Toluca

Iron, IAB complex, sLL subgroup

Found 1776, known earlier
19° 34′ N., 99° 34′ W. Many large masses were found near Xiquipilco, Mexico, the largest of which weighed 300 pounds. Recently, a taxonomic revision was proposed by Wasson and Kallemeyn (2002) that includes iron meteorites from the IAB-IIICD group, along with numerous IAB-related meteorites. On a Ni–AuThe astronomical unit for length is described as the "mean" distance (average of aphelion and perihelion distances) between the Earth and the Sun. Though most references state the value for 1 AU to be approximately 150 million kilometers, the currently accepted precise value for the AU is 149,597,870.66 km. The Click on Term to Read More diagram, Toluca and other similar irons compose a low-Au, low-Ni subgroup (sLL).

The I–Xe closure age of Toluca was determined by Pravdivtseva et al. (2009) for both high-Mg and low-Mg pyroxenes, the two closure times differing by 8.5 (±4.4) m.y. An absolute closure age based on the Shallowater standard was calculated to be 4.5605 (±0.0024) b.y. for high-Mg pyroxenes and 4.5520 (±0.0037) b.y. for low-Mg pyroxenes, a range similar to that of other IAB iron silicates. The earlier closure age may be commensurate with a catastrophic disruption of the IAB parent bodyThe body from which a meteorite or meteoroid was derived prior to its ejection. Some parent bodies were destroyed early in the formation of our Solar System, while others like the asteroid 4-Vesta and Mars are still observable today. Click on Term to Read More. The research team also determined the cooling rate of Toluca following parent body breakup and reassembly. This was calculated as a function of the difference between the crystallizationPhysical or chemical process or action that results in the formation of regularly-shaped, -sized, and -patterned solid forms known as crystals. Click on Term to Read More temperatures and closure ages of the two pyroxenes to be 14.5 (±10.0)°C/m.y.

A comparative study of the IAB iron main group (MG) and sLL subgroup by Worsham et al. (2013, 2016, 2017) demonstrated through Mo isotopeOne of two or more atoms with the same atomic number (Z), but different mass (A). For example, hydrogen has three isotopes: ¹H, ²H (deuterium), and ³H (tritium). Different isotopes of a given element have different numbers of neutrons in the nucleus. Click on Term to Read More compositions that both groups derive from a common parent body that was initially chondritic. They verified through HSE data that irons from these two groups crystallized from distinct parental melt pools, with the smaller sLL formation event occurring 0–3 m.y. after the MG formation event. Moreover, the observed fractionations are not the result of fractional crystallizationA crystallization process in which minerals crystallizing from a magma are isolated from contact with the liquid. It is a key process in the formation of igneous rocks during the process of magmatic differentiation. Also known as crystal fractionation. Click on Term to Read More, but instead, most likely involved crystal segregation and other processes related to the respective impacts. Further evidence for formation in distinct melt pools among the IAB iron groups was found through cooling rate studies correlating the cloudy zone particle size with the metallographic cooling rate (Goldstein et al., 2013). Moreover, the slow cooling rates determined for the IAB irons and other meteoriteWork in progress. A solid natural object reaching a planet’s surface from interplanetary space. Solid portion of a meteoroid that survives its fall to Earth, or some other body. Meteorites are classified as stony meteorites, iron meteorites, and stony-iron meteorites. These groups are further divided according to their mineralogy and Click on Term to Read More groups containing silicateThe most abundant group of minerals in Earth's crust, the structure of silicates are dominated by the silica tetrahedron, SiO44-, with metal ions occurring between tetrahedra). The mesodesmic bonds of the silicon tetrahedron allow extensive polymerization and silicates are classified according to the amount of linking that occurs between the assemblages (e.g., pallasites and mesosiderites), were found to be inconsistent with the faster cooling rates attributed to those iron groups that underwent fractional crystallization in cores lacking insulating silicate mantles (e.g., IIIAB, IVA, and IVB).

Utilizing the short-lived 182Hf–182W chronometer, corrected for neutronCharge-neutral hadron with a mass of 1.6748 x 10-27 kg, equivalent to 939.573 MeV, and an intrinsic angular momentum, or spin, of ½ (in units of h/2π). The neutron is a nucleon, one of the two basic constituents of all atomic nuclei (apart from 1H, which consists of a single Click on Term to Read More capture by 182W due to galactic cosmic raysHigh-energy subatomic particles mainly originating outside the Solar System that continuously bombard the Earth from all directions. They represent one of the few direct samples of matter from outside our solar system and travel through space at nearly the speed of light. These charged particles – positively charged protons or Click on Term to Read More, Hunt et al. (2018) derived the timing of metal–silicate separation of all genetically-related IAB irons (at least the MG and sLL subgroup [possibly also the sLM subgroup] and the ungroupedModifying term used to describe meteorites that are mineralogically and/or chemically unique and defy classification into the group or sub-group they most closely resemble. Some examples include Ungrouped Achondrite (achondrite-ung), Ungrouped Chondrite (chondrite-ung), Ungrouped Iron (iron-ung), and Ungrouped Carbonaceous (C-ung). Click on Term to Read More Caddo County [Udei Station grouplet] and Livingstone [Algarrabo duo]) to 6.0 (±0.8) m.y. after CAIsSub-millimeter to centimeter-sized amorphous objects found typically in carbonaceous chondrites and ranging in color from white to greyish white and even light pink. CAIs have occasionally been found in ordinary chondrites, such as the L3.00 chondrite, NWA 8276 (Sara Russell, 2016). CAIs are also known as refractory inclusions since they Click on Term to Read More. They contend that a catastrophic breakup and reassembly occurred during which different silicate lithologies were mixed. Based on the CRE-corrected W data, Worsham et al. (2017) derived a segregation age corresponding to 3.4 (±0.7) and 5.0 (±1.0) m.y. after CAIs for the MG and sLL subgroup, respectively. They argue that a breakup and reassembly event would have also mixed different metalElement that readily forms cations and has metallic bonds; sometimes said to be similar to a cation in a cloud of electrons. The metals are one of the three groups of elements as distinguished by their ionization and bonding properties, along with the metalloids and nonmetals. A diagonal line drawn Click on Term to Read More lithologies together, and would have equilibrated the W systematics of the MG and sLL subgroup. The top schematic diagram below is the model of Hunt et al. (2018), which shows the early history of the 120(+)-km-diameter IAB parent body based on constraints provided by the timing of metal segregation. The schematic diagram beneath that one shows the impact-generated melt model of Worsham et al. (2017).
Diagram credit: Hunt et al., EPSL, vol. 482, pp. 497 (2018, open access link)
‘Late metalï ¿ ½silicate separation on the IAB parent asteroid: Constraints from combined W and Pt isotopes and thermal modelling’
(https://doi.org/10.1016/j.epsl.2017.11.034)

Diagram credit: Worsham et al., Earth and Planetary Science Letters, vol. 467, p. 164 (2017)
‘Characterizing cosmochemical materials with genetic affinities to the Earth: Genetic and chronological diversity within the IAB iron meteoriteIron meteorites consist mostly of metallic iron alloyed with typically between ~5 to ~30 wt% nickel. The main metal phases are kamacite α-(Fe, Ni) and taenite y-(Fe, Ni). Based on their group classification, they may also contain a small weight percentage of one or more of the following minerals: • Click on Term to Read More complex’
(https://doi.org/10.1016/j.epsl.2017.02.044) Based on the similar silicate textures, reducedOxidation and reduction together are called redox (reduction and oxidation) and generally characterized by the transfer of electrons between chemical species, like molecules, atoms or ions, where one species undergoes oxidation, a loss of electrons,  while another species undergoes reduction, a gain of electrons. This transfer of electrons between reactants Click on Term to Read More mineralInorganic substance that is (1) naturally occurring (but does not have a biologic or man-made origin) and formed by physical (not biological) forces with a (2) defined chemical composition of limited variation, has a (3) distinctive set of of physical properties including being a solid, and has a (4) homogeneous Click on Term to Read More chemistry, and O and Mo isotopes, it is presumed that the winonaites and the IAB complex irons originated on a common parent body. Utilizing a Ge/Ni vs. Au/Ni coupled diagram, Hidaka et al. (2015) determined that FeNi-metal in the winonaitea partially differentiated asteroid that was disrupted just as it began to form an Fe core and a silicate-rich crust. This disrupting impact mixed silicates into molten Ni-Fe metal forming the silicated IAB irons, and mixed olivine-rich residues of partial melts into unmelted silicates, forming the winonaites. A few winonaites Click on Term to Read More Y-8005 plots in the field of the sLL subgroup of the IAB complex irons. Worsham et al. (2017) also demonstrated that the Mo isotope data for the two winonaites they studied, Winona and HaH 193, attest to a common parent body for winonaites and MG/sLL irons. Moreover, the metal in Y-8005 retains a near chondritic composition likely representative of the precursor material of the parent body. In view of these findings, Hidaka et al. (2015) suggest that the sLL subgroup rather than the MG represents the primitive metal of the IAB–winonaite parent body, with the MG possibly representing a partial melt of the sLL subgroup.

Dey et al. (2019) employed 17O and ε54Cr values for several irons and their associated silicates/oxides to investigate i) if each iron and its associated phases originated on a common parent body (i.e., an endogenous mixture of coreIn the context of planetary formation, the core is the central region of a large differentiated asteroid, planet or moon and made up of denser materials than the surrounding mantle and crust. For example, the cores of the Earth, the terrestrial planets and differentiated asteroids are rich in metallic iron-nickel. Click on Term to Read More and mantleMain silicate-rich zone within a planet between the crust and metallic core. The mantle accounts for 82% of Earth's volume and is composed of silicate minerals rich in Mg. The temperature of the mantle can be as high as 3,700 °C. Heat generated in the core causes convection currents in Click on Term to Read More vs. an exogenous mixture through impact), and ii) if any genetic connection exists between the irons and other meteorite groups (e.g., IAB with winonaites, IIE with H chondritesChondrites are the most common meteorites accounting for ~84% of falls. Chondrites are comprised mostly of Fe- and Mg-bearing silicate minerals (found in both chondrules and fine grained matrix), reduced Fe/Ni metal (found in various states like large blebs, small grains and/or even chondrule rims), and various refractory inclusions (such Click on Term to Read More, and Eagle Station pallasites with CK chondrites). Three IAB irons were employed in the study, and it was demonstrated on a coupled diagram that although the ε54Cr values for the iron component plot in the winonaite field, values for the silicate component plot in a distinct region on an O–Cr coupled diagram (see diagram below). From these results they ascertained that the the IAB silicated irons formed through an impact-generated mixture comprising iron from a winonaite-related parent body and silicate from an unrelated and otherwise unsampled parent body. Incorporation of the silicates into the FeNi-metal host took place at a depth greater than 2 km, allowing time for a Thomson (Widmanstätten) structure to develop during a long cooling phase. Fractional crystallization occurred in some large molten metal pools, followed by very slow cooling, to produce the broad range of features found in certain IAB meteorites (e.g., silicate-poor, graphite–troilite-rich inclusions and extremely high Ni contents). Other results from their study can be found on the Miles and Eagle Station pages. 17O vs. ε54Cr for Irons and Pallasites

click on photo for a magnified view

Diagrams credit: Dey et al., 50th LPSC, #2977 (2019)
Toluca has a high CRE age of 600 (±150) m.y. (Chang and Wänke, 1969). The silicate ureyite (NaCrSi2O6) has been found as a rare occurrence in Toluca (Frondel and Klein, 1965). Further information on the formation of the IAB iron complex can be found in the Appendix, Part III. The specimen of Toluca shown above and below is a 2003 Harvey Award—’New Technology Award’—which was presented in recognition of the Meteorite Studies website.