Spectral Evidence for Amorphous Silicates in Least-processed CO Meteorites and Their Parent Bodies

TL;DR

This study identifies spectral features indicative of amorphous silicates in least-processed CO meteorites and links these features to primitive asteroid (93) Minerva, suggesting minimal alteration since formation.

Contribution

It provides the first detailed spectral analysis of least-processed CO meteorites and connects these findings to asteroid spectra, revealing primitive mineralogical signatures.

Findings

Amorphous silicate features at 1.4-um and 21-um are characteristic of least-processed meteorites.

Spectral similarities between asteroid (93) Minerva and least-processed CO meteorites.

Recrystallization in higher-grade COs removes amorphous silicate spectral features.

Abstract

Least-processed carbonaceous chondrites (carbonaceous chondrites that have experienced minimal aqueous alteration and thermal metamorphism) are characterized by their predominately amorphous iron-rich silicate interchondrule matrices and chondrule rims. The presence of abundant amorphous material in a meteorite indicates that the parent body, or at least a region of the parent body, experienced minimal processing since the time of accretion. The CO chemical group of carbonaceous chondrites has a significant number of these least-processed samples. We present visible/near-infrared and mid-infrared spectra of eight least-processed CO meteorites (petrologic type 3.0-3.1). In the visible/near-infrared, these COs are characterized by a broad weak feature that was first observed by Cloutis et al. (2012) to be at 1.3-um and attributed to iron-rich amorphous silicate matrix materials. This feature is observed to be centered at 1.4-um for terrestrially unweathered, least-processed CO meteorites. At mid-infrared wavelengths, a 21-um feature, consistent with Si-O vibrations of amorphous materials and glasses, is also present. This spectral signature is absent in both the near- and mid-infrared spectra of higher metamorphic grade COs because this material has recrystallized as crystalline olivine. Furthermore, spectra of least-processed primitive meteorites from other chemical groups (CRs, MET 00426 and QUE 99177, and C2-ungrouped Acfer 094), also exhibit a 21-um feature. Thus, we conclude that the 1.4- and 21-umm features are characteristic of primitive least-processed meteorites from all chemical groups of carbonaceous chondrites. Finally, we present an IRTF+SPeX observation of asteroid (93) Minerva that has spectral similarities in the visible/near-infrared to the least-processed CO carbonaceous chondrites. Minerva is likely the least-processed CO-like asteroid observed to date.