Mineralogy, petrology, and isotopic composition of Northwest Africa 12379, metal-rich chondrite with affinity to ordinary chondrites

Christian A. Jansen, Frank E. Brenker, Jutta Zipfel, Andreas Pack, Luc Labenne, Kazuhide Nagashima, Alexander N. Krot, Martin Bizzarro, Martin Schiller

Geochemistry
In Press, Journal Pre-proof, Available online 10 September 2019

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“Northwest Africa (NWA) 12379 is a new metal-rich chondrite with unique characteristics distinguishing it from all previously described meteorites. It contains high Fe,Ni-metal content (∼70 vol.%) and completely lacks interchondrule matrix; these characteristics are typical only for metal-rich carbonaceous (CH and CB) and G chondrites. However, chondrule sizes (60 to 1200 μm; mean = 370 μm), their predominantly porphyritic textures, nearly equilibrated chemical compositions of chondrule olivines (Fa18.1–28.3, average Fa24.9±3.2, PMD = 12.8; Cr2O3 = 0.03 ± 0.02 wt.%; FeO/MnO = 53.2 ± 6.5 (wt.-ratio); n = 28), less equilibrated compositions of low-Ca pyroxenes (Fs3.2–18.7Wo0.2–4.5; average Fs14.7±3.7Wo1.4±1.3; n = 20), oxygen-isotope compositions of chondrule olivine phenocrysts (Δ17O ∼ 0.2‒1.4 ‰, average ∼ 0.8 ‰), and the presence of coarse-grained Ti-bearing chromite, Cl-apatite, and merrillite, all indicate affinity of NWA 12379 to unequilibrated (type 3.8) ordinary chondrites (OCs). Like most OCs, NWA 12379 experienced fluid-assisted thermal metamorphism that resulted in formation of secondary ferroan olivine (Fa27) that replaces low-Ca pyroxene grains in chondrules and in inclusions in Fe,Ni-metal grains. Δ17O of the ferroan olivine (∼ 4 ‰) is similar to those of aqueously-formed fayalite in type 3 OCs, but its δ18O is significantly higher (15―19 ‰, average = 17 ‰ vs. 3―12 ‰, average = 8 ‰, respectively). We suggest classifying NWA 12379 as the ungrouped metal-rich chondrite with affinities of its non-metal fraction to unequilibrated OCs and speculate that it may have formed by a collision between an OC-like body and a metal-rich body and subsequently experienced fluid-assisted thermal metamorphism. Trace siderophile element abundances and isotopic compositions (e.g., Mo, Ni, Fe) of the NWA 12379 metal could help to constrain its origin.”