Olivine as a Probe into the Early Thermal Histories of Solar System Samples
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2023
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Clues of our solar system’s history exist in igneous rocks that exist on every terrestrial body in the solar system. Temperature is one of the most important variables to describe and infer the formation and evolution of these rocks. If the temperatures a rock has experienced throughout its formation are known, we can gain a substantial understanding of the processes and conditions behind a rock and its surroundings. This thesis explores the utilization of the heterogeneous distribution of trace elements in olivine to reconstruct the high-temperature thermal histories of igneous rocks. A study of Apollo troctolite 76535 reveals comparatively rapid cooling timescales and demonstrates how one can use diffusive relaxation of heterogeneities to determine the maximum cooling timescales even with minimal constraints on high-temperature cooling rates. This study finds that phosphorus in olivine displays less diffusive relaxation than expected. So, we investigate the diffusive behavior of this element in olivine, both through models and in the lab. We find no evidence of phosphorus heterogeneities diffusively relaxing when reheated. So, we investigate these heterogeneities using nanoscale microscopy. We find these heterogeneities are many orders of magnitude smaller than previously assumed and determine a plausible accommodation mechanism that would explain a lack of diffusive relaxation. Finally, we investigate the relative cooling histories of porphyritic and barred olivine chondrules using a variety of other systems, demonstrating how one can use these methods even when uncertain about the environment, diffusivity of the element, and temperature. Altogether, this dissertation discusses how trace elements behave in olivine and how they can be used to reveal the high-temperature thermal histories of olivine crystals.
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Petrology, Planetology, Materials Science, Diffusion Chronometry, Diffusivity, Igneous, Lunar, Olivine, Phosphorus
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208 pages
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