Potassium isotope systematics of the LL4 chondrite Hamlet: Implications for chondrule formation and alteration

Piers Koefoed, Olga Pravdivtseva, Heng Chen, Carina Gerritzen, Maxwell M. Thiemens, Kun Wang

Meteoritics & Planetary Science
Version of Record online:27 July 2020

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“Here, we apply recently developed high‐precision K isotope analyses to individual components of the LL4 chondrite Hamlet in order to investigate key processes which occurred during chondrite formation. The K isotopic compositions of all Hamlet chondrules range from −1.36‰ to −0.24‰ δ41K while the matrix and bulk samples show ranges of −0.89‰ to −0.80‰ and −0.86‰ to −1.08‰ δ41K, respectively. This range of δ41K values is significantly less than what was seen by in situ K isotopic analysis of Semarkona and Bishunpur chondrules, a likely effect of the different chondrite petrologic types, analytical artifacts in the SIMS analyses, and chondrule rim effects. Strong evidence for secondary parent‐body alteration effects within Hamlet suggests its K fractionation and distribution are dominantly controlled by these processes. Interestingly, the strong correlation between δ41K and chondrule mass suggests that chondrule size played a significant role in the K isotopic distribution within Hamlet. This trend is likely a result of either inherited initial differences in the chondrule K isotopic ratios which were not completely overprinted or mechanisms involved in the metamorphism processes creating variations. This K isotope correlation with chondrule mass could also be suggestive of chondrule‐forming nebular processes; nevertheless, it is currently unable to definitively favor any specific model. The K isotopic similarities between Hamlet and bulk ordinary chondrites suggest that all LL chondrites, if not all ordinary chondrites, may have formed via the same processes. Nevertheless, analysis of more pristine chondrules from chondrites of lower metamorphic grade is required to further assess any nebular processes of chondrule formation.”