Katsuyuki Yamashita

Chromium isotope systematics of achondrites: Chronology and isotopic heterogeneity of the inner solar system bodies

The standard planetary formation models assume that primitive materials, such as carbonaceous chondrites, are the precursor materials of evolved planetesimals. Past chronological studies have revealed that planetesimals of several hundred kilometers in size, such as the Howardite-Eucrite-Diogenite (HED) parent body (Vesta) and angrite parent body, began their differentiation as early as ~3 million years of the solar system formation, and continued for at least several million years. However, the timescale of planetesimal formation in distinct regions of the inner solar system, as well as the isotopic characteristics of the reservoirs from which they evolved, remains unclear. Here we present the first report for the precise 53Mn-53Cr ages of monomict ureilites. Chemically separated phases from one monomict ureilite (NWA 766) yielded the Mn-Cr age of 4564.60 ± 0.67 Ma, identical within error to the oldest age preserved in other achondrites, such as angrites and eucrites. The 54Cr isotopic data for this and seven additional bulk ureilites show homogeneous e54Cr of ~–0.9, a value distinct from other achondrites and chondrites. Using the e54Cr signatures of Earth, Mars, and Vesta (HED), we noticed a linear decrease in the e54Cr value with the heliocentric distance in the inner region of the solar system. If this trend can be extrapolated into the outer asteroid belt, the e54Cr signatures of monomict ureilites will place the position of the ureilite parent body at ~2.8 AU. These observations imply that the differentiation of achondrite parent bodies began nearly simultaneously at ~4565 Ma in different regions of the inner solar system. The distinct e54Cr value between ureilite and carbonaceous chondrite also implies that a genetic link commonly proposed between the two is unlikely.

Chemical Separation and Mass Spectrometry of Cr, Fe, Ni, Zn, and Cu in Terrestrial and Extraterrestrial Materials Using Thermal Ionization Mass Spectrometry

A sequential chemical separation technique for Cr, Fe, Ni, Zn, and Cu in terrestrial and extraterrestrial silicate rocks was developed for precise and accurate determination of elemental concentration by the isotope dilution method (ID). The technique uses a combination of cation-anion exchange chromatography and Eichrom nickel specific resin. The method was tested using a variety of matrixes including bulk meteorite (Allende), terrestrial peridotite (JP-1), and basalt (JB-1b). Concentrations of each element was determined by thermal ionization mass spectrometry (TIMS) using W filaments and a Si-B-Al type activator for Cr, Fe, Ni, and Zn and a Re filament and silicic acid-H3PO4 activator for Cu. The method can be used to precisely determine the concentrations of these elements in very small silicate samples, including meteorites, geochemical reference samples, and mineral standards for microprobe analysis. Furthermore, the Cr mass spectrometry procedure developed in this study can be extended to determine the isotopic ratios of 53Cr/52Cr and 54Cr/52Cr with precision of approximately 0.05epsilon and approximately 0.10epsilon (1epsilon = 0.01%), respectively, enabling cosmochemical applications such as high precision Mn-Cr chronology and investigation of nucleosynthetic isotopic anomalies in meteorites.

Geochemical characteristics of hydrous basaltic magmas due to assimilation and fractional crystallization: the Ikoma gabbroic complex, southwest Japan

To clarify the processes that occur in hydrous basaltic magma chambers, we have undertaken detailed petrological and geochemical analyses of mafic and intermediate rocks from the Ikoma gabbroic complex, southwest Japan. The complex consists mainly of hornblende gabbros, hornblende gabbronorites, and hornblende leucogabbros. The hornblende leucogabbros are characterized by low TiO2 and high CaO contents, whereas the hornblende gabbronorites have high TiO2 and low CaO contents. The initial 87Sr/86Sr ratios (SrI) of the hornblende gabbronorites and hornblende gabbros are higher than those of the hornblende leucogabbros and plagioclase, and they may have resulted from a higher degree of assimilation of metasediments. The geochemical features of the hornblende leucogabbros and hornblende gabbronorites can be explained by accumulation of plagioclase and ilmenite, respectively, in a hybrid magma that formed by chemical interaction between mafic magma and metasediment, whereas the hornblende gabbros were produced by a high degree of crustal assimilation and fractional crystallization of this hybrid magma. As a result of the density differences between crystals and melt, the Ikoma gabbroic rocks formed by the accumulation of plagioclase in the middle of the magma chamber and by the accumulation of ilmenite in the bottom of the chamber. Taking into account the subsequent assimilation and fractional crystallization, our observations suggest an enriched mantle (SrI = ~0.7071) as the source material for the Ikoma gabbros.