Cation diffusion in calcite: determining closure temperatures and the thermal history for the Allan Hills 84001 meteorite.

The presence of zoned Fe, Mg, Ca, and Mn in the carbonate phases associated with the cracks and inclusions of the Allan Hills (ALH) 84001 meteorite provides evidence for constraining the thermal history of the meteorite. Using self- and tracer-diffusion coefficients obtained from laboratory experiments on natural calcite, cooling rates are calculated for various temperatures and diffusion distances to assist in the evaluation of the compositional zoning associated with the carbonate phases in ALH 84001. The closure temperature model provides the average temperature below which compositional zoning will be preserved for a given cooling rate, that is, the temperature at which diffusion will be ineffective in homogenizing the phase. The validity of various theories for the formation of the carbonate globules may be examined, therefore, in view of the diffusion-limited kinetic constraints. Experiments using a thin film-mineral diffusion couple and ion microprobe for depth profiling analysis were performed for the temperature range of 550-800 degrees C to determine self- and tracer-diffusion coefficients for Ca and Mg and in calcite. The resulting activation energies for Ca (Ea(Ca) = 271 +/- 80 kJ/mol) and for Mg (Ea(Mg) = 284 +/- 74 kJ/mol) were used then to calculate a series of cooling rate, grain size, and closure temperature curves. The data indicate, for example, that by the diffusion of Mg in calcite, a 10 micrometers compositional zone would be completely homogenized at a temperature of 300 degrees C for cooling rates <100 K/Ma. These data provide no constraint on formation models that propose a low-temperature fluid precipitation mechanism; however, they indicate that the carbonate globules were not exposed to a high-temperature environment for long time scales following formation.