Martian sub-volcanic plumbing: a multi-technique investigation of megacryst crystallization in olivine-phyric and poikilitic shergottites

Abstract

The preservation of zoning patterns for major and trace elements in olivine and pyroxene reflect their differing diffusion rates. These have been applied to develop insights into the plumbing systems of olivine-phyric and poikilitic shergottite volcanoes, their eruption triggers and timescales. Here, we exploit crystal zoning to reconstruct magmatic histories recorded in martian meteorites, applying a combination of microanalytical techniques. We investigate 11 olivine-phyric and poikilitic shergottites, which have long been distinguished via the unique textural relationships between their large olivine and pyroxene phenocrysts. Major element compositions of large olivine crystals in the oli..