Melt immiscibility in Apollo 15 KREEP - Origin of Fe-rich mare basaltsSilicate liquid immiscibility (SLI) is investigated in terms of chemistry and occurrence in two KREEP-rich Apollo 15 basalts. The two samples have different cooling histories but the same composition. In the first sample, SLI occurred at the time of 58% crystallization. In the second sample, SLI occurred after 20% had crystallized. It is noted that SLI could be initiated as soon as plagioclase (out of a total composition which also included zircon, FeS, SiO2, whitlockite, and ilmenite) alone had crystallized. Attention is given to Fe-rich immiscible melts, and it is suggested that SLI may play an important role in the formation of the source regions of Fe-rich mare basalts. The analytical technique used for the assays was an energy dispersive analysis system with a resolution of 167 eV.
Document ID
19780057783
Acquisition Source
Legacy CDMS
Document Type
Conference Proceedings
Authors
Hollister, L. S. (Princeton University Princeton, N.J., United States)
Crawford, M. L. (Bryn Mawr College Bryn Mawr, Pa., United States)