Primary magmatic carbon in ureilites - Evidence from cohenite-bearing metallic spherules

The compositions and mineralogy of metal-sulfide spherules trapped in ureilites are studied. Electron microprobe analyses of metallic phases and sulfides in spherules were conducted and backscattered electron images of metallic spherules in olivine and in ureilites are presented. It is observed that the spherules are composed of cohenite, Fe-Ni metal, troilite, and rare phosphorus-bearing minerals. The intergranular metal and graphite in the ureilites are analyzed. The phase relations of cohenite-bearing spherules are considered. Spherules represent Fe-Ni-C-S alloys that exist as immiscible metallic liquid droplets in the silicate magma from which ureilite olivine and pigeonite crystallized. The data reveal that graphite crystals occur as inclusions in olivine and ureilites and therefore graphite in ureilites is a primary magnetic component. It is hypothesized that graphite is a residue from the solid source materials that melted to produce the ureilite parent magma or crystallized from the magma.