Natural Thermoluminescence (NTL) Data for Antarctic Meteorites

Paul Benoit and Derek Sears
Cosmochemistry Group
Dept. of Chemistry and Biochemistry
University of Arkansas
Fayetteville, AR 72701

The measurement and data reduction methods weredescribed by Hasan et al. (1987, Proc. 17th LPSC E703-E709; 1989, LPSC XX, 383-384). For meteorites whose TL lies between 5 and 100 krad the natural TL is related primarily to terrestrial history. Samples with NTL <5 krad have TL below that which can reasonable be ascribed to long terrestrial ages. Such meteorites have had their TL lowered by heating within the past million years or so by close solar passage, shock heating, or atmospheric entry, exacerbated, in the case of certain achondrite classes and possibly enstatite chondrites, by "anomalous fading". We suggest meteorites with NTL >100 krad are candidates for unusual orbital/thermal histories (Benoit and Sears, 1993, EPSL 120, 463-471). 

                                     NTL
                                 [krad at
    Sample           Class     250 deg. C]

    LON 94101        C2          0.0 ±0.1
    LON 94102        C2          0.0 ±0.1

    LON 94100        E6          2.4 ±0.2

    QUE 94200        HOW         2.3 ±0.4

    QUE 93069        LUN         0
    QUE 94281        LUN         0.21±0.01

    ALHA77009        H4         30   ±1
    ALHA77208        H4         27.9 ±0.1
    ALHA77232        H4         33.1 ±0.2
    ALHA78134        H4         64.8 ±0.2

    ALHA77182                    1.0 ±0.1
    ALHA77268        H5          1.2 ±0.4
    ALHA78128        H5          4.4 ±0.2
    ALHA78194        H5         42.5 ±0.3
    ALHA79025        H5          0.33±0.07
    LEW 93802        H5         12.1 ±0.1
    QUE 93013        H5          3.1 ±0.3

    ALHA76006        H6          0.4 ±0.1
    ALHA77285        H6         31.2 ±0.1
    QUE 93014        H6         33.9 ±0.9

    LEW 93800        L5          9.9 ±0.1
    QUE 93020        L5         11.6 ±0.1
    QUE 93021        L5        161   ±1
    QUE 93197        L5          2.1 ±0.5
    QUE 93216        L5         12.7 ±0.1
    QUE 93231        L5          3.5 ±0.5
    QUE 93245        L5          6.0 ±0.1
    QUE 93247        L5          0.35±0.04
    QUE 93251        L5          8.2 ±0.1
    QUE 93307        L5         10.2 ±0.1
    QUE 93330        L5          1.2 ±0.1
    QUE 93370        L5          6.5 ±0.1
    QUE 93600        L5          0.71±0.02
    QUE 93683        L5         10.6 ±0.1
    QUE 93696        L5         13.7 ±0.1
    QUE 93697        L5          1.8 ±0.1
    QUE 93699        L5          5.2 ±0.4
    QUE 93706        L5         15.3 ±0.1
    QUE 93707        L5          3.9 ±0.7

    QUE 93015        L6          4.8 ±0.2
    QUE 93019        L6         25.9 ±0.1
    QUE 93080        L6          1.3 ±0.1
    QUE 93410        L6          1.5 ±0.8

The quoted uncertainties are the standard deviations shown by replicate measurments on a single aliquot.

COMMENTS: The following comments are based on natural TL data, TL sensitivity, the shape of the induced glow curve, classifications, and JSC and Arkansas group sample descriptions.

1. Pairings (Confirmations of pairings): 2. Additional pairings suggested by TL data: