Remanent crustal strain on Mars in non-poikilitic olivine of NWA 7721

Fuente: arXiv
Guardado en:
Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores principales: Li, Yaozhu, Kalácska, Szilvia, McCausland, Phil, Flemming, Roberta L., Hetherington, Callum, Zhao, Bo, Yildirim, Can, Detlefs, Carsten
Formato: Preprint
Publicado: 2025
Materias:
Acceso en línea:
Etiquetas: Agregar Etiqueta
Sin Etiquetas, Sea el primero en etiquetar este registro!
_version_ 1866911259539013632
author Li, Yaozhu
Kalácska, Szilvia
McCausland, Phil
Flemming, Roberta L.
Hetherington, Callum
Zhao, Bo
Yildirim, Can
Detlefs, Carsten
author_facet Li, Yaozhu
Kalácska, Szilvia
McCausland, Phil
Flemming, Roberta L.
Hetherington, Callum
Zhao, Bo
Yildirim, Can
Detlefs, Carsten
contents We present a multiscale microstructural analysis of olivine from the non-poikilitic lithology of the poikilitic shergottite NWA 7721, using dark-field X-ray microscopy (DFXM), electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD), and context in situ 2D micro-XRD. A single olivine crystal contains two distinct subgrain populations. Type 1 subgrains are fine (1-5 micrometers), randomly oriented, and nearly strain-free, whereas Type 2 subgrains are coarse (greater than 30 micrometers), aligned, and strongly strained. Layered DFXM data reveal slip-band features in Type 2 that are absent in Type 1. We interpret Type 1 as products of shock-induced recrystallization, whereas Type 2 preserves remnants of a highly deformed parent grain. This bimodal microstructure, not observed in other Martian meteorites including the paired NWA 1950 and ALH A77005, points to a heterogeneous response to impact influenced by pre-existing strain in the olivine grain. We propose that NWA 7721 olivine experienced substantial crustal or magmatic stress before impact. The subsequent shock wave imposed a rapid load-release cycle that mobilized dislocations and produced low-angle boundaries in Type 2, while driving recrystallization of Type 1. Grain-growth constraints limit the post-shock heating duration to approximately 2.3 s, consistent with rapid quenching. These results provide the first evidence that non-poikilitic olivine in NWA 7721 preserves dynamic crustal deformation on Mars in the Late Amazonian.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2511_08316
institution arXiv
publishDate 2025
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Remanent crustal strain on Mars in non-poikilitic olivine of NWA 7721
Li, Yaozhu
Kalácska, Szilvia
McCausland, Phil
Flemming, Roberta L.
Hetherington, Callum
Zhao, Bo
Yildirim, Can
Detlefs, Carsten
Earth and Planetary Astrophysics
Materials Science
We present a multiscale microstructural analysis of olivine from the non-poikilitic lithology of the poikilitic shergottite NWA 7721, using dark-field X-ray microscopy (DFXM), electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD), and context in situ 2D micro-XRD. A single olivine crystal contains two distinct subgrain populations. Type 1 subgrains are fine (1-5 micrometers), randomly oriented, and nearly strain-free, whereas Type 2 subgrains are coarse (greater than 30 micrometers), aligned, and strongly strained. Layered DFXM data reveal slip-band features in Type 2 that are absent in Type 1. We interpret Type 1 as products of shock-induced recrystallization, whereas Type 2 preserves remnants of a highly deformed parent grain. This bimodal microstructure, not observed in other Martian meteorites including the paired NWA 1950 and ALH A77005, points to a heterogeneous response to impact influenced by pre-existing strain in the olivine grain. We propose that NWA 7721 olivine experienced substantial crustal or magmatic stress before impact. The subsequent shock wave imposed a rapid load-release cycle that mobilized dislocations and produced low-angle boundaries in Type 2, while driving recrystallization of Type 1. Grain-growth constraints limit the post-shock heating duration to approximately 2.3 s, consistent with rapid quenching. These results provide the first evidence that non-poikilitic olivine in NWA 7721 preserves dynamic crustal deformation on Mars in the Late Amazonian.
title Remanent crustal strain on Mars in non-poikilitic olivine of NWA 7721
topic Earth and Planetary Astrophysics
Materials Science
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2511.08316