Olivine-Orthopyroxene Equilibrium in Metal-rich Systems: Applications to Achondrites and Equilibrated ChondritesOlivine and orthopyroxene are major minerals in every type of stony meteorite. The majority of achondritic meteorites and silicate-bearing iron meteorites have experienced high temperatures. If these temperatures persisted for an extended period of time then the iron contents of olivine and orthopyroxene should be in equilibrium. In their study of ungrouped clasts and chondritic meteorites, suggested that the equilibrium compositions of olivine and orthopyroxene should fall on a mixing line between LL chondrites and aubrites. Here we show that this is not necessarily the case and that a range of FeO contents in olivine and orthopyroxene can be in equilibrium with each other. The key parameters that determine the equilibrium Fe content in these minerals are temperature, oxygen fugacity (fO2), and silica activity (aSiO2).
Document ID
20030111398
Acquisition Source
Headquarters
Document Type
Conference Paper
Authors
Lauretta, D. S. (Arizona Univ. Tucson, AZ, United States)
Benedix, G. K. (Smithsonian Institution Washington, DC, United States)
McCoy, T. J. (Smithsonian Institution Washington, DC, United States)