Evidence from the Rb-Sr system for 4.4 Ga alteration of chondrules in the Allende (CV3) parent body

Abstract

The timing and processes of alteration in the CV parent body are investigated by the analysis of Sr isotopes, major and trace elements, and petrographic type and distribution of the secondary minerals (nepheline and sodalite) in 22 chondrules from the Allende (CV3) chondrite. The Sr isotopic compositions of the chondrules are scattered around the 4.0 Ga reference line on the 87Sr/ 86Sr evolution diagram, indicating that the chondrules have been affected by late thermal alteration event(s) in the parent body. The degree of alteration, determined for individual chondrules based on the distribution of nepheline and sodalite, is unrelated to the disturbance of the Rb-Sr system, suggesting that the alteration process that produced nepheline and sodalite is different from the thermal process that disturbed the Rb-Sr system of the chondrules. Considering the geochemical behavior of Rb and Sr, the main host phase of Sr in chondrules is likely to be mesostasis, which could be most susceptible to late thermal alteration. As there is a poor connection between the alteration degree determined from abundances of nepheline and sodalite and the disturbance of Rb-Sr isotopic system, we consider the mesostasis to provide a constraint on the late parent body alteration process. From this point of view, 23 mesostasis-rich chondrules, including those from literature data, were selected. The selected chondrules are closely correlated on the 87Sr/86Sr evolution diagram, with an inferred age of 4.36 +/- 0.08 Ga. This correlation would represent an age of the final major Sr isotopic redistribution of the chondrules in the parent body.