Evidence for K-rich terranes on Vesta from impact spherules

Jean-Alix J-A Barrat (1, 2) , Marcel Bohn (1, 2) , P. Gillet (3) , A. Yamaguchi (4)

1 LDO - Domaines Océaniques
2 UEB - Université européenne de Bretagne - European University of Brittany
3 LST - Laboratoire de Sciences de la Terre
4 Antarctic Meteorite Research Center

The howardite-eucrite-diogenite (HED) clan is a group of meteorites that probably originate from the asteroid Vesta. Some of them are complex breccias that contain impact glasses whose compositions mirror that of their source regions. Some K-rich impact glasses (up to 2 wt% K2O) suggest that in addition to basalts and ultramafic cumulates, K-rich rocks are exposed on Vesta's surface. One K-rich glass (up to 6 wt% K2O), with a felsic composition, provides the first evidence of highly differentiated K-rich rocks on a large asteroid. They can be compared to the rare lunar granites and suggest that magmas generated in a large asteroid are more diverse than previously thought.

Domaines: Géochimie; Milieux et Changements globaux

Jean-Alix J-A Barrat, Marcel Bohn, P. Gillet, A. Yamaguchi. Evidence for K-rich terranes on Vesta from impact spherules. Meteoritics and Planetary Science, 2009, 44 (3), pp.359-374. ⟨insu-00401913⟩