Mössbauer and thermoluminescence studies of meteorites from Frontier Mountain, Antarctica

Abstract

Mössbauer and thermoluminescence (TL) data have elucidated the terrestrial histories of five equilibrated chondrites, of petrologic types 5 and 6, collected on blue ice fields near Frontier Mountain in Antarctica. Mössbauer spectroscopy substantially reflects the destruction of iron-bearing species with formation of finely divided aggregates of iron oxides or oxyhydroxides. TL sensitivity reflects the possible coating of the feldspar grains due to the iron oxide mobility during progressive weathering. Copyright 1999 by the American Geophysical Union.