Chemical and physical studies of type 3 chondrites. VIII - Thermoluminescence and metamorphism in the CO chondrites

A possible relationship between the thermoluminescence (TL) properties of CO chondrites and their metamorphic history was investigated by measuring the TL properties of seven normal CO chondrites and of the Colony and the Allan Hills A77307 (ALHA 77307) CO-related chondrites. With the exception of Colony and ALHA 77307, whose maximum induced TL emission is at approximately 350 C, the CO chondrites were found to exhibit two TL peaks: a 130 C and a 250 C peaks. Among the CO chondrites, the 130 C peak showed a 100-fold range in TL sensitivity and was found to correlate with various metamorphism-related phenomena, such as silicate heterogeneity, metal composition, and McSween's metamorphic subtypes. The peak at 250 did not show these correlations and, with exception of Colony, showed little variation.