Pegmatoid objects in a sample of the Kaidun meteorite

We report the results of textural and mineralogical investigations of fragment #d(3–8)B of the Kaidun meteorite. The fragment is represented by six polished thin sections obtained by sequential sawing of a meteorite sample. Its main mineral is magnesian olivine; pyroxenes, augite and enstatite, are less abundant. The minor minerals are Fe-Ni sulfides, and the accessory minerals are chromian magnetite and apatite. The minerals show highly variable compositions. Several lithological types of material were distinguished on the basis of texture and composition. A characteristic feature is the presence of fractures, whose walls are enriched in olivine and, occasionally, sulfides. Some fractures contain relatively large euhedral crystals of zoned olivine. Olivines occurring on the walls of fractures and within fractures show a negative correlation between Mg# values and nickel content. The fragment has been subjected to multiple impact events. The material of the fragment bears evidence for intense multistage metasomatic alteration with the influx of olivine material and formation of pegmatoid-type segregations. This process has never previously been observed in meteorites, but is quite common in terrestrial massifs. The results of this study are in good agreement with our hypothesis that Phobos is the parent body of the Kaidun meteorite and indicate a possible Martian origin for Kaidun fragment #d(3–8)B.