The magnetic effects of brecciation and shock in meteorites: I. The Ll-chondrites

The complex brecciation and shock history of amphoterite (LL-) chondrites is well reflected in their diverse natural magnetic remanence (NRM) behavior: Most LL-chondrites have a multicomponent, undemagnetizable NRM, analogous to that of lunar breccias. Only one meteorite among those studied, namely Dhurmsala (LL6), meets the criteria of NRM stability and directional coherence with progressive AF cleaning, indicative of a useful paleoremanence. Ancient field paleointensity determinations for Dhurmsala (LL6) of 0.03 and 0.1 Oe, agree well with our earlier estimates of 0.01 and 0.08 Oe for the LL6 Jelica and Vavilovka, respectively. In light of their petrographic structure, cooling rates, radiometric ages and shock indicators, it appears likely that the NRM may have been thermally imprinted, during cooling following shock-metamorphism. The closely similar saturation remanence (IRMs) behavior for LL-chondrites, in contrast to the intragroup scatter in NRM characteristics, implies that - although formed by similar process from the same starting material, - the LL-chondrites have suffered widely different degrees of shock/metamorphic reheating.