Martian meteorites: Volatile trace elements and cluster-analysis

Abstract

We report data for 15 mainly volatile trace elements (Ag, Au, Bi, Cd, Co, Cs, Ga, In, Rb, Sb, Se, Te, Tl, U, Zn) by radiochemical neutron activation analysis (RNAA) in whole-rock samples of five Martian meteorites that, with seven others studied earlier, complete the 12 member Martian meteorite suite. Nearly all of these elements exhibit highly variable compositional continua and are richer in the Martian suite compared with other basaltic meteorites. From cluster analysis, we find that the clustering of subtypes based on these elements is virtually identical to that based on contents of major refractory elements and minéralogie/pétrographie characteristics, which implies that each source region on Mars was closed to volatile transport. Martian meteorite data can be used to infer volatile element contents in that planet.____________________________ © Meteoritical Society, 1998.