Production of Be-10 in stony meteorites - Composition dependence

The relationship between the production rate of Be-10 in stony meteorites and its element composition was investigated by measuring the contents of Be-10 in 21 samples from 17 meteorites with known major-element composition, and comparing the experimental Be-10 values with those obtained by the regression analysis. The Be-10 production was modeled by the equation of Stauffer (1962). The measured Be-10 contents were found to range from 16 dpm/kg in the oxygen- and magnesium-poor eucrites and the Indarch meteorite to 28 dpm/kg in the oxygen- and magnesium-rich aubrites and the mineral separates from Bruderheim. Using the regression analyses and taking in account various corrections, an equation was obtained which reproduces the measured Be-10 content with an accuracy of about 10 percent.