Basaltic micrometeorites from the Novaya Zemlya glacier

• Published in: Meteoritics & Planetary Science
• Main Authors: BADJUKOV, Dmitry D., BRANDSTÄTTER, Franz, RAITALA, Jouko, KURAT, Gero
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Wiley 2010
• Subjects: Space and Planetary Science; Geophysics; Novaya Zemlya
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1945-5100.2010.01125.x; https://api.wiley.com/onlinelibrary/tdm/v1/articles/10.1111%2Fj.1945-5100.2010.01125.x; https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/j.1945-5100.2010.01125.x

Abstract– A large number of micrometeorites (MMs) was recovered from glacier deposits located at the north‐eastern passive margin of the Novaya Zemlya glacier sheet. Melted, scoriaceous, and unmelted micrometeorites (UMMs) are present. Unmelted micrometeorites are dominated mostly by chondritic matter, but also a few achondritic MMs are present. Here we report the discovery of four UMMs that, according to their texture, mineralogy, and chemistry, are identified as basaltic breccias. Mineral chemistry and Fe/Mn ratios of two basaltic micrometeorites indicate a possible relationship with eucrites and/or mesosiderites, whereas two others seem to have parents, which appear not to be present in our meteorite collections. The basaltic breccia UMMs constitute 0.5% of the total population of the Novaya Zemlya MM suite. This content should be lowered to 0.25% because the Novaya Zemlya MM collection appears to be biased with carbonaceous UMMs being underrepresented.