This study investigates the pre-accretionary formation conditions of individual minerals within chondrules and whole-rock parent asteroid processes from the Renazzo-like carbonaceous (CR) chondrites. It presents a comprehensive work on the whole-rock O-isotope composition, sulfide-bearing opaque minerals, and type-II chondrules within the CR chondrites. Whole-rock O-isotope composition and minerals present in type-II chondrules are found to be related to the degree of parent asteroid aqueous alteration. Primary minerals within chondrules, formed prior to accretion of the CR chondrite parent asteroid, are used to constrain both the environment and the conditions present during chondrule formation.Chondrule formation, as recorded by chondrules in the CR chondrites, took place under dust- and ice-rich conditions relative to solar values. Type-II (FeO-rich) chondrules contain FeO-poor fragments compositionally similar to type-I (FeO-poor) chondrules; the formation of type-II chondrules may have occurred after the formation of type-I chondrules. The dust and ice abundances present during type-II chondrule formation were higher than those of type-I chondrules, although both populations probably exchanged with the same ¹⁶O-poor gas reservoir. Both the oxygen fugacity (fo₂) and sulfur fugacity (fs₂) appear to have increased from type-I to type-II chondrule formation, and between individual type-II chondrules. The increase in fo₂ and fs₂ may be due to the dissipation of H2 in the early Solar System. Gas-solid oxidation/sulfidation of Fe,Ni metal is recorded in both type-I and type-II chondrules. This corrosion occurred either during chondrule cooling after formation, or during chondrule reheating events, and suggests that S was present in the gas phase. After chondrule formation the CR chondrite parent asteroid accreted ¹⁶O-poor ice and experienced variable degrees of aqueous alteration, possibly due to heterogeneity in accreted ice or ammonia abundances and/or differing depth within the asteroid. Individual regions of the asteroid experienced different degrees of brecciation, perhaps a result of impacts, which fragmented chondrules and mixed together material that experienced different degrees of aqueous alteration. This process resulted in the heterogeneous nature of the CR chondrites.These observations constrain the formation conditions of a minor body, the CR chondrite parent asteroid, a remnant from the earliest stages of planet formation.

abstract: Interpreting the petrogenesis of materials exposed on the surface of planets and asteroids is fundamental to understanding the origins and evolution of the inner Solar System. Temperature, pressure, fO2, and bulk composition directly influence the petrogenetic history of planetary surfaces and constraining these variables with remote sensing techniques is challenging. The integration of remote sensing data with analytical investigations of natural samples, lab-based spectroscopy, and thermodynamic modelling improves our ability to interpret the petrogenesis of planetary materials. A suite of naturally heated carbonaceous chondrite material was studied with lab-based spectroscopic techniques, including visible near-infrared and Fourier transform infrared reflectance spectroscopy. Distinct mineralogic, and thus spectroscopic, trends are observed with increasing degree of thermal metamorphism. Characterization of these spectral trends yields a set of mappable parameters that will be applied to remotely sensed data from the OSIRIS-REx science payload. Information about the thermal history of the surface of the asteroid Bennu will aid in the selection of a sampling site, ensuring OSIRIS-REx collects a pristine regolith sample that has not experienced devolatilization of primitive organics or dehydration of phyllosilicates. The evolution of mafic magma results in distinct major element chemical trends. Mineral assemblages present in evolved volcanic rocks are indicators of these processes. Using laboratory spectroscopic analyses of a suite of evolved volcanic rocks from the Snake River Plain, Idaho, I show that these evolutionary trends are reflected in the spectral signatures of ferromagenesian and feldspar minerals. The Athena science package on the Mars Exploration Rover Spirit allows for the in situ investigation of bulk chemistry, texture, and mineralogy on the surface of Mars. Using the bulk composition of the Irvine and Backstay volcanic rocks, thermodynamic modeling was performed to further constrain the formation conditions of Martian volcanics. Irvine and Backstay compositions exhibit dramatic variations in modal mineralogy with changing fO2. Using these results, I show that the observed Mini-TES spectra of Irvine and Backstay can be adequately reproduced, and additional constraints can be placed on their primary fO2. / Dissertation/Thesis / Doctoral Dissertation Geological Sciences 2018

<p>The class of meteorites called carbonaceous chondrites are examples of material from the solar system which have been relatively unchanged from the time of their initial formation. We investigate the carbonaceous chondrite subclasses CI, CM, CR, CV, and CO, which contain high levels of water and organic material, including amino acids. These subclasses span petrologic types 1 through 3, indicating the degree of internal chemistry undergone by the meteoritic parent body. The goal of this thesis is two-fold: to obtain a comprehensive view of amino acid abundances and relative frequencies in carbonaceous chondrites, and to recreate these patterns via thermodynamic computational models.</p> <p>We collate available amino acid abundance data for a variety of meteorites to identify patterns in total abundance and relative frequencies. We consider only a set of 20 proteinogenic alpha-amino acids created via a specific chemical pathway called Strecker synthesis. We plot abundances of individual amino acids for each subclass, as well as total abundances across all subclasses. We see a predominance in abundance and variety of amino acids in the CM and CR subclasses, which contain concentrations of amino acids greater by several orders of magnitude than other carbonaceous subclasses. These subclasses correspond to an aqueous alteration temperature range of 200 deg. C to 400 deg. C. Within the CM2 and CR2 meteorites, we identify trends in the relative frequencies of amino acids in preparation for computational modeling.</p> <p>Now having a baseline observed amino acid abundance plot, we recreate both the total amino acid abundance pattern as well as the relative frequency of amino acids within the CM2 chondrite subclass using computational models. We use thermodynamic theory of Gibbs free energies to calculate the output of amino acids in a meteoritic parent body assuming chemical equilibrium and some set of initial concentrations of organic material. Our model recreates abundance patterns in the temperature range 200 deg. C to 400 deg. C, ~10⁵ parts-per billion (ppb), and the temperature range 400 deg. C to 500 deg. C, ~10² ppb. Our model does not fit well between temperatures of 150 deg. C to 200 deg. C. Our current model assumes a uniform composition of initial chemical reactants; likely an inhomogeneous composition would be a more accurate physical representation of a parent body. In addition, we match relative frequencies to observed frequencies for each amino acid in the CM2 subclass to well within an order of magnitude.</p> / Master of Science (MSc)

Une nouvelle méthode de haute précision pour analyser les isotopes de Sn à avec double-spike 117Sn-122Sn a été développée. / A new high-precision isotope method for analyzing Sn using the 117Sn-122Sn double-spike technique was developed.