Suevite of the ries crater,Germany: Source rocks and implications for cratering mechanics

Suevites are impact breccias with a montmorillonitic matrix that contains shocked and unshocked mineral and rock fragments from the crystalline basement, glass inclusions and a small amount of sedimentary clasts. Data are given of the modal composition of fall-out suevites (deposited at isolated points around the crater) and crater suevite (forming a layer below post-impact lake sediments in the crater cavity). Fall-out suevites contain aerodynamically shaped bombs which are absent in crater suevite. Taking into account not only large glass fragments and bombs, but also the finer fractions, the glass content of fall-out and crater suevites amounts to 47 and 29 vol%, respectively. Crystalline clasts in suevites consist of all igneous and metamorphic rock types that constitute the local basement which consists of an upper layer of igneous rocks (mainly granites) and a lower series of gneisses and amphibolite. Based on a collection of 1 200 clasts from 13 suevite occurrences the average crystalline clast population of suevites was determined. Suevites contain on the average 46 % igneous and 54 % metamorphic clasts. In constrast, weakly shocked and unshocked crystalline ejecta of the Ries structure consist of 82 % igneous and 18 % metamorphic rocks. From 138 analyses of crystalline rock samples average compositions of the major rock types were calculated. Comparison of these averages with the average glass composition leads to the conclusion that suevite glasses were formed by shock melting of gneisses in deeper levels of the basement. Suevite matrices consist in most cases of 80 to 90 % montmorillonite, in special cases of celadonite. Chemical analyses are given of some matrices and montmorillonite formulas calculated. It is supposed that montmorillonite was formed by early hydrothermal alteration of rock flour or fine glass particles. In the latter case the original glass content of suevites was higher than at present. Of all ejecta from the Ries crater only crystalline rocks contained in suevites occur in all stages of shock metamorphism up to complete fusion. The overwhelming majority of the ejecta from the sedimentary sequence (about 580 m) show no indications of shock pressures above 10 GPa. The same holds true for crystalline megablocks and breccias around the crater which consist mainly of granites from upper levels of the basement. We assume that the Ries impact can be approximated by a deep-burst model: The projectile penetrated through the sedimentary cover into the basement in such a way that the highest pressures and temperatures developed within the gneiss complex below the upper, predominately granitic layer and that rocks of the sedimentary sequence experienced weak shock compression. Numerical data are given for such a model of the Ries impact on transient crater geometry and volumes of vaporized, melted, shocked and excavated rocks. Fall-out suevites are supposed to have been lifted from the central zone by an expanding plume of vaporized rocks and deposited as fluidized turbulent masses outside the crater whereas the main mass of crater suevite was not removed from the crater cavity.     

Multiring-forming large bolide impacts and evolution of planetary surfaces

In the past few years, meteoritic and cometary impacts have emerged as a major geological agent in the construction and evolution of planetary surfaces. Formation of complex central ring, peak ring and multiring craters involves excavation and melting of large volumes of crustal material. High-resolution geophysical mapping measuring gravity, magnetics, and topography of the Moon and Mars have recently provided information on the subsurface structure of large basins and aided in identifying buried giant craters. The terrestrial crater record has been significantly erased by tectonic, magmatic, and erosion processes and only a small proportion of impact structures remain. Record of multiring craters is limited to three examples: Vredefort, Sudbury and Chicxulub. Deep geophysical surveys and geochemical and isotopic studies of those craters provide means to evaluate the influence of large impacts on the lithospheric and crustal evolution by providing estimates of excavation depth and volume, amounts of material fragmented, ejected, vaporized and melted, and effects on the crustal stratigraphy and crustal thickness. Analyses on the melt from Vredefort, Sudbury, and Chicxulub indicate andesitic composition derived from lower-crustal material. The melt formed inside the lower transient cavity from lower crustal material that was then redistributed and emplaced in upper-crustal levels, resulting in crustal redistribution. Crystalline basement clasts fragmented and incorporated into the breccias show varying degrees of alteration but no significant thermal effects. Ejecta were deposited locally within the crater region and ballistic material and fine ejecta are globally distributed on the planetary surface. Impacts influence the crust–mantle boundary, with Moho uplift. Material from the mantle was not incorporated into the melt and impact breccias, indicating that the excavation cavities were confined to the lower crust. This is also apparently the case for the giant basins on the Moon, including the 2500 km diameter South Pole-Aitken Basin. Considering the numbers of large multiring basins, possible flux of large impacts, and effects on target surfaces, crustal scale redistribution of material during those large impacts has played a major role in the evolution of planetary surfaces.     

岫岩陨石坑撞击角砾岩的岩相学和冲击变质特征SCIEI北大核心CSCD

撞击角砾岩是陨石撞击过程形成的特有岩石种类,是研究撞击成坑过程、陨石坑定年、矿物岩石冲击变质的理想对象。岫岩陨石坑是一个直径1800m的简单陨石坑,坑内有大量松散堆积的撞击角砾岩。本研究通过光学显微镜、费氏台、电子探针、X射线荧光光谱仪、电感耦合等离子质谱仪等分析测试手段,主要研究了岫岩陨石坑撞击角砾岩的岩相学和冲击变质特征,并在此基础上讨论了撞击角砾岩的形成过程和陨石坑的形貌特征。岫岩陨石坑内产出有三种撞击角砾岩,分别是来自上部的玄武质角砾岩和复成分岩屑角砾岩,以及底部的含熔体角砾岩。组成玄武质角砾岩和复成分岩屑角砾岩的碎屑受到的冲击程度较低,仅有少量石英发育面状变形页理,指示不超过20GPa的冲击压力。而组成含熔体角砾岩的碎屑受到了很强的冲击,发育了熔融硅酸盐玻璃、石英面状变形页理、柯石英、二氧化硅玻璃、击变长石玻璃、莱氏石等冲击变质特征,指示的峰值压力超过50GPa。本研究证实了含熔体角砾岩通常产出在简单陨石坑底部,由瞬间坑的坑缘和坑壁垮塌的岩石碎屑与坑底的冲击熔体混合形成。岫岩坑的真实深度是495m,真实深度与直径的比值为0.275,符合简单陨石坑的尺寸特征。陨石坑内的撞击角砾岩中心厚度为188m,与直径之比为0.104,略低于其它简单坑,可能是受丘陵地貌影响导致改造阶段垮塌到坑内的岩石角砾偏少。     

Homogeneous impact melts produced by a heterogeneous target?: Sr-Nd isotopic evidence from the Popigai crater, Russia

The 35.7 ± 0.2 Ma old Popigai crater, Siberia, with a diameter of about 100 km is one of the best preserved large terrestrial impact structures. The heterogeneous target at the impact site consists of Archean to Lower Proterozoic metamorphic rocks of the crystalline basement, Upper Proterozoic quartzites and other clastic deposits, as well as Cambrian to Cretaceous clastic sediments and sedimentary rocks, including carbonate rocks. Moreover, Proterozoic and Permo-Triassic dolerite dykes are found in the target area. We report major element, Sr and Nd isotope data for 13 of these target rocks and for various types of impactites. The 15 analysed impactite samples include tagamites (impact melt rocks), suevites and impact glass from small veins. Furthermore, two impact breccias and two impact glass-coated gneiss bombs were analysed. We discuss the relation of these impactites to the target lithologies, and evaluate on the basis of literature data the relation of microkrystites (and associated microtektites) in Upper Eocene sediments to the Popigai event.The impactites have SiO₂ abundances ranging from 59 to 66 wt.% and show significant variations in the content of Fe, Ca, and Ti. They have present day ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratios between 0.7191 and 0.7369. Their Sr model ages T^Sr_UR range from 1.9 to 2.3 Ga. The ¹⁴³Nd/¹⁴⁴Nd ratios for the impactite samples cluster between 0.5113 and 0.5115. The Nd model ages T^Nd_CHUR range from 1.9 to 2.1 Ga.In an ε_CHUR(Nd)-ε_UR(Sr) diagram, the impactites and Upper Eocene microkrystites (and associated microtektites) plot in a field delimited by Popigai target lithologies. The impactites are restricted to the field of crystalline basement rocks and Upper Proterozoic quartzites, but they show different isotopic signatures in different crater sectors. Impactites and Upper Eocene microkrystites plot in different, only partly overlapping clusters. The leucocratic microkrystites and microtektites have a higher affinity to the post-Proterozoic rocks in the target area than the impactites. Seemingly, the melanocratic microkrystites originated mostly from crystalline basement. This data alignment supports the assumption that Popigai is the source crater for all three types of ejecta. For the first time, clear relations are established of the geochemically variable Upper Eocene microkrystites and associated microtektites to specific target lithologies at Popigai crater. Finally, the observed range in Sr and Nd isotope parameters determined for impact melt lithologies that originated during the Popigai event show a much higher variability than known from other craters. This result indicates that mixing of impact melt which later formed tagamite sheets and glass particles in different impact breccias, was incomplete at the time of ejecta dispersal.     

Impact ejecta and carbonate sequence in the eastern sector of the Chicxulub crater

The Chicxulub 200 km diameter crater located in the Yucatan platform of the Gulf of Mexico formed 65 Myr ago and has since been covered by Tertiary post-impact carbonates. The sediment cover and absence of significant volcanic and tectonic activity in the carbonate platform have protected the crater from erosion and deformation, making Chicxulub the only large multi-ring crater in which ejecta is well preserved. Ejecta deposits have been studied by drilling/coring in the southern crater sector and at outcrops in Belize, Quintana Roo and Campeche; little information is available from other sectors. Here, we report on the drilling/coring of a section of 34 m of carbonate breccias at 250 m depth in the Valladolid area (120 km away from crater center), which are interpreted as Chicxulub proximal ejecta deposits. The Valladolid breccias correlate with the carbonate breccias cored in the Peto and Tekax boreholes to the south and at similar radial distance. This constitutes the first report of breccias in the eastern sector close to the crater rim. Thickness of the Valladolid breccias is less than that at the other sites, which may indicate erosion of the ejecta deposits before reestablishment of carbonate deposition. The region east of the crater rim appears different from regions to the south and west, characterized by high density and scattered distribution of sinkholes.     

Complex magmatic and impact history prior to 4.1 Ga recorded in zircon from Apollo 17 South Massif aphanitic breccia 73235

Sample 73235 is one of several aphanitic impact melt breccias collected by the Apollo 17 mission at stations 2 and 3 on the slopes of the South Massif. This study presents a detailed investigation of internal structures and U-Pb ages of large zircon grains from this breccia sample. New data combined with the results of previous studies of zircon grains from the same location indicate that most zircon clasts in breccias from stations 2 and 3 formed during multiple magmatic events between 4.37 and 4.31 Ga, although the oldest zircon crystallized at about 4.42 Ga and the youngest at 4.21 Ga. In addition, zircons from the aphanitic breccias record several impact events prior to the ∼3.9 Ga Late Heavy Bombardment. The results indicate that the zircons probably crystallized at different locations within the Procellarum KREEEP Terrane and were later excavated and modified by several impacts and delivered to the same locality within separate ejecta blankets. This locality became a source of material that formed the aphanitic impact melt breccias of the South Massif during a ∼3.9 Ga impact. However, the zircons, showing old impact features, are not modified by this ∼3.9 Ga impact event suggesting that (i) this common source area was located at the periphery of excavation cavity, and (ii) the > 3.9 Ga ages recorded by the zircon grains could date large (basin-forming) events as significant as major later (∼3.9 Ga) collisions such as Imbrium and Serenitatis.     

Verteilung,Eigenschaften und Entstehung der Auswurfsmassen des Impaktkraters Nördlinger Ries

Regarding the importance of the Ries impact structure in the field of planetary geology an attempt is made to synthesize the presently known results of geologic mapping in the Ries area and of general field and laboratory observations. The ballistic bulk ejecta of the crater (diameter about 23 km) form a continuous blanket of mixed breccia (“Bunte Trümmermassen”). Outside the crater more than 90% of its constituents are derived from unshocked fragments of the 750 m thick pre-Ries sedimentary rock strata. This blanket is overlain with a sharp discontinuity by suevite breccia which forms a continuous layer inside the crater and patch-like isolated occurrences outside the crater. Their pattern of distribution is believed to be primary. Suevite is mainly composed of fragments of all stages of shock metamorphism derived from the crystalline basement. The present asymmetrical distribution of éjecta outside the crater rim results from relatively young erosion during the Pliocene and Pleistocene periods. The erosional history indicates that the primary distribution of ejecta was symmetrical with respect to the center of the crater extending up to a distance of at least some 40 km from the impact center. A number of characteristics of the structure and composition of the Ries ejecta formations are discussed and verified quantitatively by new field data. It is shown that the structure and composition of the ejecta formations can be explained qualitatively by the physics of impact cratering and be duplicated by hypervelocity cratering experiments.     

The 1992 drill core from the Kalkkop impact crater, Eastern Cape Province, South Africa: stratigraphy, petrography, geochemistry and age

New drill core data are provided which support earlier interpretations that the Kalkkop structure, a 600–630 m wide, near-circular feature south-southwest of Graaff-Reinet in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa, is a meteorite impact crater. Shock metamorphosed clasts in suevitic crater fill and Re---Os isotope data of this breccia indicate the presence of a minor (0.05%) meteoritic component in the suevite. The new data come from a 1992 borehole, which transected the complete crater fill and extended from about 160 to 380 m depth into the sedimentary basement belonging to the Koonap Formation of the Beaufort Group (Karoo Supergroup). Dyke breccias were found in the otherwise coherent Beaufort Group sediments forming the floor to the Kalkkop Crater. Mostly narrow zones of different breccia types, including injections of lithic impact breccia, a possible pseudotachylite veinlet and cataclasite occur predominantly in an approximately 65 m wide zone below the crater floor, with a few other cataclasite occurrences found lower down in the basement. Stratigraphical crater constraints provide information for the depth-diameter scaling and breccia volumes associated with such small, bowl-shaped impact craters formed in sedimentary targets.U---Th series dating of limestone samples from near the top and the bottom of the crater sediment fill constraints the age of the Kalkkop impact event to about 250 ± 50 ka, similar to the age of the Pretoria Saltpan impact crater, also located in South Africa. The variety of different breccia types (polymict and monomict impact breccias; local formations of pseudotachylitic and cataclastic breccias) observed in the crater fill of the Kalkkop Crater indicates the need to carefully distinguish different breccia types in order to assess the respective importance of each formation.     

The Sudbury Structure (Ontario,Canada): a tectonically deformed multi-ring impact basin

The occurrence of shock metamorphic features substantiates an impact origin for the 1.85 Ga old Sudbury Structure, but this has not been universally accepted. Recent improvements in knowledge of large-scale impact processes, combined with new petrographic, geochemical, geophysical (LITHOPROBE) and structural data, allow the Sudbury Structure to be interpreted as a multi-ring impact structure. The structure consists of the following lithologies: Sudbury Breccia —dike breccias occurring up to 80 km from the Sudbury Igneous Complex (SIC); Footwall rocks and Footwall Breccia — brecciated, shocked crater floor materials, in part thermally metamorphosed by the overlying SIC; Sublayer and Offset Dikes, Main Mass of the SIC and Basal Member of the Onaping Formation (OF) — geochemically heterogeneous coherent impact melt complex ranging from inclusion-rich basal unit through a dominantly inclusion-free to a capping inclusion-rich impact melt rock; Grey Member of OF — melt-rich impact breccia (suevite); Green Member of OF — thin layer of fall back ejecta; Black Member of OF — reworked and redeposited breccia material; Onwatin and Chelmsford Formations — post-impact sediments. Observational and analytical data support an integrated step-by-step impact model for the genesis of these units. Analysis of the present spatial distribution of various impact-related lithologies and shock metamorphic effects result in an estimated original rim-to-rim diameter of the final crater of 200 or even 280 km for the Sudbury Structure, prior to tectonic thrusting and deformation during the Penokean orogeny.     

Peering inside the peak ring of the Chicxulub Impact Crater—its nature and formation mechanism

The IODP‐ICDP Expedition 364 drilled into the Chicxulub crater, peering inside its well‐preserved peak ring. The borehole penetrated a sequence of post‐impact carbonates and a unit of suevites and clast‐poor impact melt rock at the top of the peak ring. Beneath this sequence, basement rocks cut by pre‐impact and impact dykes, with breccias and melt, were encountered at shallow depths. The basement rocks are fractured, shocked and uplifted, consistent with dynamic collapse, uplift and long‐distance transport of weakened material during collapse of the transient cavity and final crater formation.     

Petrographie,Stoßwellenmetamorphose und Entstehung polymikter kristalliner Breccien im Nördlinger Ries

Polymict cristalline breccias are typical impact products of the Ries crater. They occur within the Ries crater (Appetshofen, Lierheim, Leopold Meyers Keller), on its rim (Maihingen-Klostermühle) and within the immediate vicinity of the crater (Itzing). Apart from very rare admixtures of sedimentary rock fragments the polymict cristalline breccias consist almost exclusively of fragments of various cristalline rocks, namely granites, gneisses and amphibolites. The petrographical and statistical investigations have shown that breccias from different localities have different composition. This reflects a possible difference in local compositions of the cristalline basement. The rocks in the breccias have been affected to various degress by shock metamorphism. The amphibolites could thus be shown to belong predominantly to stage I (diaplectic quartz and feldspar, 100–300 kb) and stage II (diaplectic quartz and feldspar glasses, 350–500 kb) whereas the granites and geisses can be attributed mostly to stage 0 (fractured quartz and feldspar, <100 kb) and stage I. This is in part the result of the bulk shock wave impedance of the rocks in question.Deformation structures resulting from shock metamorphism have been observed for the first time in sphene as well as in various planes of apatite.A large part of breccia rocks, which contain diaplectic quartz and feldspar glasses were altered into montmorillonite at a later date. The authigenic minerals were examined by x-rays and chemically by microprobe analysis.

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Herrn Prof. Dr. W. von Engelhardt danke ich für Diskussion und Beratung. Dem Bundesministerium für Bildung und Wissenschaft sei für die finanzielle Unterstützung dieser Arbeit gedankt.     

Resolving impact volatilization and condensation from target rock mixing and hydrothermal overprinting within the Chicxulub impact structure

This work presents isotopic data for the non-traditional isotope systems Fe, Cu, and Zn on a set of Chicxulub impactites and target lithologies with the aim of better documenting the dynamic processes taking place during hypervelocity impact events, as well as those affecting impact structures during the post-impact phase. The focus lies on material from the recent IODP-ICDP Expedition 364 Hole M0077A drill core obtained from the offshore Chicxulub peak ring. Two ejecta blanket samples from the UNAM 5 and 7 cores were used to compare the crater lithologies with those outside of the impact structure. The datasets of bulk Fe, Cu, and Zn isotope ratios are coupled with petrographic observations and bulk major and trace element compositions to disentangle equilibrium isotope fractionation effects from kinetic processes. The observed Fe and Cu isotopic signatures, with δ^56/54Fe ranging from ?0.95‰ to 0.58‰ and δ^65/63Cu from ?0.73‰ to 0.14‰, mostly reflect felsic, mafic, and carbonate target lithology mixing and secondary sulfide mineral formation, the latter associated to the extensive and long-lived (>10⁵ years) hydrothermal system within Chicxulub structure. On the other hand, the stable Zn isotope ratios provide evidence for volatility-governed isotopic fractionation. The heavier Zn isotopic compositions observed for the uppermost part of the impactite sequence and a metamorphic clast (δ^66/64Zn of up to 0.80‰ and 0.87‰, respectively) relative to most basement lithologies and impact melt rock units indicate partial vaporization of Zn, comparable to what has been observed for Cretaceous-Paleogene boundary layer sediments around the world, as well as for tektites from various strewn fields. In contrast to previous work, our data indicate that an isotopically light Zn reservoir (δ^66/64Zn down to ?0.49‰), of which the existence has previously been suggested based on mass balance considerations, may reside within the upper impact melt rock (UIM) unit. This observation is restricted to a few UIM samples only and cannot be extended to other target or impact melt rock units. Light isotopic signatures of moderately volatile elements in tektites and microtektites have previously been linked to (back-)condensation under distinct kinetic regimes. Although some of the signatures observed may have been partially overprinted during post-impact processes, our bulk data confirm impact volatilization and condensation of Zn, which may be even more pronounced at the microscale, with variable degrees of mixing between isotopically distinct reservoirs, not only at proximal to distal ejecta sites, but also within the lithologies associated with the Chicxulub impact crater.     

Imbrium provenance for the Apollo 16 Descartes terrain: Argon ages and geochemistry of lunar breccias 67016 and 67455

In order to improve our understanding of impact history and surface geology on the Moon, we obtained ⁴⁰Ar-³⁹Ar incremental heating age data and major + trace element compositions of anorthositic and melt breccia clasts from Apollo 16 feldspathic fragmental breccias 67016 and 67455. These breccias represent the Descartes terrain, a regional unit often proposed to be ejecta from the nearby Nectaris basin. The goal of this work is to better constrain the emplacement age and provenance of the Descartes breccias.Four anorthositic clasts from 67016 yielded well-defined ⁴⁰Ar-³⁹Ar plateau ages ranging from 3842 ± 19 to 3875 ± 20 Ma. Replicate analyses of these clasts all agree within measurement error, with only slight evidence for either inheritance or younger disturbance. In contrast, fragment-laden melt breccia clasts from 67016 yielded apparent plateau ages of 4.0-4.2 Ga with indications of even older material (to 4.5 Ga) in the high-T fractions. Argon release spectra of the 67455 clasts are more variable with evidence for reheating at 2.0-2.5 Ga. We obtained plateau ages of 3801 ± 29 to 4012 ± 21 Ma for three anorthositic clasts, and 3987 ± 21 Ma for one melt breccia clast. The anorthositic clasts from these breccias and fragments extracted from North Ray crater regolith (Maurer et al., 1978) define a combined age of 3866 ± 9 Ma, which we interpret as the assembly age of the feldspathic fragmental breccia unit sampled at North Ray crater. Systematic variations in diagnostic trace element ratios (Sr/Ba, Ti/Sm, Sc/Sm) with incompatible element abundances show that ferroan anorthositic rocks and KREEP-bearing lithologies contributed to the clast population.The Descartes breccias likely were deposited as a coherent lithologic unit in a single event. Their regional distribution suggests emplacement as basin ejecta. An assembly age of 3866 ± 9 Ma would be identical with the accepted age of the Imbrium basin, and trace element compositions are consistent with a provenance in the Procellarum-KREEP Terrane. The combination of age and provenance constraints points toward deposition of the Descartes breccias as ejecta from the Imbrium basin rather than Nectaris. Diffusion modeling shows that the older apparent plateau ages of the melt brecia clasts plausibly result from incomplete degassing of ancient crust during emplacement of the Descartes breccias. Heating steps in the melt breccia clasts that approach the primary crystallization ages of lunar anorthosites show that earlier impact events did not completely outgas the upper crust.     

The melt rocks of the Vredefort impact structure - Vredefort Granophyre and pseudotachylitic breccias: Implications for impact cratering and the evolution of the Witwatersrand Basin

The unique combination of its large size (250-300 km diameter), deep levels of erosion (>7 km), and widespread regional mining activity make the Vredefort impact structure in South Africa an exceptional laboratory for the study of impact-related deformation phenomena in the rocks beneath giant, complex impact craters. Two types of impact-generated melt rock occur in the Vredefort Structure: the Vredefort Granophyre - impact melt rock - and pseudotachylitic breccias. Along the margins of the structure, mining and exploration drilling in the Witwatersrand goldfields has revealed widespread fault-related pseudotachylitic breccias linked to the impact event. There, volumetrically limited melt breccia occurs in close association with cataclasite or mylonitic zones associated with bedding-parallel normal dip-slip faults that formed during inward slumping of the crater walls, and in rare subvertical faults oriented radially to the center of the structure. This association is consistent with formation of pseudotachylites by frictional melting. On the other hand, rocks in the Vredefort Dome - the central uplift of the impact structure - contain ubiquitous melt breccias that range in size from sub-millimeter pods and veinlets to dikes up to tens of meters wide and hundreds of meters long. Like fault-related pseudotachylites in the goldfields and elsewhere in the world, they display a close geochemical relationship to their wallrocks, indicating local derivation. However, although mm/cm- to, rarely, dm-scale offsets are commonly found along their margins, they do not appear to be associated with broader fault zones, are commonly considerably more voluminous than most known fault-related pseudotachylites, and show no consistent relationship between melt volumes and slip magnitude. Recent petrographic observations indicate that at least some of these melt breccias formed by shock melting, with or without frictional melting. Consequently, the non-genetic term “pseudotachylitic breccia” has been adopted for these Vredefort occurrences. These breccias formed during the impact in rocks at temperatures ranging from greenschist to granulite facies, and were subsequently annealed to varying degrees during cooling of the central uplift.In addition to the pseudotachylitic breccias, nine clast-laden impact melt dikes (Vredefort Granophyre), each up to several kilometers long, occur in vertical radial and tangential fractures in the Vredefort Dome. Unlike the pseudotachylitic breccias, they display a remarkably uniform bulk composition and clast populations that are largerly independent of their wallrocks, and they contain geochemical traces of the impactor. They represent intrusive offshoots of the homogenized impact melt body that originally lay within the crater. U-Pb single zircon and Ar-Ar dating indicates that the Vredefort Granophyre and pseudotachylitic breccias, and the Witwatersrand pseudotachylites all formed at 2020±5 Ma - the age of the impact event, making the breccias a convenient time marker in the evolution of the structurally complex Witwatersrand basin with its unique gold deposits.     

Identification of the projectile at the Brent crater,and further considerations of projectile types at terrestrial craters

Impact melt samples from drill hole B1-59 at the 3.8 km diameter Brent crater (Ontario) have been analysed for siderophile trace elements indicative of meteoritic contamination. Samples from the basal melt zone at 823–857 m depth are enriched in Ir, Os, Pd, Ni, Co, Cr and Se over basement, with the abundance pattern suggesting a chondritic projectile for Brent. From a Ni-Cr correlation of 10 melt samples an L or LL chondrite is inferred. The contribution of an ultramafic country rock (alnoite) in the melt is too small to significantly influence its $\text{Ni}\text{Cr}$ ratio. Glass-rich breccias from the allochthonous breccias filling the crater also contain a meteoritic component. Interelement ratios (e.g. $\text{Ni}\text{Cr}$) are, however, fractionated relative to the melt zone samples. This, as well as the low Au content of all Brent samples, is probably a product of alteration.Additional data on impact melts from the 65 km diameter crater Manicouagan still did not reveal a meteoritic component, as also for the Mistastin crater (28 km diameter) where Cr analyses set an upper limit of 1% of an achondritic projectile component in the melt. Irghizites (tektite like glasses) from the Zhamanshin impact structure have been found to contain high Ni and Co concentrations, and our data show that Ir is also enriched. It is however not possible to define the projectile-type. Enrichment of an Ivory Coast tektite in Ir is confirmed. There are large differences in siderophile element concentrations among tektites, with otherwise similar chemical composition.There are now four known craters formed by chondrites (Clearwater East, Lapparjärvi, Wanapitei, and Brent), with Brent being the smallest of these. For smaller craters the projectiles appear to be limited to iron or stony-iron meteorites, because of atmospheric destruction of relatively small stony meteorites. It appears, however, that all major classes of meteorites are represented among the projectiles at terrestrial impact craters.     

The impact environment of the Hadean Earth

Impact bombardment in the first billion years of solar system history determined in large part the initial physical and chemical states of the inner planets and their potential to host biospheres. The range of physical states and thermal consequences of the impact epoch, however, are not well quantified. Here, we assess these effects on the young Earth's crust as well as the likelihood that a record of such effects could be preserved in the oldest terrestrial minerals and rocks. We place special emphasis on modeling the thermal effects of the late heavy bombardment (LHB) – a putative spike in the number of impacts at about 3.9 Gyr ago – using several different numerical modeling and analytical techniques. A comprehensive array of impact-produced heat sources was evaluated which includes shock heating, impact melt generation, uplift, and ejecta heating. Results indicate that ∼1.5–2.5 vol.% of the upper 20 km of Earth's crust was melted in the LHB, with only ∼0.3–1.5 vol.% in a molten state at any given time. The model predicts that approximately 5–10% of the planet's surface area was covered by >1 km deep impact melt sheets. A global average of ∼600–800 m of ejecta and ∼800–1000 m of condensed rock vapor is predicted to have been deposited in the LHB, with most of the condensed rock vapor produced by the largest (>100-km) projectiles. To explore for a record of such catastrophic events, we created two- and three-dimensional models of post-impact cooling of ejecta and craters, coupled to diffusion models of radiogenic Pb*-loss in zircons. We used this to estimate what the cumulative effects of putative LHB-induced age resetting would be of Hadean zircons on a global scale. Zircons entrained in ejecta are projected to have the following average global distribution after the end of the LHB: ∼59% with no impact-induced Pb*-loss, ∼26% with partial Pb*-loss and ∼15% with complete Pb*-loss or destruction of the grain. In addition to the relatively high erodibility of ejecta, our results show that if discordant ca. 3.9 Gyr old zones in the Jack Hills zircons are a signature of the LHB, they were most likely sourced from impact ejecta.     

Stratigraphy at Ground Zero: A Contemporary Evaluation of Well Data in the Chicxulub Impact Basin

Evidence of “Upper Cretaceous” sediments above the melt rock/breccia assemblage at Chicxulub has been used to dispute the link between this large impact crater and the Cretaceous-Tertiary (KT) extinction horizon. We have evaluated core samples and well logs from the Petróleos Mexicanos (Pemex) Yucatan No. 6 exploratory well located ～50 km from ground zero. Despite previous reports to the contrary, the sequence of crystalline rocks and breccias located at depths exceeding 1000 m below sea level are characteristic of the upper lithological sequence observed at other large impact basins such as the 220 km Sudbury structure. Furthermore, the “Upper Cretaceous” sediments overlying the melt rocks and impact brecias at Chicxulub contain abundant glass shards and shocked minerals, demonstrating conclusively that these are reworked debris involved in the impact event, and not normal marine sediments. Core samples straddling the KT boundary indicate that the impact event created a basin several hundred meters deep.     

UNAM Scientific Shallow-Drilling Program of the Chicxulub Impact Crater

A scientific drilling program is being carried out by the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) at the southern sector of the Chicxulub impact crater in the Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico. Eight boreholes, ranging in depth from 60 m to 702 m, with a total of 2.62 km of continuos core, were recovered. A high recovery rate of up to 99% (overall average recovery rate for the eight boreholes is 87%) allows us to investigate in detail the stratigraphy of the impact lithologies and the Tertiary carbonate sequence. Three of the boreholes (UNAM-5, UNAM-6, and UNAM-7, with core recovery rates from 89 to 99%) sampled impact breccias that were classified in two units—an upper breccia sequence rich in basement clasts, impact glass, and fragments of melt (suevitelike breccia) and a lower breccia sequence rich in limestone, dolomite, and evaporite clasts (bunte-like breccia). Depths of contact between the Tertiary carbonate sequence and the impact breccias are 332.0 m in UNAM-5, 222.2 m in UNAM-7, and 282.8 m in UNAM-6, giving the depth to the K/T boundary. In UNAM-7, the contact between the upper and the lower breccias is at 348.4 m, which yields a thickness of 126.2 m for the suevitelike breccia. The rest of the boreholes sampled part of the Tertiary carbonate sequence (～200 m thick), composed mainly of limestones, dolomitized carbonates, and calcarenite, with some fossiliferous horizons.     

A dual-layer Chicxulub ejecta sequence with shocked carbonates from the Cretaceous-Paleogene (K-Pg) boundary, Demerara Rise, western Atlantic

An up to ∼2-cm thick Chicxulub ejecta deposit marking the Cretaceous-Paleogene (K-Pg) boundary (the “K-T” boundary) was recovered in six holes drilled during ODP Leg 207 (Demerara Rise, tropical western Atlantic). Stunning features of this deposit are its uniformity over an area of 30 km² and the total absence of bioturbation, allowing documentation of the original sedimentary sequence. High-resolution mineralogical, petrological, elemental, isotopic (Sr-Nd), and rock magnetic data reveal a distinct microstratigraphy and a range of ejecta components. The deposit is normally graded and composed predominantly of rounded, 0.1- to max. 1-mm sized spherules. Spherules are altered to dioctahedral aluminous smectite, though occasionally relict Si-Al-rich hydrated glass is also present, suggesting acidic precursor lithologies. Spherule textures vary from hollow to vesicle-rich to massive; some show in situ collapse, others include distinct Fe-Mg-Ca-Ti-rich melt globules and lath-shaped Al-rich quench crystals. Both altered glass spherules and the clay matrix (Site 1259B) display strongly negative values (−17) indicating uptake of Nd from contemporaneous ocean water during alteration. Finally, Fe-Mg-rich spherules, shocked quartz and feldspar grains, few lithic clasts, as well as abundant accretionary and porous carbonate clasts are concentrated in the uppermost 0.5-0.7 mm of the deposit. The carbonate clasts display in part very unusual textures, which are interpreted to be of shock-metamorphic origin. The preservation of delicate spherule textures, normal grading with lack of evidence for traction transport, and sub-millimeter scale compositional trends provide evidence for this spherule deposit representing a primary air-fall deposit not affected by significant reworking.The ODP Leg 207 spherule deposit is the first known dual-layer K-Pg boundary in marine settings; it incorporates compositional and stratigraphic aspects of both proximal and distal marine sites. Its stratigraphy strongly resembles the dual-layer K-Pg boundary deposits in the terrestrial Western Interior of North America (although there carbonate phases are not preserved). The occurrence of a dual ejecta layer in these quite different sedimentary environments - separated by several thousands of kilometers - provides additional evidence for an original sedimentary sequence. Therefore, the layered nature of the deposit may document compositional differences between ballistic Chicxulub ejecta forming the majority of the spherule deposit, and material falling out from the vapor (ejecta) plume, which is concentrated in the uppermost part.     

Apollo 12 revisited

We present compositional data for 358 lithic fragments (2-4-mm size range) and 15 soils (<1-mm fines) from regolith samples collected at the Apollo 12 site. The regolith is dominated by mare basalt, KREEP impact-melt breccias (crystalline and glassy), and regolith breccias. Minor components include alkali anorthosite, alkali norite, granite, quartz monzogabbro, and anorthositic rocks from the feldspathic highlands. The typical KREEP impact-melt breccia of Apollo 12 (mean Th: 16 μg/g) is similar to that of the Apollo 14 site (16 μg/g), 180 km away. Both contain a minor component (0.3% at Apollo 12, 0.6% at Apollo 14) of FeNi metal that is dissimilar to metal in ordinary chondrites but is similar to metal found in Apollo 16 impact-melt breccias. The Apollo 12 regolith contains another variety of KREEP impact-melt breccia that differs from any type of breccia described from the Apollo sites in being substantially richer in Th (30 μg/g) but with only moderate concentrations of K. It is, however, similar in composition to the melt breccia lithology in lunar meteorite Sayh al Uhaymir 169. The average composition of typical mature soil corresponds to a mixture of 65% mare basalt, 20% typical KREEP impact-melt breccia, 7% high-Th impact-melt breccia, 6% feldspathic material, 2.6% alkali noritic anorthosite, and 0.9% CM chondrite. Thus, although the site was resurfaced by basaltic volcanism 3.1-3.3 Ga ago, a third of the material in the present regolith is of nonmare origin, mainly in the form of KREEP impact-melt breccias and glass. These materials occur in the Apollo 12 regolith mainly as a result of moderate-sized impacts into surrounding Fra Mauro and Alpes Formations that formed craters Copernicus (93 km diameter, 406 km distance), Reinhold (48 km diameter, 196 km distance), and possibly Lansberg (39 km diameter, 108 km distance), aided by excavation of basalt interlayers and mixing of regolith by small, local impacts. Anomalous immature soil samples 12024, 12032, and 12033 contain a lesser proportion of mare basalt and a correspondingly greater proportion of KREEP lithologies. These samples consist mainly of fossil or paleoregolith, likely ejecta from Copernicus, that was buried beneath the mixing zone of micrometeorite gardening, and then brought to the near surface by local craters such as Head, Bench, and Sharp Craters.