Fractionation of chlorine, germanium, and zinc in chondritic meteorites

Thirty-nine ordinary chondrites, five enstatite chondrites, and four carbonaceous chondrites have been analyzed for Cl, Ge, and Zn. These elements are shown to be fractionated among the carbonaceous, enstatite, and ordinary chondrites in a pattern similar to that of Pb, Bi, Tl, I, Te, and Hg as reported previously. The patterns of fractionation of Cl, Zn, and Ge however, differ among themselves and from the heavy chalcophile elements. Of the carbonaceous chondrites, only Orgueil is enriched in Zn and Ge, whereas all are enriched in Cl; in the enstatite chondrites only Indarch is enriched in Cl and Zn, and all are uniformly enriched in Ge. The most notable finding is the fractionation of Zn and Ge within the carbonaceous chondrite group. Of these meteorites, only Orgueil has the solar abundance of Zn and Ge. These data suggest that the fractionated elements cannot be explained by simple mechanisms; they further indicate that the group 1 carbonaceous chondrites most closery resemble the primitive material from which all meteorites evolved.