Petrophysical Properties of the HED Meteorites and the Bushveld Igneous Complex: Implications for Future Asteroid Prospecting Missions
Abstract
In this work, I make a quantitative and mineralogical comparison of Howardite-EuctriteDiogenite (HED) meteorites with terrestrial samples from the Bushveld Igneous Complex (BIC) to assess how geophysical surveys of 4 Vesta or of V-type asteroids could detect BIClike ore deposits. Petrophysical methods in this work include bulk and grain density, derived porosity (using helium pycnometry, the Archimedean method, and X-ray micro-computed tomography), magnetic susceptibility, induced polarization and resistivity, and P-wave velocity. Mineralogical methods in this work include optical microscopy, micro X-ray diffraction, micro X-ray fluorescence element mapping, and electron beam methods. Howardite NWA 15199 was classified as part of this work. Comparing HED and BIC sample properties, the magnetic susceptibility, acoustic P-wave, and electrical properties were all effective at distinguishing HED material from BIC ores, indicating that geophysical surveys of asteroids could employ magnetic and electrical methods from an orbiter to evaluate the presence and scale of chromite-bearing ore deposits.