The last generation of nebular chondrules possibly sampled in the CH/CBb chondrite Isheyevo

Abstract

Among carbonaceous chondrites, the chondrules of CB and CH stand out by being dominated by skeletal barred olivine and cryptocrystalline textures. These non-porphyritic chondrules are thought to have formed within an impact-generated plume resulting from large-scale asteroidal collisions late in disk history. Porphyritic chondrules are also present, if rare, in CB and CH chondrites and might correspond to nebular objects formed earlier in the disk. We report on the mineralogy, petrology, and oxygen isotopic compositions of porphyritic chondrules in the Isheyevo CH/CB_b chondrite. These chondrules show minor element variations at both the chondrule and individual olivine grain scales, which are similar to those observed in other chondrites. In terms of oxygen isotopes, individual chondrules show contrasting behavior with either negligible, mass-dependent or mass-independent O-isotopic variations. They also display different average Δ¹⁷O, ranging from −6 ‰ to +4 ‰, anticorrelated with size, with most chondrules (8/13) showing Δ¹⁷O > 0 ‰. Our results show that porphyritic chondrules in CB (and CH) chondrites are of nebular origin and do not result from the collisional impact at the origin of other CB components. We propose that CB porphyritic chondrules originate from the chondritic impactor involved in the collision, similarly to hydrated matrix-rich clasts reported in Isheyevo. Altogether, this shows that two chondrule populations, formed by both nebular and planetary processes, co-exist in CB and CH chondrites. Isheyevo thus represents an archetypal chondrite lying at the transition between two dominant chondrule-forming regimes, nebular and impact-related.