Shock experiments on basalt—Ferric sulfate mixes and their possible relevance to the sulfide bleb clusters in large impact melts in shergottites

Large impact-melt pockets in shergottites contain both Martian regolith components and sulfide/sulfite bleb clusters that yield high sulfur concentrations locally compared to bulk shergottites. The may be the source of excess shergottite melt pockets. To explore whether shock release secondary Fe-sulfates trapped host rock voids is a plausible mechanism generate clusters, we carried out recovery experiments on an analog mixture ferric sulfate Columbia River basalt at peak pressures 21 31 GPa. recovered products from GPa experiment show mixtures Fe-sulfide Fe-sulfite blebs similar sulfur-rich found impact melts. did not such blebs. collapse porosity local high-strain shear heating presumably created high-temperature hotspots (~2000 °C) sufficient reduce Fe3+ Fe2+ decompose sulfite, followed by concomitant reduction sulfide during pressure release. Our results suggest processes might have transpired production It possible very small CO presence our could catalyzed process. We plan repeat without CO.