Photomosaics of the cathodoluminescence of 60 sections of meteorites and lunar samples

• Published in: Journal of Geophysical Research. E. Planets 2004-07, Vol.109 (E7), p.5-n/a
• Main Authors: Akridge, D. G., Akridge, J. M. C., Batchelor, J. D., Benoit, P. H., Brewer, J., DeHart, J. M., Keck, B. D., Jie, Lu, Meier, A., Penrose, M., Schneider, D. M., Sears, D. W. G., Symes, S. J. K., Yanhong, Zhang
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: cathodoluminescence; lunar samples; meteorites
• ISSN: 0148-0227; 2156-2202
• DOI: 10.1029/2003JE002198

Cathodoluminescence (CL) petrography provides a means of observing petrographic and compositional properties of geological samples not readily observable by other techniques. We report the low‐magnification CL images of 60 sections of extraterrestrial materials. The images we report include ordinary chondrites (including type 3 ordinary chondrites and gas‐rich regolith breccias), enstatite chondrites, CO chondrites and a CM chondrite, eucrites and a howardite, lunar highland regolith breccias, and lunar soils. The CL images show how primitive materials respond to parent body metamorphism, how the metamorphic history of EL chondrites differs from that of EH chondrites, how dark matrix and light clasts of regolith breccias relate to each other, how metamorphism affects eucrites, the texture of lunar regolith breccias and the distribution of crystallized lunar spherules (“lunar chondrules”), and how regolith working affects the mineral properties of lunar soils. More particularly, we argue that such images are a rich source of new information on the nature and history of these materials and that our efforts to date are a small fraction of what can be done.