Lunar and Planetary Science XXXI 1196.pdf

RELICT ZIRCON INCLUSIONS IN MUONG NONG-TYPE AUSTRALASAIN : IMPLICATIONS REGARDING THE LOCATION OF THE SOURCE CRATER. B. P. , Geology Department, University of Delaware, Newark, DE 19716, USA ([email protected])

Introduction: Over the last thirty years we Australasian samples from which we have have recovered crystalline inclusions from ap- identified inclusions; however, not all of the recov- proximately forty Muong Nong-type tektites from ered inclusions have been identified by XRD. the Australasian tektite in order to Based on appearance, the percent of inclusion- learn more about the nature of the parent material bearing specimens containing zircon is probably and the formation process [e.g., 1, 2]. More re- 100% or very close to it. Nearly all the zircons cently we have used geographic variations in con- are opaque white and their X-ray patterns show centration (number/gm) of crystalline inclusions to extreme X-ray asterism. However, of the 28 zir- indicate the possible location of the source crater cons identified by X-ray diffraction, only two [3]. The purpose of this abstract is to summarize (both from the same specimen whose place of ori- all the presently available data regarding relict gin is unknown) produced X-ray diffraction pat- zircon inclusions recovered from Australasian terns indicating that baddeleyite may be present. Muong Nong-type tektites and to discuss implica- The X-ray patterns from these two grains con- tions regarding the possible location of the source tained the two strongest lines for baddeleyite and crater which has still not been found. one of them contained a few additional lines that Method: The tektite samples were thoroughly closely match those for baddeleyite. Scanning cleaned, crushed, and sieved. The sieved glass electron microscope images of the polished sec- fragments (generally the 74-149 µm size fraction) tions of twelve of the zircons generally show some were then subjected to heavy liquid separation in evidence of disaggregation; and most have granu- order to recover the grains containing the crystal- lar textures similar to the textures observed in zir- line inclusions. The inclusions were then counted cons which have completely broken down to bad- and representative ones were identified with X-ray deleyite plus SiO2 glass. An attempt to recover diffraction (XRD) using Debye-Scherrer or Gan- zircons (from a specimen known to contain zir- dolfi cameras [2]. Some of the crystalline inclu- cons) by dissolving the glass using dilute hydro- sions were also studied with a petrographic micro- fluoric acid failed. A grain containing a zircon scope and scanning electron microscope (SEM) was placed in a plastic cavity slide with a drop of with an attached energy dispersive X-ray analyzer. dilute hydrofluoric acid and observed with a mi- Results: Approximately 60% of Muong Nong- croscope. When the glass was dissolved, the zir- type Australasian tektites were found to contain con collapsed into powder, suggesting that the zir- crystalline inclusions. Silica-rich Muong Nong- con grains are composed of crystallites in a glassy type tektites (i.e., those with refractive indices matrix (i.e., they have polycrystalline textures) [5]. <1.503) are more likely to contain crystalline in- Discussion: Crystalline inclusions have been clusions [2]. The crystalline phases found so far recovered also from a Muong Nong-type mol- are corundum, zircon, rutile, chromite, monazite, davite from Jakule in the [6] and , , and perhaps baddeleyite. Zircon, from a Muong Nong-type Georgia tektite [7]. In rutile, chromite, monazite, and quartz appear to be both cases the only crystalline phases present were relict phases and all show evidence of shock zircon or its decomposition product baddeleyite. . The corundum appears to be a The inclusions have the same appearance and decomposition product of an Al2SiO5 phase and structure as the zircons recovered from the Muong coesite is a high-pressure phase formed by shock Nong-type Australasian tektites; however, in these metamorphism of quartz [2,4]. specimens many or most of the zircons have bro- Relict zircon inclusions have been identi- ken down to baddeleyite plus SiO2 glass. Why fied in 28 out of the 33 (~85%) Muong Nong-type didn’t the zircons in the Muong Nong-type Aus- tralasian tektites also break down to baddeleyite Lunar and Planetary Science XXXI 1196.pdf

ZIRCON INCLUSIONS: B. P. Glass

plus silica glass? The most obvious answer would of these tektites that resulted in slower cooling appear to be that the Muong Nong-type Australa- which may have allowed the zircons to re- sian tektites were not as severely shock metamor- crystallize. If this is the case, then some of the phosed and thus were not heated to as high a tem- Muong Nong-type Australasian tektites may be perature as the Muong Nong-type and farther than 300 km from the source crater without Georgia tektite. This is supported by the fact that the zircon inclusions showing evidence of break- zircon and baddeleyite were the only phases found down to baddeleyite. Severe heating of the zircons in the moldavite and Georgia specimens. Since the is indicated by U-Pb isotopic data (obtained during average degree of is in- an attempt to date eight zircons from Muong versely related to distance from the source crater, Nong-type Australasian tektites) that show that the we can assume that the Muong Nong-type Aus- zircons experienced extreme lead loss and ex- tralasian tektites were found closer to their source change of lead with the adjacent molten glass [12]. crater than were the Muong Nong-type moldavite Conclusion: The apparent widespread distri- and Georgia tektite specimens. The Muong Nong- bution of Muong Nong-type Australasian tektites type moldavite was found about 300 km from the containing zircons that do not exhibit evidence of Ries crater (believed to be the source crater for the breakdown to baddeleyite plus silica is difficult to ) and the Georgia tektite was found explain. However, the southern limit of this distri- about 750 km from the Chesapeake Bay structure bution is based on a single X-ray diffraction pat- (believed to be the source crater for the North tern. If additional studies show that there are American tektites). The fact that the zircons in the Muong Nong-type Australasian tektites containing Muong Nong-type Australasian tektites did not zircons which have broken down to baddeleyite break down to baddeleyite plus silica suggests that plus silica, then their geographic distribution the Muong Nong-type Australasian specimens should help define the location of the source crater. were all found within 300 km of the Australasian References: [1] Glass B. P. (1970) Science, tektite source crater. But, there is no possible 169, 766. [2] Glass B. P. and Barlow R. A. crater location that is within 300 km of all the zir- (1979) , 14, 55. [3] Dass J. D. and con-bearing Muong Nong-type tektite sites if we Glass B. P. (1999) LPS XXX, 1081. [4] Walter L. include the southernmost site (near Saigon in S. (1965) Science, 147, 1029. [6] Glass B. P. et southern Vietnam) where only one zircon has been al. (1990) Proc. LPSC XX, 415. [7] Glass B. P. et identified by X-ray diffraction. Additional zircon al. (1995) Geochim. Cosmochim. Acta, 59, 4071. inclusions from the southernmost sites need to be [8] Schnetzler C. C. (1992) Meteoritics, 27, 154. X-rayed in order to determine if most zircons in [9] Barnes V. E. (1989) Tex. J. Sci., 41, 5. [10] this part of the strewn field show evidence of Buropas S. et al. (1999) J. Geol. Soc. Thailand, breakdown to baddeleyite. If they do, then the zir- May 1999, No. 1, p.1. [11] Koeberl C. (1992) con data would support a source crater location in Geochim. Cosmochim. Acta, 56, 1033. [12] De- southern Laos or adjacent Thailand or Vietnam as loule E. et al. (2000) Geochim. Cosmochim. Acta previously proposed [e.g., 3, 8]. If zircons recov- (submitted). ered from Muong Nong-type tektites from south- ern Vietnam don’t show evidence of breakdown to baddeleyite, then the zircon data would be more consistent with cometary impact that melted surfi- cial deposits over a large area as proposed by Barnes and others [e.g., 9, 10]. However, such a hypothesis does not appear to be able to explain the rather small range in major, trace, and isotopic compositions of the Australasian tektites [11]. Alternatively, the observed lack of baddeleyite as- sociated with the zircons in the Muong Nong-type Australasian tektites may be due to the larger sizes