The Mineral Chemistry and Classification of New Ordinary Chondrites Collected in Antarctica

Petrography and mineral chemistry of ninety-eight ordinary chondrites from Grove Mountains, Antarctica, have been studied, in order to assign their chemical-petrographic types. The chemical-petrographic types of these meteorites are presented below: 36 H-groups (21 H4, 9 H5, 6 H6) and 62 L-groups (25 L5, 37 L6). The compositions of olivines and low-Ca pyroxenes in the all these ordinary chondrites have similar composition, respectively, reflecting some degree thermodynamics equilibration in them. The weathering degrees of all the ordinary chondrites, consisting of predominant weathering degrees of W1, suggest lightly weathered among them. More than 30% meteorites experienced severe shock metamorphism, as indicated by the presences of shock-induced melt veins and pockets. These heavily shocked meteorites provide us with natural samples for study of high-pressure polymorphs of minerals.