Olivine–ringwoodite transformation in Katol meteorite: implications for localized superheating of chondritic melt and seismic attenuation

Abstract Constraining the superheating of impact melt offers insights into the temperature gradient within shock-melt veins, affecting the growth rate of polymorphic transformations and liquidus phase crystallization. Furthermore, these changes influence crucial geological and geophysical parameters, including seismic attenuation. Here, we examine the composition, texture, and growth kinetics of ringwoodites in the Katol chondrite. Temperature–time history and growth rate analysis reveal a high-pressure pulse duration of ~ 0.4 s. Our findings suggest that the chondritic melt in the Katol chondrite reached ~ 2630 K, approximately 307 K above liquidus. Moreover, we observe a significant influence of melt temperature on ringwoodite growth rate and grain size, highlighting how thermal perturbations in planetary interiors can enhance polymorphic phase transformation kinetics, thus controlling rheological properties. Additionally, we show that transformation-induced grain size reductions may decrease attenuation by up to three orders of magnitude for low-frequency regimes at a localized scale, while variations in growth rate can impact the material’s response to diverse stress oscillation frequencies.