MINERALOGY AND PETROLOGY OF THE KIRIN METEORITE AND ITS FORMATION AND EVOLUTION

Optical identification and X-ray powder study, coupled with monomineral microchemical and electron microprobe analyses have revealed 39 species of mineral in the Kirin Meteorite. On the basis of mineral assemblages characteristic of the meteorite, thermometric data on fluid inclusion and theoretical analysis, seven formation stages have been proposed for the minerals present in the Kirin Meteorite. The calculations of normative minerals and chemical parameters have been conducted in terms of the chemical analyses, and the chemical-petrological characteristics of the Kirin Meteorite specifies it to Type H. The present paper deals with the texture-structure of the Kirin Meteorite, and the meteoritic chondrules are divided into 17 categories of texture-structure, and three possible mechanisms regarding their origin are discussed. It is evident that the Kirin parent body once experienced marked thermal metamorphism and moderate-shock metamorphism and the major features concerned are herein described and a