Metal and Bi/Pb microdistribution studies of an L3 chondrite - Their implications for a meteorite parent body

Strong localizations relative to bulk are reported of Bi, and to a lesser extent Pb, in some of the kamacite grains in Khohar, while other kamacite grains show no such enrichments. Distinctive and correlated differences in the Ni content are found in the two kamacite populations, with the Bi/Pb-rich kamacite grains having consistently lower Ni levels than the 6-7% typical of the Bi/Pb-poor kamacite. The Bi/Pb-rich kamacite grains also exhibit a highly reactive attack upon etching, which may be due to a finely polycrystaline microstructure. It is concluded that the trace element microdistributions were not established in the nebula, and that the enrichments were not likely to have occurred with slow cooling in the presence of a vapor phase during the kamacite-taenite phase transitions.