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Bulk analysis of meteorites using INAA at FRM II

Li, X.; Merchel, S.; Lierse Von Gostomski, C.

In March 2017, the 49th German meteorite was found lying on top of a rock pile on the side of a potato field, near the city of Cloppenburg, Lower Saxony, Germany [1,2]. With two other meteorites (Oldenburg (fall in 1930), Benthullen (find in 1948 or 1951)) from the same region and meteorites from other countries, we started a program to analyze extraterrestrial samples in 2017. We have analyzed in total three chondrites, three achondrites of the HED
group (Howardite-Eucrite-Diogenite) (Dhofar 1675, NWA 2690, NWA 2698), a lunar and a Martian meteorite (NWA 7986, NWA 4925), two iron meteorites (Gibeon, yet unnamed new find from Libya/Chad in 2019) and six potential micrometeorites. The bigger samples (10-20 mg) were normally irradiated twice: for 3-5 min and for a long time up to 1 h in the rabbit position. The much smaller micrometeorites (9-38 μg) were irradiated for 24 h in the high-flux capsule irradiation position (Φth>1E14 cm-2s-1). We used the k0-method for the analysis [3].
With the high and pure thermal neutron flux at the FRM II, up to 45 elements could be determined in most samples [3]. According to the element compositions, the meteorites could be classified or earlier classifications could be confirmed. Although, the sample weights of the micrometeorites are very small and manipulating them was challenging, we could determine up to 16 elements. All of them show a rather high Fe concentration, i.e. 55-70 weight-%. However, for Ni and Ir, we can only give a detection limit of about 0.4% and 2 ng/g, respectively. Their potential origin are under discussion.
Acknowledgments
We thank A. Muszynski and M. Szyszko (Poznan, PL), A. Bischoff (Uni. Münster), D. Heinlein, J. Feige (TU Berlin) and A. Gärtner (Senckenberg Dresden) for providing and preparation of samples and the TUM-Kolleg program for financial supports.
References
1. J. Gattacceca et al., Meteorit. Planet. Sci., 2019, 54, 469-471.
2. J. Storz et al., www.paneth.eu/PanethKolloquium/2017/0075.pdf (Jan. 2019)
3. X. Li et al., J. Radioanal. Nucl. Chem. 2014, 300, 457-463.

Keywords: INAA; k0-method; meteorite; micrometeorite

  • Lecture (Conference)
    2nd International Conference on Radioanalytical and Nuclear Chemistry (RANC 2019), 05.-10.05.2019, Budapest, Hungary

Permalink: https://www.hzdr.de/publications/Publ-29206
Publ.-Id: 29206