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Petrographic analysis of eight CM carbonaceous chondrites (EET 96029, LAP 031166, LON 94101, MET 01072, Murchison, Murray, SCO 06043, QUE 93005) by electron imaging and diffraction, and X-ray computed tomography, reveals that six of them have a petrofabric defined by shock flattened chondrules. With the exception of Murchison, those CMs that have a strong petrofabric also contain open or mineralized fractures, indicating that tensional stresses accompanying the impacts were sufficient to locally exceed the yield strength of the meteorite matrix. The CMs studied span a wide range of petrologic subtypes, and in common with Rubin (2012) we find that the strength of their petrofabrics increases with their degree of aqueous alteration. This correspondence suggests that impacts were responsible for enhancing alteration, probably because the fracture networks they formed tapped fluid reservoirs elsewhere in the parent body. Two meteorites that do not fit this pattern are MET 01072 and Murchison; both have a strong petrofabric but are relatively unaltered. In the case of MET 01072, impact deformation is likely to have postdated parent body aqueous activity. The same may also be true for Murchison, but as this meteorite also lacks fractures and veins, its chondrules were most likely flattened by multiple low intensity impacts. Multiphase deformation of Murchison is also revealed by the microstructures of calcite grains, and chondrule-defined petrofabrics as revealed by X-ray computed tomography. The contradiction between the commonplace evidence for impact-deformation of CMs and their low shock stages (most belong to S1) can be explained by most if not all having been exposed to multiple low intensity (i.e., <5 GPa) shock events. Aqueous alteration was enhanced by those impacts that were of sufficient intensity to open high permeability fracture networks that could connect to fluid reservoirs.

publisher: Elsevier articletitle: Elephant Moraine 96029, a very mildly aqueously altered and heated CM carbonaceous chondrite: Implications for the drivers of parent body processing journaltitle: Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta articlelink: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.gca.2016.05.008 content_type: article copyright: © 2016 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd

The Antarctic CM2 carbonaceous chondrite QUE 93005 contains four compositionally distinct carbonates, namely breunnerite, calcite, dolomite and a Ca-poor dolomite. These carbonates can form monomineralic grains, or may be intergrown as bimineralic grains consisting of dolomite plus breunnerite and dolomite plus calcite, or polymineralic grains containing an intergrowth of breunnerite, Ca-poor dolomite and calcite. Carbonates in all grain types have inclusions of Fe,Ni sulphides and/or Mg-Fe phyllosilicates. In the bimineralic grains dolomite crystallised first to be overgrown by breunnerite or partially replaced by calcite. Polymineralic grains are concentrically layered, with breunnerite crystallising first on pore margins to be later etched, then overgrown and partially replaced by Ca-poor dolomite that was itself partly dissolved prior to being overgrown by calcite. Calcite and dolomite have also cemented fractures that cross-cut the fine-grained rims to aqueously altered chondrules and were formed by expansion of the chondrules during their hydration. Overall, the sequence of mineralisation in QUE 93005 was: (1) dolomite, (2) breunnerite, (3) Ca-poor dolomite then (4) calcite. This secular change in carbonate composition and mineralogy reflects changing solution composition and probably also provenance. Mg-Fe phyllosilicates replaced dolomite, breunnerite and Ca-poor dolomite prior to calcite crystallisation and most or all of the sulphides formed after both the phyllosilicates and calcite. Following sulphide crystallisation the edges of carbonate grains were abraded, either by impact 'gardening' or as a consequence of fluidisation of the matrix during rapid loss of gas or vapour. Determination of the crystallisation age of dolomite via the Mn−Cr system indicates that aqueous alteration of QUE 93005 began on or before 3.93 ± 0.23 Ma after the formation of the solar system. Overall, the water/rock ratio and fO 2 during alteration of QUE 93005 was similar to that of the CM1s and CR1s, but the lower degree of alteration of QUE 93005 overall suggests that alteration timescales were shorter, possibly due to loss of intergranular liquid water during fluidisation.2

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