The largest group of achondritic meteorites is the basaltic achondrite group (see Achondrite meteorites). These achondrites are also referred to as the HED meteorites after the three types: howardites, eucrites and diogenites. Diogenites are not truly basaltic in composition, but are frequently referred to as members of the basaltic achondrite meteorite group because of their genetic relationship with eucrites and howardites. Together, these three igneous meteorite types form the most complete crustal sample available from any differentiated body, excluding the Earth and Moon. Most of the HED meteorites are either monomict breccias, composed of a single lithologic type, or polymict breccias, composed of a mixture of lithologies. The basaltic achondrites record the igneous and impact metamorphic evolution of one of the oldest planetary crusts we have available for study. The shergottites were formerly classified as basaltic achondrites, but they are now known to be closely related to...
Bibliography
Binzel, R. P. and Xu, S. (1993) Chips off of asteroid 4 Vesta: evidence for the parent body of basaltic achondrite meteorites. Science, 260, 186–91.
Birck, J. L. and Allègre, C. J. (1978) Chronology and chemical history of the parent body of basaltic achondrites studied by the 87Rb-87Sr method. Earth Planet. Sci. Lett., 39, 37–51.
Bogard, D. D., Keil, K. Taylor, G. J. et al. (1985) Impact melting of the Cachari eucrite 3.0 Gy ago. Geochim. Cosmochim. Acta, 49, 941–6.
Chou, C.-L., Boynton, W. V., Bild, R. W. et al. (1976) Trace element evidence regarding a chondritic component in howardite meteorites, in Proc. Lunar Sci. Conf., 7, pp. 3501–18.
Clayton, R. N., Onuma, N. and Mayeda, T. K. (1976) A classification of meteorites based on oxygen isotopes. Earth Planet. Sci. Lett., 30, 10–8.
Clayton, R. N. and Mayeda, T. K. (1978) Genetic relations between iron and stony meteorites. Earth Planet. Sci. Lett., 40, 168–74.
Cruikshank, D. P., Tholen, D. J. Hartmann, W. K. et al. (1991) Three basaltic Earth-approaching asteroids and the source of the basaltic meteorites. Icarus, 89, 1–13.
Delaney, J. S., Takeda, H., Prinz, M., et al. (1983) The nomenclature of polymict basaltic achondrites. Meteoritics, 18, 103–11.
Delaney, J. S., Prinz, M., and Takeda, H. (1984) The polymict eucrites, in Proc. Lunar Planet. Sci. Conf., 15, Part 1, Geophys. Res., Suppl., 89, C251–C88.
Dreibus, G., Kruse, H., Spette, B., and Wänke, H. (1977) The bulk composition of the moon and the eucrite parent body, in Proc. Lunar Sci. Conf., 8, pp. 211–27.
Duke, M. B. and Silver, L. T. (1967) Petrology of eucrites, howardites and mesosiderites. Geochim. Cosmochim. Acta, 31, 1637–65.
Jerome, D. Y. and Goles, G. G. (1971) A re-examination of relationships among pyroxene—plagioclase achondrites, in: Activation Analysis in Geochemistry and Cosmochemistry (eds A. O. Brunfelt and E. Steinnes). Oslo; Universitetsforlaget, pp. 261–6.
Mittlefehidt, D.W. and Jones, J.H. Jurewicz, A. J.G., Mittlefehldt, D. W. and Jones, J. H. (1993) Experimental partial melting of the Allende (CV) and Murchison (CM) chondrites and the origin of asteroidal basalts. Geochim. Cosmochim. Acta, 59, 2123–39.
Longhi, J. and Pan, V. (1989) The parent magmas of the SNC meteorites. Proc. Lunar Planet. Sci. Conf., 19, 451–64.
Mason, B. (1962) Meteorites. New York; Wiley, 274 pp.
Mason, B. (1963) The hypersthene achondrites. American Museum Novitates 2155, 13 pp.
McCord, T. B., J. B. Adams, and Johnson, T. V. (1970) Asteroid Vesta: spectral reflectivity and compositional implications. Science, 168, 1445–7.
Mittlefehldt, D. W. (1987) Volatile degassing of basaltic achondrite parent bodies: evidence from alkali elements and phosphorus. Geochim. Cosmochim. Acta, 51, 267–78.
Mittlefehldt, D. W. (1994) The genesis of diogenites and HED parent body petrogenesis. Geochim. Cosmochim. Acta, 58, 1537–1552.
Nyquist, L. E., Takeda, H., Bansal, B. M. et al. (1986) Rb—Sr and Sm—Nd internal isochron ages of a subophitic basalt clast and a matrix sample from the Y75011 eucrite. J. Geophys. Res., 91, 8137–50.
Rubin, A. E. and Mittlefehldt, D. W. (1993) Evolutionary history of the mesosiderite asteroid: a chronologic and petrologic synthesis. Icarus, 101, 201–12.
Steele, I. M. and Smith, J. V. (1976) Mineralogy of the Ibitira eucrite and comparison with other eucrites and lunar samples. Earth Planet. Sci. Lett., 33, 67–78.
Stolper, E. (1977) Experimental petrology of eucritic meteorites. Geochim. Cosmochim. Acta, 41, 587–611.
Takeda, H. and Graham, A. L. (1991) Degree of equilibration of eucritic pyroxenes and thermal metamorphism of the earliest planetary crust. Meteoritics, 26, 129–34.
Takeda, H., Mori, H., and Yanai, K. (1981) Mineralogy of the Yamato diogenites as possible pieces of a single fall, in Proc. 6th Symp. Antarctic Meteorites, Mem. Natl Inst. Polar Research, Special Issue 20, pp. 81–99.
Warren, P. H. (1985) Origin of howardites, diogenites and eucrites: a mass balance constraint. Geochim. Cosmochim. Acta, 49, 577–86.
Warren, P. H. and Jerde, E. A. (1987) Composition and origin of Nuevo Laredo Trend eucrites. Geochim. Cosmochim. Acta, 51, 713–25.
Wasson, J. T. and Kallemeyn, G. W. (1988) Compositions of chondrites. Phil. Trans. Roy. Soc. London, A325, 535–544.
Zolensky, M. E., Hewins, R. H., Mittlefehldt, D. W. et al. (1992) Mineralogy, petrology and geochemistry of carbonaceous chondritic clasts in the LEW 85300 polymict eucrite. Meteoritics, 27, 596–604.
Cross references
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 1997 Chapman & Hall
About this entry
Cite this entry
Mittlefehldt, D.W., Longhi, J. (1997). Basaltic achondrite meteorites . In: Encyclopedia of Planetary Science. Encyclopedia of Earth Science. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/1-4020-4520-4_40
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/1-4020-4520-4_40
Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht
Print ISBN: 978-0-412-06951-2
Online ISBN: 978-1-4020-4520-2
eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive