An American on Paris: Extent of aqueous alteration of a CM chondrite and the petrography of its refractory and amoeboid olivine inclusions

Abstract

Paris is the least aqueously altered CM chondrite identified to date, classified as subtype 2.7; however, literature data indicate that some regions of this apparently brecciated meteorite may be subtype 2.9. The suite of CAIs in Paris includes 19% spinel-pyroxene inclusions, 19% spinel inclusions, 8% spinel-pyroxene-olivine inclusions, 43% pyroxene inclusions, 8% pyroxene-olivine inclusions, and 3% hibonite-bearing inclusions. Both simple and complex inclusions are present; some have nodular, banded, or distended structures. No melilite was identified in any of the inclusions in the present suite, but other recent studies have found a few rare occurrences of melilite in Paris CAIs. Because melilite is highly susceptible to aqueous alteration, it is likely that it was mostly destroyed during early-stage parent-body alteration. Two of the CAIs in this study are part of compound CAI-chondrule objects. Their presence suggests that there were transient heating events (probably associated with chondrule formation) in the nebula after chondrules and CAIs were admixed. Also present in Paris are a few amoeboid olivine inclusions (AOI) consisting of relatively coarse forsterite rims surrounding fine-grained, porous zones containing diopside and anorthite. The interior regions of the AOIs may represent fine-grained rimless CAIs that were incorporated into highly porous forsterite-rich dustballs. These assemblages were heated by an energy pulse that collapsed and coarsened their rims, but failed to melt their interiors.