A new source of basaltic meteorites inferred from Northwest Africa 011.
Eucrites are a class of basaltic meteorites that share common mineralogical, isotopic, and chemical properties and are thought to have been derived from the same parent body, possibly asteroid 4 Vesta. The texture, mineralogy, and noble gas data of the recently recovered meteorite, Northwest Africa (NWA) 011, are similar to those of basaltic eucrites. However, the oxygen isotopic composition of NWA011 is different from that of other eucrites, indicating that NWA011 may be derived from a different parent body. The presence of basaltic meteorites with variable oxygen isotopic composition suggests the occurrence of multiple basaltic meteorite parent bodies, perhaps similar to 4 Vesta, in the early solar system.
Yamaguchi
Akira
A
Antarctic Meteorite Research Center, National Institute of Polar Research, Tokyo 173-8515, Japan. yamaguch@nipr.ac.jp
Clayton
Robert N
RN
Mayeda
Toshiko K
TK
Ebihara
Mitsuru
M
Oura
Yasuji
Y
Miura
Yayoi N
YN
Haramura
Hiroshi
H
Misawa
Keiji
K
Kojima
Hideyasu
H
Nagao
Keisuke
K
D000349:Africa; D003359:Cosmic Radiation; D019110:Meteoroids; D008903:Minerals / Q000032:analysis*; D018543:Minor Planets; D010103:Oxygen Isotopes / Q000032:analysis*; D017640:Silicates / Q000032:analysis*; D014131:Trace Elements / Q000032:analysis
D008903:Minerals; D010103:Oxygen Isotopes; D017640:Silicates; D014131:Trace Elements; C060346:basalt