The oxygen isotopic properties of olivines in the Semarkona ordinary chondrite

Abstract

In order to explore the origin of chondrules and the chondrites, the O isotopic compositions of nine olivine grains in seven chondrules from the primitive Semarkona LL3.0 chondrite have been determined by ion microprobe. The data plot in the same general region of the three-isotope plot as whole-chondrule samples from ordinary chondrites previously measured by other techniques. There are no significant differences between the O isotopic properties of olivine in the various chondrule groups in the present study, but there is a slight indication that the data plot at the 16O-rich end of the ordinary chondrite field. This might suggest that the mesostasis contains isotopically heavy O. The olivines in the present study have O isotopic compositions unlike the 16O-rich olivine grains from the Julesburg ordinary chondrite. Even though olivines in group A chondrules have several properties in common with them, the 16O-rich Julesburg olivines previously reported are not simply olivines from group A chondrules.