pISSN 0705-3797 eISSN 2586-1298
HOME Article View

Article

Episodes 2024; 47(3): 465-476

Published online September 1, 2024

https://doi.org/10.18814/epiiugs/2024/02403s11

Copyright © International Union of Geological Sciences.

Petrography and classification of Elephant Moraine 14017 (EET 14017): a new primitive LL3.05 ordinary chondrite from Antarctica

Changkun Park1,2*, Sun Young Park1,3, Hwayoung Kim1, Jong Ik Lee1

1 Division of Glacier & Earth Sciences, Korea Polar Research Institute, Incheon 21990, Republic of Korea
2 University of Science and Technology, Daejeon 34113, Republic of Korea
3 Petroleum Energy Research Center, Korea Institute of Geoscience and Mineral Resources, Daejeon 34132, Republic of Korea

Correspondence to:*E-mail: changkun@kopri.re.kr

Received: March 31, 2024; Revised: June 4, 2024; Accepted: June 4, 2024

This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0) which permits unrestricted non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Abstract

The mineralogy and petrography of EET 14017 were studied using optical microscope, scanning electron microscope, electron microprobe, and micro-Raman. The mineral chemistry of olivine, pyroxene, plagioclase, spinel, and Fe-Ni metal in EET 14017 is comparable to that of previously studied L/LL3.0x chondrites. In particular, the Cr2O3 content in the ferroan chondrule olivine and the excess silica component, [ ]Si4O8, in the plagioclase lead us to conclude that EET 14017 belongs to subtype 3.05. Raman spectral data of carbonaceous matter from the matrix of EET 14017 suggest a higher degree of thermal metamorphism, probably due to terrestrial weathering in Antarctica. EET 14017 and some of the other L/LL3.0x chondrites from the EET region are possibly a pair, since they have similar Cr2O3 contents of ferroan chondrule olivines and Raman spectral data, and moreover they were also found in a restricted region of the blue ice field. The plagioclase in some chondrules is a late crystal phase in the chondrule melt, which may constrain the timing of chondrule formation and cooling rate. If more L/LL3.0x chondrites like EET 14017 from Antarctica are identified, they would be excellent source material for studying the early evolution of the Solar System.

Supplementary information

Supplementary File