Effects of hot desert weathering on highly siderophile elements in ordinary chondrites

Abstract

Over 20,000 meteorites have been recovered from hot deserts. The effects of hot desert weathering upon highly siderophile elements (HSE) have been little studied. We have investigated the effects of neutral to mildly acidic leaching of three L6-type ordinary chondrites of different weathering grades on HSE concentrations and Re-Os isotopic systematics. We have characterized the bulk sample HSE patterns of these meteorites and conducted leaching experiments with progressively longer leaching times to determine the possible effects of long-term residence in a desert. The most weathered sample (NWA 14239) displayed greater HSE concentration homogeneity than the other samples and released lower quantities of HSEs during leaching. Water leaching was milder than acetic acid and did not significantly modify the Re-Os isotopic systematics of the residue relative to the bulk sample of NWA 869. Short-term leachates of the less weathered samples (Viñales and NWA 869) were characterized by low ¹⁸⁷Os/¹⁸⁸Os ratios, indicating the preferential dissolution of early solar system–formed phases such as non-magnetic chondrules and matrix with low Re/Os that are no longer intact in the most weathered sample. Of the HSE, Pd is most resistant to both water and acetic acid leaching, with a maximum removal of ~5% Pd, while Re, Os, and Ir are most mobile with up to 40% removal.