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Enstatite chondrites and enstatite achondrites (aubrites) were not derived from the same parent body

January 1, 1986

Enstatite achondrites (aubrites) were not derived from known enstatite chondrites by melting and fractionation on one and the same parent body, for these and other reasons: (1) There is no satisfactory mechanism for fractionating metal plus troilite in enstatite chondrites to form these phases in different proportions and with different Ti contents in aubrites. (2) Many enstatite chondrites and aubrites are regolith or fragmental breccias, but clasts of one within the other have not been found. (3) Cosmic ray exposure ages of the two groups are difficult to explain if they are from the same parent body, but are easy to explain if they are from different parent bodies.

Siderophile element abundances in metal from the Mt. Egerton meteorite, which consists of enstatite and metallic Fe,Ni, preclude it from being a complementary differentiate of the aubrites. Rather, it appears that Mt. Egerton was formed from the same source material as enstatite chondrites, but the components were mixed in different proportions.

Publication Year 1986
Title Enstatite chondrites and enstatite achondrites (aubrites) were not derived from the same parent body
DOI 10.1016/0012-821X(86)90095-6
Authors R. Brett, Klaus Keil
Publication Type Article
Publication Subtype Journal Article
Series Title Earth and Planetary Science Letters
Index ID 70014506
Record Source USGS Publications Warehouse