Petrography and mineralogy of the ungrouped type 3 carbonaceous chondrite Dar al Gani 978

Abstract

Dar al Gani (DaG) 978 is an ungrouped type 3 carbonaceous chondrite. In this study, we report the petrography and mineralogy of Ca,Al-rich inclusions (CAI), amoeboid olivine aggregates (AOAs), chondrules, mineral fragments, and the matrix in DaG 978. Twenty-seven CAIs were found: 13 spinel-diopside-rich inclusions, 2 anorthite-rich inclusions, 11 spinel-troilite-rich inclusions, and 1 spinel-melilite-rich inclusion. Most CAIs have a layered texture that indicates a condensation origin and are most similar to those in R chondrites. Compound chondrules represent a high proportion (approximately 8%) of chondrules in DaG 978, which indicates a local dusty chondrule-forming region and multiple heating events. Most spinel and olivine in DaG 978 are highly Fe-rich, which corresponds to a petrologic type of >3.5 and a maximum metamorphic temperature of approximately 850-950 K. This conclusion is also supported by other observations in DaG 978: the presence of coarse inclusions of silicate and phosphate in Fe-Ni metal, restricted Ni-Co distributions in kamacite and taenite, and low S concentrations in the matrix. Mineralogic records of iron-alkali-halogen metasomatism, such as platy and porous olivine, magnetite, hedenbergite, nepheline, Na-rich in CAIs, and chlorapatite, are present, but relatively limited, in DaG 978. The fine-grained, intergrowth texture of spinel-troilite-rich inclusions was probably formed by reaction between pre-existing Al-rich silicates and shock-induced, high-temperature S-rich gas on the surface of the parent body of DaG 978. A shock-induced vein is present in the matrix of DaG 978, which indicates that the parent body of DaG 978 at least experienced a shock event with a shock stage up to S3. © The Meteoritical Society, 2013.