Mineralogy of Antarctic basaltic shergottite Queen Alexandra Range 94201: Similarities to Elephant Moraine A79001 (Lithology B) martian meteorite

Antarctic meteorite QUE 94201 is a new basaltic shergottite that is mainly composed of subequal amounts of maskelynite and pyroxenes (pigeonite and augite) plus abundant merrillite and accessory phases. It also contains impact melt. Complex zoning patterns in QUE 94201 pyroxenes revealed by elemental map analyses using an electron microprobe suggest a crystallization sequence from Mg-rich pigeonite (En(62)Fs(30)Wo(8)) to extremely Fe-rich pigeonite (En(5)Fs(81)Wo(l4)) via {110} Mg-rich augite bands (En(44)Fs(20)Wo(36)) in a single crystal. These textures, along with the abundant plagioclase (maskelynite), indicates single-stage rapid cooling (>5 degrees C/year) of this rock from a supercooled magma. Transition from Mg-rich augite to Fe-rich pigeonite reflects the onset of plagioclase crystallization. Enrichment of late-stage phases in QUE 94201 implies crystallization from an evolved magma and suggests a different parent magma composition from the other basaltic shergottites. Lithology B of EETA79001 basaltic shergottite contains pyroxenes that show complex zoning with augite bands similar to those in QUE 94201 pyroxene, which suggests similar one-stage rapid cooling. Lithology B of EETA79001 also resembles QUE 94201 in its coarse-grained texture of silicates and its high abundance of maskelynite, although QUE 94201 probably crystallized from a more fractionated magma. We also note that some Apollo lunar mare basalts (e.g., 12020 and 12021) have similar mineralogy and petrology to QUE 94201, especially in pyroxene zoning. All these basaltic rocks with complex pyroxene zoning suggest rapid metastable crystallization from supercooled magmas.