Abstract:
CK (Karoonda-like) carbonaceous chondrites (CCs) are highly oxidized meteorites, with metal/magnetite ratio close to zero. Unlike other CCs (petrologic type: 1-3), most CK chondrites have suffered intense thermal process (550-1270 K) on their parent body with a petrologic type 4 or above. Lines of evidence indicate that CK chondrites could be genetically related to CV (Vigarano-like) chondrites which are mostly type 3 meteorites. However, there are still slight differences in petrographic texture and chemical composition between these two meteorites. Therefore, it is crucial to distinguish their geochemical characteristics for testing the CK-CV single parent body hypothesis. Northwest Africa (NWA) 13943, a newly found meteorite which has undergone intense thermal metamorphism, was classified using scanning electron microscopy and electron microprobe. The whole-rock oxygen and chromium isotope composition of NWA 13943 meteorite were also determined by mass spectrometer. Integrating petrology, mineralogy, oxygen isotope anomaly (△
17O, where△represents isotopic fractionation value), and chromium isotopeanomaly (ε
54Cr, where ε expresses palrts per ten thousand mass- independent isotope deviation) data, it is legitimated to infer that CK and CV hondrites may derive from two similar but distinct isotopic reservoirs within the protoplanetary disk.