen to my ideas and provide helpful suggestions. To them, I am also immensely grateful. Other staff and former staff at the Open University to whom I owe thanks include: Dr. Guilia Degli-Alessandrini and Dr Diane Johnson, who provided training and support on the SEM when necessary, Dr. Sam Hammond who, together with Giulia, provided training and support on the EPMA when needed, and James Malley, who is in charge of the oxygen isotope lab. Above all, I owe James’ predecessor, Jenny Gibson, my thanks. Jenny trained me on the laser-assisted fluorination setup as she has dozens of PhD students before, and during her days in the lab sat listening to my ramblings several times a week for two years whilst I collected data. I am immensely grateful to her for her patience and I hope she enjoys her well-deserved retirement. I would also like the acknowledge my fellow PhD (and former vii PhD) students: Sam Faircloth, Ross Findlay, Jonny Grice, Hannah Sargeant, Hannah Chinnery, Shannon Stockdale, and Megan Brown, for interesting discussions over the duration of our projects. I am especially grateful to the Natural History Museum (London), the Natural History Museum (Vienna), the Smithsonian Institute, and the Chicago Field Museum for authorising sample applications. Specifically I would like to thank Bob Haag, Dr. Natasha Almeida at the Natural History Museum (London), Dr. Philipp Heck (Chicago Field Museum), James Holstein (Chicago Field Museum), Dr. Tim McCoy (Smithsonian Institute), Dr. Ludovic Ferriere (NHM Vienna), Dr. Deon van Niekerk (Rhodes University, South Africa), Luc Labenne, Bruno Fectay, Carine Bidaut, , and Dr. Jean Alix-Barrat for either the provision of samples or help in acquiring samples without which this study would have been impossible. I am indebted to Europlanet for awarding me grants to collect Cr and W isotope data in Münster. I would like to thank Professor Dr. Thorsten Kleine and his PhD students Jan Hellmann, Jonas Schneider, and Fridolin Spitzer for their help and guidance in data collection. Jan, Jonas, and Fridolin took time from their busy PhD schedules to guide me through the procedures for preparing samples and then analysed the samples on the machine after lab delays meant that I had had to fly back to the U.K. Outside of academe I am grateful to my partner Iris, who has put up with my living 200 miles away in Milton Keynes for three years. Richard Windmill June 2020 viii Table of Contents Abstract .............................................................................................. iii Acknowledgements ........................................................................... vii 1 INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND .................................. 1 1.1 Introduction ............................................................................................ 1 1.1.1 Planetary formation and the early Solar System .............................................. 1 1.1.2 Meteorite Classification ................................................................................... 2 1.2 Differentiated Achondrites .................................................................... 5 1.2.1 IIIAB irons ....................................................................................................... 5 1.2.1.1 Chemical composition and trends ........................................................................... 5 1.2.1.2 Texture in magmatic irons ...................................................................................... 7 1.2.1.3 The evolution of the IIIAB core ............................................................................... 8 1.2.1.4 Chromium in IIIAB irons ...................................................................................... 10 1.2.1.5 Cooling rates in IIIAB irons .................................................................................. 12 1.2.1.6 Oxygen isotopes in iron meteorites ....................................................................... 13 1.2.2 Main-Group Pallasites .................................................................................... 13 1.2.2.1 Background ........................................................................................................... 13 1.2.2.2 Main-Group pallasite metal .................................................................................. 15 1.2.2.3 Main-Group Pallasite cooling rates ..................................................................... 17 1.2.2.4 Olivine in Main-Group Pallasites