Determination of Mineral Abundances in Ordinary Chondrites Using Powder X-Ray Diffraction: Applications to Parent Body Processes and Asteroid Spectroscopy
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University of Tennessee, Knoxville TRACE: Tennessee Research and Creative Exchange Doctoral Dissertations Graduate School 5-2008 Determination of Mineral Abundances in Ordinary Chondrites Using Powder X-ray Diffraction: Applications to Parent Body Processes and Asteroid Spectroscopy Tasha L. Dunn University of Tennessee - Knoxville Follow this and additional works at: https://trace.tennessee.edu/utk_graddiss Part of the Geology Commons Recommended Citation Dunn, Tasha L., "Determination of Mineral Abundances in Ordinary Chondrites Using Powder X-ray Diffraction: Applications to Parent Body Processes and Asteroid Spectroscopy. " PhD diss., University of Tennessee, 2008. https://trace.tennessee.edu/utk_graddiss/379 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate School at TRACE: Tennessee Research and Creative Exchange. It has been accepted for inclusion in Doctoral Dissertations by an authorized administrator of TRACE: Tennessee Research and Creative Exchange. For more information, please contact [email protected]. To the Graduate Council: I am submitting herewith a dissertation written by Tasha L. Dunn entitled "Determination of Mineral Abundances in Ordinary Chondrites Using Powder X-ray Diffraction: Applications to Parent Body Processes and Asteroid Spectroscopy." I have examined the final electronic copy of this dissertation for form and content and recommend that it be accepted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy, with a major in Geology. Harry Y. McSween, Jr., Major Professor We have read this dissertation and recommend its acceptance: Lawrence A. Taylor, Theodore C. Labotka, John Z. Larese, Timothy J. McCoy Accepted for the Council: Carolyn R. Hodges Vice Provost and Dean of the Graduate School (Original signatures are on file with official studentecor r ds.) To the Graduate Council: I am submitting herewith a dissertation written by Tasha Laurrelle Dunn entitled” Determination of Mineral Abundances in Ordinary Chondrites Using Powder X-ray Diffraction: Applications to Parent Body Processes and Asteroid Spectroscopy.” I have examined the final electronic copy of this dissertation for form and content and recommend that it be accepted for partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy, with a major in Geology. Harry Y. McSween, Jr., Major Professor _________________________________ We have read this dissertation and recommend its acceptance: Lawrence A. Taylor _______________________________ Theodore C. Labotka _______________________________ John Z. Larese _______________________________ Timothy J. McCoy _________________________________ Accepted for the Council: Carolyn R. Hodges, Vice Provost and Dean of the Graduate School ______________________________________ (Original signatures are on file with official student records.) Determination of Mineral Abundances in Ordinary Chondrites Using Powder X-ray Diffraction: Applications to Parent Body Processes and Asteroid Spectroscopy A Dissertation Presented for the Doctor of Philosophy Degree University of Tennessee, Knoxville Tasha Laurrelle Dunn May 2008 DEDICATION This is for the individuals who have dedicated their lives to the teaching of others. You have all given me my most prized possession – my education. For that, I thank you. For the faculty and staff of: Hendrix Drive Elementary (1983-1989), Forest Park Middle School (1989-1992), and Forest Park High School (1992-1996) “We think of the effective teachers we have had over the years with a sense of recognition, but those who have touched our humanity we remember with a deep sense of gratitude.” - Anonymous student ii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS This dissertation would not have been possible without guidance of my advisor, Dr. Hap McSween. Hap’s enthusiasm for this project was contagious, and I feel lucky to have worked on a project that was both exciting to me and valuable to science. I would especially like to thank Hap for his very generous financial support through the years, without which my research would not have been possible. I would also like to thank my committee members, Dr. Larry Taylor, Dr. Ted Labotka, Dr. Tim McCoy, and Dr. John Larese, each of whom contributed to the completion of my degree in their own unique way. In particular I would like to thank Larry Taylor and Tim McCoy for helping me to grow as a scientist. I am especially grateful to Larry for his confidence in me and the opportunities he has made available to me because of it. I am also very thankful for Tim’s many insightful comments and suggestions on early versions of this dissertation. I also owe a great deal of gratitude to several individuals who have assisted in various aspects of my research. Foremost I thank Dr. Gordon Gressey at the Natural History Museum in London, without whom I could not have successfully completed this project. Thanks also to my other friends across the pond, Dr. Phil Band and Dr. Gretchen Benedix, for making me feel at home during my trips to the UK. Cheers! Special thanks to Linda Welzenbach at Smithsonian Institute and Dr. Caroline Smith at the Natural History Museum for assisting me the acquisition of the meteorites used in this project. I also owe a great deal of gratitude to microprobe technician Allan Patchen for his assistance, guidance, and yearly resupply of Girl Scout cookies. Thanks also to Sigma Xi for their financial support. I would like to thank my friends at the University of Tennessee who have joined me on this journey through graduate school. Thanks to Rhiannon Mayne for being my friend, ally, and conference roommate despite my misuse of the “Queen’s English.” Together she, I, and George iii the rabbit have had many adventures. Thanks to Emily Goodman for being equally as fabulous as I am, for disliking the same people I do, and for being a true friend and confidant. Thanks to Whitney Kocis (WHITNEY!!) for her friendship and for sharing my appreciation for “The Gilmore Girls” and my “nerdiness” score (32%). Minerals in Everyday Life will not be the same without us. Thanks also to Yang Lui, one of the most brilliant people I know, for her guidance. Now I too am a planetary scientist! Finally to “my person” Bill Deane - thanks for everything. Thanks also to my friends and family back home in Atlanta and elsewhere for their support. I would especially like to thank Susanne Ross for being not only a friend but a mentor. Your friendship means a great deal to me, and I thank you. (I think this deserves a Red Rock.) Thanks to Chrissy Cataldo, for keeping me grounded and for making the last several months of my time here the best yet. Thanks also to Cindy and Alan Kerstetter, for supporting me in all aspects of my life. Finally, thanks to my mom, to whom I owe everything. I love you to the asteroid belt and back. iv ABSTRACT The ordinary chondrites, the most abundant group of meteorites, are divided into three chemical groups (H, L, and LL), which are distinguished based on variations in bulk composition and iron content. Although ordinary chondrites are relatively abundant, our understanding of their formation has been hampered by an inability to accurately measure the abundances of minerals that they contain. Here I use power x-ray diffraction (XRD) to quantify the modal abundances of 48 unbrecciated ordinary chondrite falls, which represent the complete petrologic range of equilibrated ordinary chondrites (types 4-6). Although the degree of metamorphism varies within each ordinary chondrite group, many details regarding the geochemical and thermal changes that take place during this process are not well understood. Using XRD-measured modal mineral abundances and chemical analyses, we evaluate the redox state and peak metamorphic temperatures in ordinary chondrite parent bodies in order to develop quantitative thermal evolution models of ordinary chondrite parent asteroids. Modal abundances and mineral compositions measured in this study indicate that progressive oxidation of the ordinary chondrites likely occurred during metamorphism. Results also suggest that plagioclase crystallizes early in the metamorphic sequence, indicating that peak temperatures derived using the two-pyroxene geothermometer are more accurate than those calculated using the plagioclase geothermometer. I also utilize ordinary chondrite modal abundances to develop new calibrations for deriving mineralogy from meteorite and asteroid spectra. Most previous studies examining the mineralogical characteristics of VISNIR asteroid spectra have focused on olivine and pyroxene proportions in single-pyroxene mixtures; therefore, current calibrations for deriving composition mineral abundances may be poorly suited for asteroids containing more than one pyroxene. It is v important that calibrations are correct, because mineral abundances derived from visible/near- infrared (VISNIR) spectra are used to classify asteroids, identify meteorite parent bodies, and understand the structure of the asteroid belt. Mineral abundances derived using my calibrations correlate well with measured data for all ordinary chondrites groups, and also appear to be valid for other meteorites and asteroids with mineral abundances and chemistries similar to those of the ordinary chondrites. vi TABLE OF CONTENTS Part Page I. INTRODUCTION 1. Overview……………………………………………………………………………………………………….2 2. Analysis of Ordinary Chondrites Using Powder X-Ray Diffraction: Modal Mineral Abundances (Part II)……….............................................................3 3. Analysis