Petrographic and geochemical analysis of a vesicular silicate sample associated with the iron meteorite Turpan 003.

A vesicular silicate clast physically attached to the iron meteorite Turpan 003 was analyzed at the ADARA Laboratory using petrographic, mineral chemistry, and magnetic methods. The clast shows a fine-grained igneous texture with vesicular cavities, zoned mafic silicates, and a feldspathic mesostasis containing troilite inclusions. Mineral chemistry reveals olivine (Fa17-21), orthopyroxene (Fs13-16), and augite (Fs11-13, Wo30-35), compositions broadly consistent with unequilibrated ordinary chondrites but lacking the metallic Fe-Ni typically present in that group. The very low magnetic susceptibility (logχ = 2.82) confirms the absence of metal. These features suggest that the clast crystallized from a melt derived from a chondritic precursor, likely related to impact-induced partial melting, rather than being a relict chondrule-bearing fragment. Its subsequent attachment to a metallic host highlights complex brecciation or mixing processes in the parent body. This study underscores the significance of such silicate-metal associations in reconstructing asteroidal impact histories and parent body evolution.