The Tsarev meteorite - Petrology and bidirectional reflectance spectra of a shock-blackened L chondriteThe Tsarev meteorite is a highly shocked black L5 ordinary chondrite. Meteorites of this class may have been subjected to regolith processes on or near the surface of ordinary chondrite bodies. The study of their optical alteration can provide valuable support in the spectral search for ordinary chondrite parent bodies. Although Tsarev is very dark in a cut-surface hand sample, it is characterized by subtle variations in apparent darkness, called in this work grey and black areas. Both areas are substantially optically altered from normal ordinary chondrites and are characterized by a much lower albedo and strongly suppressed absorption features. Although both areas are altered, they show differences in albedo and the strength of absorption features. Particulate samples from the black area have a slightly higher albedo and stronger absorption features, while the particulate samples from the grey area show a systematic suppression of spectral features and albedo. Chemical, mineralogical, and spectral analyses suggest that the spectral differences can be the result of one or a combination of several factors, including shock effects on the crystallographic structure of the minerals and differences in the size, distribution, and amount of metal and troilite grains.
Document ID
19890049162
Acquisition Source
Legacy CDMS
Document Type
Conference Paper
Authors
Britt, D. T. (Brown Univ. Providence, RI, United States)
Pieters, C. M. (Brown University Providence, RI, United States)
Petaev, M. I. (Brown Univ. Providence, RI, United States)
Zaslavskaia, N. I. (AN SSSR Institut Geokhimii i Analiticheskoi Khimii, Moscow, Ussr)