• Journal of the Mineralogical Society of Korea
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• v.29 no.3
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• pp.131-139
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• 2016

Detailed knowledge on maskelynite, a glassy phase of plagioclase found in shocked meteorites and impact craters, is essential to understand a shock metamorphism. Here, we explore an inhomogeneous shock metamorphism in the lunar meteorite Mount DeWitt (DEW) 12007 with an aim to understand the formation mechanism of maskelynite. Most plagioclase grains in the DEW 12007 partially amorphized into maskelynite with a unidirectional orientation. Back-scattered electron (BSE) images of maskelynite show a remnant of planar deformation fracture possibly indicating that the maskelynite would be formed by solid-state transformation(i.e., diaplectic glass). Plagioclase with flow texture is also observed along the rim of maskelynite, which would be a result of recrystallization of melted plagioclase. Results of Raman experiments suggest that shock pressure for plagioclase and maskelynite in the DEW 12007 is approximately 5-32 GPa and 26-45 GPa, respectively. The difference in shock pressures between plagioclase and maskelynite can be originated from 1) external factors such as inhomogeneous shock pressure and/or 2) internal factors such as chemical composition and porosity of rock. Unfortunately, Raman spectroscopy has a limitation in revealing the detailed atomic structure of maskelynite such as development of six- or five-coordinated aluminum atom upon various shock pressure. Further studies using nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy are necessary to understand the formation mechanism of maskelynite under high pressure.

• The Journal of the Petrological Society of Korea
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• v.19 no.4
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• pp.255-267
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• 2010

The primary utilization of recently improved (U-Th)/He thermochronometry is to reveal the low-T thermal histories of shallow crustal sections or transient episodes (such as wildfires or meteorite impacts) because of the high sensitivity of He diffusion to temperature in host minerals. In this contribution, we present reviews and perspectives regarding how this method can be used to characterize the ejection-related shock metamorphism of Martian meteorites. The temperature conditions of shock metamorphism can be constrained through shock recovery experiments, paleomagnetism, and $^{40}Ar/^{39}Ar$ and (U-Th)/He dating. The most reliable constraints can be deduced when these independent approaches are combined. However, the thermal history of the ALH84001 Martian meteorite has been under serious debate because the different methods have yielded contrasting results. Recent work has shown how single-grain (U-Th)/He and $^{40}Ar/^{39}Ar$ dating, two noble-gas based thermochronometries with different T sensitivities, can be used to resolve this issue, providing a good example for future research on other meteorites.