Lithium Isotope Analyses of Inorganic Constituents from the Murchison Meteorite

Aqueous processes were important modifiers of solid matter during the early stages of solar system history. Lithium isotopes are sensitive indicators of such solid-liquid interactions because 7Li passes preferentially into solution and 6Li remains behind in the solid phase. Lithium isotope ratios of inorganic phases in the Murchison meteorite reveal that the value for the whole rock is simply the average of individual components with widely different isotopic compositions. 7Li content increases from chondrules to phyllosilicate-rich matrices to carbonates, as would be expected from the relative duration each component has spent during aqueous alteration on the parent asteroid.