Hypervelocity collisions into continental crust composed of sediments and an underlying crystalline basement: comparing the Ries (∼24 km) and Chicxulub (∼180 km) impact craters

The Chicxulub and Ries impact craters were excavated from layered continental terrains that were composed of carbonate-bearing sedimentary sequences and underlying crystalline silicate basement materials. The Chicxulub and Ries impact events were sufficiently large to produce complex peak-ring impact craters. The walls of transient craters and excavation cavities, with diameters of 12-16 km for the Ries and 90-100 km for Chicxulub, collapsed to form final crater diameters of ∼24 and ∼180 km, respectively. Debris from both the sedimentary and crystalline layers was ejected during crater formation, but the bulk of the melting occurred at depth, in the silicate basement. The volume of melt and proportion of melt among shock-metamorphosed debris was far larger at Chicxulub, producing a central melt sheet ∼3 km in depth. The central melt sheet was covered with melt-bearing polymict breccias and, at the Ries, similar breccias (crater suevites) filled the central cavity. Also at the Ries (and presumably at Chicxulub), large hill-size megablocks of crystalline basement material were deposited near the transient crater rim. Blocks and megablocks of sedimentary lithologies were ejected into the modification zone between the peak ring and final crater rim, while additional material was slumping inward during crater growth, and buried beneath a fallout deposit of melt-bearing polymict breccias. The melt and surviving clasts in the breccias are dominantly derived from the deeper, basement lithologies. At greater distances, however, the ejecta is dominated by near-surface sedimentary lithologies, large blocks of which landed with such high energy that they scoured and eroded the pre-existing surface. The excavation and ejecta pattern produced lithological and chemical variations with radial distance from the crater centers that evolve from basement components near the crater centers to sedimentary components far from the crater centers. In addition, carbonate (and anhydrite in the case of Chicxulub) was vaporized, producing environmentally active gases. The vaporized volume produced by the Ries impact event was too small to dramatically alter the evolution of life, but the vaporized volume produced by the Chicxulub impact event is probably a key factor in the Cretaceous-Tertiary boundary mass extinction event.     

Yaxcopoil-1 and the Chicxulub impact

CSDP core Yaxcopoil-1 was drilled to a depth of 1,511 m within the Chicxulub crater. An organic-rich marly limestone near the base of the hole (1,495 to 1,452 m) was deposited in an open marine shelf environment during the latest Cenomanian (uppermost Rotalipora cushmani zone). The overlying sequence of limestones, dolomites and anhydrites (1,495 to 894 m) indicates deposition in various carbonate platform environments (e.g., sabkhas, lagoons). A 100-m-thick suevite breccia (894–794 m) identifies the Chicxulub impact event. Above the suevite breccia is a dolomitic limestone with planktic foraminiferal assemblages indicative of Plummerita hantkeninoides zone CF1, which spans the last 300 ky of the Maastrichtian. An erosional surface 50 cm above the breccia/dolomite contact marks the K/T boundary and a hiatus. Limestones above this contact contain the first Tertiary planktic foraminifera indicative of an upper P. eugubina zone P1a(2) age. Another hiatus 7 cm upsection separates zone P1a(2) and hemipelagic limestones of planktic foraminiferal Zone P1c. Planktic foraminiferal assemblages of Zone Plc to P3b age are present from a depth of 794.04 up to 775 m. The Cretaceous carbonate sequence appears to be autochthonous, with a stratigraphic sequence comparable to late Cretaceous sediments known from outside the Chicxulub crater in northern and southern Yucatan, including the late Cenomanian organic-rich marly limestone. There is no evidence that these sediments represent crater infill due to megablocks sliding into the crater, such as major disruption of sediments, chaotic changes in lithology, overturned or deep dipping megablocks, major mechanical fragmentation, shock or thermal alteration, or ductile deformation. Breccia units that are intercalated in the carbonate platform sequence are intraformational in origin (e.g., dissolution of evaporites) and dykes are rare. Major disturbances of strata by the impact therefore appear to have been confined to within less than 60 km from the proposed impact center. Yaxcopoil-1 may be located outside the collapsed transient crater cavity, either on the upper end of an elevated and tilted horst of the terrace zone, or even outside the annular crater cavity. The Chicxulub site thus records a large impact that predates the K/T boundary impact and mass extinction.     

Testing the resolution of a 3D velocity tomogram across the Chicxulub crater

An integrated offshore/onshore reflection and refraction experiment was shot across the Chicxulub impact crater in 1996. The refraction data were previously inverted in 3D using first-arrival travel-time tomography. A regularized inversion, in which both data misfit and model roughness are minimized simultaneously, was used to determine a smooth velocity tomogram across the inner crater region. However, the experimental geometry for the refraction data was irregular, causing concern that this velocity model might not be well resolved. In this paper, we present a suite of checkerboard tests to investigate the lateral resolution of our velocity model. The Chicxulub crater is located partly onshore and partly offshore, with its centre close to the Yucatan coastline in Mexico. The shallow water limited acquisition of marine reflection data to distances of not closer than 25 km from the crater centre, and the centre of the structure is imaged with refraction data only. Intriguing velocity anomalies were observed across the central crater region, providing constraints on the lithological and structural form of Chicxulub. A high-velocity body within the central crater is most likely to represent lower-crustal rocks that were stratigraphically uplifted during the formation of this complex crater. The concave shape of this stratigraphic uplift suggests clues to the mechanics of large-crater collapse—the rocks appear to have moved upward and outward. An inward-dipping zone of lowered velocity has been interpreted as delimiting the outer edge of a central zone of melt-rich rocks. The resolution tests presented here indicate that these observed velocity anomalies are likely to be real.     

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.     

A Late Hauterivian short-lived anoxic event in the Mediterranean Tethys: the ‘Faraoni Event’

A Late Hauterivian interval (127.5 Ma), called the ‘Faraoni Event’, which is characterised by the deposition of deep-marine black shales in the Mediterranean Tethys, is demonstrably of sufficient geological brevity to be qualified as an anoxic event. This event lies within the Pseudothurmannia catulloi ammonite subzone, coincides with the extinction of the calcareous nannofossil species Lithraphidites bollii, and records an increase in a globular planktonic foraminifer. High quantities of marine organic matter were preserved in pelagic successions from northern and central Italy, Switzerland, southeastern France, southern Spain and probably elsewhere in the Mediterranean Tethys and Atlantic Ocean. Carbon-isotope stratigraphy from Tethyan and Atlantic sections shows a minor positive excursion in the uppermost part of the Hauterivian and Lowermost Barremian, suggesting accelerated extraction of organic carbon from the ocean reservoir just after the ‘Faraoni Event’. The duration of this short event is less than 100 ka according to cyclostratigraphy and coincides with a third-order sea-level rise. It is likely that similar forcing mechanisms responsible for global OAEs operated during this short time interval. To cite this article: F. Baudin, C. R. Geoscience 337 (2005).     

Periglacial features of the Subbetic Mountains of southern Spain (Córdoba Province)

Three types of periglacial deposits (breccias, stratified breccias and grèzes litées are described from Córdoba Province in southern Spain. Their physico-chemical properties, in particular clay mineralogy in relation to terra rossas in the area, indicate two different ages for these deposits. Younger terra rossas and younger periglacial deposits contain illite and kaolinite whereas older terra rossas and older periglacial deposits contain vermiculite and kaolinite. Geomorphological evidence (altitude and relationships to the surfaces described by earlier authors in southern Spain) indicate approximate ages for the deposits. Secondary carbonate from one of the younger breccias gave a uranium series date of 80 000 yr BP, suggesting that some of the younger breccias were deposited in a periglacial climate before 80 000 BP. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Palaeoproterozoic U–Pb SHRIMP zircon age from basement rocks in Bangladesh: A possible remnant of the Columbia supercontinent

We present new U–Pb SHRIMP zircon geochronological data for basement rocks in Bangladesh, and discuss the relationship with the formation of the Columbia supercontinent. Euhedral zircons from a diorite sample yield a concordia age of 1730 ± 11 Ma, which is interpreted as the crystallization age. The Palaeoproterozoic age of the examined basement rock and the common occurrences of similar 1.7-Ga geologic units in the Central Indian Tectonic Zone and Meghalaya-Shillong Plateau in Indian Shield suggest their apparent continuation. This, together with the occurrence of similar 1.7-Ga geologic units in the Albany-Fraser belt in Australia and East Antarctica, are used to suggest that the basement rocks in Bangladesh formed towards the final stages of the assembly of the Columbia supercontinent.     

Tsunami backwash deposits with Chicxulub impact ejecta and dinosaur remains from the Cretaceous–Palaeogene boundary in the La Popa Basin,Mexico

The La Popa Basin in north‐eastern Mexico features outstanding, continuous three‐dimensional exposures of the Cretaceous–Palaeogene boundary event deposit in shallow shelf environments pierced by salt stocks. In the area to the south‐east of the El Papalote diapir, the Cretaceous–Palaeogene deposit consists of two superimposed sedimentary units and erosively overlies upper Maastrichtian sand‐siltstones with soft‐sediment deformation and liquefaction structures. The basal unit 1 is an up to 8 m thick chaotic, carbonate‐rich bed that discontinuously fills incised gutters and channels. Besides abundant silicic and carbonate ejecta spherules from the Chicxulub impact, unit 1 includes large sandstone boulders and abundant shallow‐water debris (for example, mud clasts, algae, bivalve shells, gastropod shells and vertebrate remains). Unit 1 is conformably overlain by unit 2. Distal to the diapir, unit 2 consists of a centimetre to decimetre‐thick conglomeratic, coarse bioclast and spherule‐bearing sandstone bed. Closer to the diapir, unit 2 becomes a metre‐thick series of four to eight conglomeratic to fine‐grained graded sandstone beds rich in shell debris and ejecta spherules. Unit 2 is conformably overlain by structureless to parallel laminated sandstone beds that may mark the return to the pre‐event depositional regime. The sedimentary characteristics of the Cretaceous–Palaeogene deposit, including its erosive base, its sheet‐like geometry, the presence of multiple, graded beds, evidence for upper flow regime conditions and the absence of bioturbation, support an origin by a short‐term multiphase depositional event. The occurrence of soft‐sediment deformation structures (for example, liquefaction) below the Cretaceous–Palaeogene deposit suggests that earthquakes were the first to occur at La Popa. Then, shelf collapse and strong backflow from the first tsunami waves may have triggered erosion and deposition by violent ejecta‐rich hyperconcentrated density flows (unit 1). Subsequently, a series of concentrated density flows resulting from tsunami backwash surges may have deposited the multiple‐graded bedding structures of unit 2. The specific depositional sequence and the Fe‐Mg‐rich as well as Si‐K‐rich composition of the ejecta spherules both provide a critical link to the well‐known deep marine Cretaceous–Palaeogene boundary sites in the adjacent Burgos basin in north‐eastern Mexico. Moreover, the pulse‐like input of Chicxulub ejecta material at the base of the event deposit allows for correlation with other Cretaceous–Palaeogene boundary sites in the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic, as well as in Central and Northern America. The presence of diverse dinosaur and mosasur bones and teeth in the event deposit is the first observation of such remains together with Chicxulub ejecta material. These findings indicate that dinosaurs lived in the area during the latest Maastrichtian and suggest that the tsunami waves not only eroded deltas and estuaries but the coastal plain as well.     

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.     

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.     

Tooting crater: Geology and geomorphology of the archetype large,fresh, impact crater on Mars

The 27.2 km diameter Tooting crater is the best preserved young impact crater of its size on Mars. It offers an unprecedented opportunity to study impact-related phenomena as well the geology of the crust in the Amazonis Planitia region of Mars. For example, the nearly pristine condition enables the partial reconstruction of the sequence of events for crater formation, as well as facilitates a comparison to deposits seen at the Ries crater in Germany. High-resolution images taken by the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) and Context Camera (CTX) on the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter spacecraft have revealed a wealth of information on the distribution of features within the crater and beyond the rim: a large central peak, pitted material on the floor and terrace blocks, lobate flows interpreted to be sediment flows, impact melt sheets, four discrete layers of ejecta, and an asymmetric secondary crater field. Topographic data derived from the Mars Orbiter Laser Altimeter (MOLA) and stereo HiRISE and CTX images show that the central peak is ～1100 m high, the lowest point of the crater floor is 1274 m below the highest part of the rim, and the crater rim has ～600 m of variability around its perimeter. Layering within the cavity walls indicates ～260 m of structural uplift of the target material, which constitutes ～35% of the total relief of the rim. Abundant evidence is found for water flowing down the cavity walls, and on the surface of the ejecta layers, both of which took place sometime after the impact event. Thickness measurements of the ejecta layers reveal that the continuous blanket is remarkably thin (～3–5 m) in some places, and that the distal ramparts may be ～60 m high. Crater counts made on the ejecta layers indicate a model age of <3 Ma for the formation of Tooting crater, and that the target rocks have a model age of ～240–375 Ma. It is therefore possible that this may be the source of certain basaltic shergottite meteorites ejected at ～2.8 Ma that have crystallization ages which are comparable to those of the basaltic lava flows that formed the target materials for this impact event. The geology and geomorphology of Tooting crater may help in the interpretation of older large impact craters on Mars, as well as the potential role of target volatiles in the impact cratering process.     

Derivation of detrital rutile in the Yaoundé region from the Neoproterozoic Pan-African belt in southern Cameroon (Central Africa)

Rutile, as an important component in alluvial or eluvial heavy mineral deposits, is known in southern Cameroon. These deposits are underlain by the Neoproterozoic low- to high-grade Yaoundé Group. Geochemical, thermometric, fluid inclusion and Pb isotopic studies of the rutile from alluvial and eluvial concentrates and from medium-grade micaschist from the nearby Yaoundé region permit the following conclusions: (1) alluvial and eluvial rutile of the Yaoundé region are derived from the degradation of metapelites, metamafic rocks and pegmatites of the nearby Yaoundé Group; (2) rutile in the Yaoundé Group formed during the Pan-African metamorphism, or was inherited as detrital rutile from a 900 Ma source. The study also shows that the rutile can be used to trace the history of the Pan-African belt north of the Congo craton.     

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.     

Taconic Orogeny in Pennsylvania: A 15 –20 m.y. Apennine-style Ordovician event viewed from its Martic hinterland

In Pennsylvania, the Taconic Orogeny lasted from 461 to 443 Ma as Cambro-Ordovician slope deposits were deformed into mountains edging the Laurentian craton at the same time that materials from an adjacent deep-water basin were being transported 50 –70 km across a carbonate platform into foreland basins. This paper focuses on shelf-edge hinterland features, mostly the Martic Zone as a folded, stack of imbricate thrust sheets of slope materials that corresponds to Vermont's Taconic Mountains and Southern Quebec's zone of Taconic allochthons. Work of the last century is summarized, corrected, and combined with a new 450 Ma radiometric date and fluid inclusion data from the Pequea Mine within the Martic Zone. These and abundant new graptolite and conodont dates in the foreland paint a revised Pennsylvania picture differing from the northern Taconic areas. Differences are: (1) transport of very large allochthonous masses of deep-water material, the Dauphin Formation, far across the carbonate platform, and (2) deformation migrating progressively across that platform during a 15 –20 m.y. period, incorporating it and its foreland cover into alpine-scale, recumbent folds and thrusts. The scenario has many analogies to Italy's modern Apennine Mountains minus the Latian volcanics.     

Cretaceous climate, volcanism, impacts, and biotic effects

Cretaceous volcanic activities (LIPs and CFBPs) appear to have had relatively minor biotic effects, at least at the generic level. Major biotic stress during the Cretaceous was associated with OAEs and related to nutrient availability largely from weathering, greenhouse warming, drowning of platform areas, and volcanism. The biotic effects of OAEs were often dramatic at the species level, causing the extinction of larger specialized and heavily calcified planktonic foraminifera (rotaliporid extinction) and nannoconids (nannoconid crises), the temporary disappearances of other larger species, and the rapid increase in r-selected small and thin-walled species, such as the low oxygen tolerant heterohelicids and radially elongated taxa among planktic foraminifera and thin walled nannofossils. Biotic diversity increased during cool climates, particularly during the late Campanian and Maastrichtian, reaching maximum diversity during the middle Maastrichtian. High biotic stress conditions began during greenhouse warming and Deccan volcanism about 400 ky before the K-T boundary; it reduced abundances of large specialized tropical planktic foraminiferal species and endangered their survival. By K-T time, renewed Deccan volcanism combined with a large impact probably triggered the demise of this already extinction prone species group.Evidence from NE Mexico, Texas, and the Chicxulub crater itself indicates that this 170 km-diameter crater predates the K-T boundary by 300,000 years and caused no species extinctions. The Chicxulub impact, therefore, can no longer be considered a direct cause for the K-T mass extinction. However, the K-T mass extinction is closely associated with a global Ir anomaly, which is considered too large, too widespread, and too concentrated in a thin layer to have originated from volcanic activity, leaving another large impact as the most likely source. This suggests that a second still unknown larger impact may have triggered the K-T mass extinction.     

Linking source and sink: Evaluating the balance between onshore erosion and offshore sediment accumulation since Gondwana break-up, South Africa

The geomorphic origin and evolution of the tectonically unique interior highland of southern Africa, the Kalahari Plateau, and its flanking low-lying coastal planes, remain largely unresolved because of a lack of regional quantitative analyses of its uplift and erosion history. Here we focus on the southern Cape, South Africa and link onshore denudation, based on new apatite fission track thermochronology results, to offshore sediment accumulation, using abundant well data and a seismic reflection profile. We attempt to relate source and sink in order to resolve some first order issues concerning timing of the exhumation and development of the topographic features of southern Africa. The volume of sediment accumulated off South Africa's south coast is calculated using 173 wells and a seismic reflection profile. A total, uncompacted, sediment volume of 268,500 km³ accumulated off South Africa's south coasts since  136 Ma, in the Outeniqua and Southern Outeniqua Basins. Accumulation volumes and rates were highest in the early Cretaceous (48,800 × 10⁴ km³ at  8150 km³/Ma from  136 to 130 Ma, and 57,500 × 10⁴ km³ at 5750 km³/Ma from  130 to 120 Ma) and mid–late Cretaceous (83,700 × 10⁴ km³ at 3200 km³/Ma from  93 to 67 Ma). Volumes and accumulation rates were lowest for the early–mid-Cretaceous (47,400 × 10⁴ km³ at 1750 km³/Ma from  120 to 93 Ma) and the Cenozoic (31,200 × 10⁴ km³ at 450 km³/Ma from  67 to 0 Ma). Although our analysis shows that the accumulated volume of offshore sediments does not match the calculated volume of onshore erosion, as quantified through apatite fission track thermochronology (e.g. Tinker, J.H., de Wit, M.J., Brown, R., 2008. Mesozoic exhumation of the 439 southern Cape, South Africa, quantified using apatite fission track thermochronology. Tectonophysics, doi: 10.1016/j.tecto.2007.10.009), the timing of increased sediment accumulation closely matches the timing of increased onshore denudation. This suggests that the greatest volumes of material were transported from source to sink during two distinct Cretaceous episodes, and that the processes driving onshore denudation decreased by an order of magnitude during the Cenozoic.     

The Cerro Morado Andesites: Volcanic history and eruptive styles of a mafic volcanic field from northern Puna, Argentina

The Upper Miocene Cerro Morado Andesites constitutes a mafic volcanic field (100 km²) composed of andesite to basaltic andesite rocks that crop out 75 km to the east from the current arc, in the northern Puna of Argentina. The volcanic field comprises lavas and scoria cones resulting from three different eruptive phases developed without long interruptions between each other. Lavas and pyroclastic rocks are thought to be sourced from the same vents, located where orogen-parallel north-south faults crosscut transverse structures.The first eruptive phase involved the effusion of extensive andesitic flows, and minor Hawaiian-style fountaining which formed subordinate clastogenic lavas. The second phase represents the eruption of slightly less evolved andesite lavas and pyroclastic deposits, only distributed to the north and central sectors of the volcanic field. The third phase represents the discharge of basaltic andesite magmas which occurred as both pyroclastic eruptions and lava effusion from scattered vents distributed throughout the entire volcanic field. The interpreted facies model for scoria cones fits well with products of typical Strombolian-type activity, with minor fountaining episodes to the final stages of eruptions.Petrographic and chemical features suggest that the andesitic units (SiO₂ > 57%) evolved by crystal fractionation. In contrast, characteristics of basaltic andesite rocks are inconsistent with residence in upper-crustal chambers, suggesting that batches of magmas with different origins or evolutive histories arrived at the surface and erupted coevally.Based on the eruptive styles and lack of volcanic quiescence gaps between eruptions, the Cerro Morado Andesites can be classified as a mafic volcanic field constructed from the concurrent activity of several small, probably short-lived, monogenetic centers.     

Hickman Crater,Ophthalmia Range,Western Australia: evidence supporting a meteorite impact origin ∗

A newly discovered, morphologically well-preserved crater with a mean diameter of 260 m is reported from the Ophthalmia Range, Western Australia. The crater is located in hilly terrain ～36 km north of Newman, and is situated in the Paleoproterozoic Woongarra Rhyolite and the overlying Boolgeeda Iron Formation. The morphometry of the crater is consistent with features characteristic of small meteorite impact craters. The rhyolite of the crater's rim exhibits widespread shatter features injected by veins of goethite bound by sharply defined zones of hydrous alteration. The alteration zones contain micro-fractures injected by goethite, which also fills cavities in the rhyolite. The goethite veins are interpreted in terms of forceful injection of aqueous iron-rich solutions, probably reflecting high-pressure hydrothermal activity by heated iron-rich ground water. None of these features are present in the Woongarra Rhyolite outside the immediate area of the crater. Petrography of the rhyolite indicates possible incipient intracrystalline dislocations in quartz. The Boolgeeda Iron Formation, which crops out only on the southern rim of the crater, displays brecciation and mega-brecciation superposed on fold structures typical of the banded iron-formations in the region. Geochemical analysis of two goethite veins discloses no siderophile element (Ni and PGE) anomalies, negating any contribution of material from an exploding meteorite. Instead, the strong iron-enrichment of the fractured rhyolite is attributed to a hydrothermal system affecting both the Boolgeeda Iron Formation and the Woongarra Rhyolite, and localised to the area of the crater. An absence of young fragmental volcanic material younger than the Woongarra Rhyolite is inconsistent with an explosive diatreme, leading us to a preferred interpretation in terms of an original impact crater about 80 m deep excavated by a ～10 m-diameter projectile and accompanied by hydrothermal activity. A minor north–south asymmetry of the crater, and an abundance of ejecta north, up to about 300 m northwest and northeast of the crater, suggest high-angle impact from the south. A youthful age of the structure, probably Late Pleistocene (10⁴–10⁵ years old), is indicated by damming of the drainage of a south-southeast-flowing creek by the southern crater rim.     

Paleomagnetic constraints on the paleogeography and oroclinal bending of the Devonian volcanic arc in Kazakhstan

Numerical modelling, incorporating coupling between surface processes and induced flow in the lower continental crust, is used to address the Quaternary evolution of the Gulf of Corinth region in central Greece. The post-Early Pleistocene marine depocentre beneath this Gulf overlies the northern margin of an older (Early Pleistocene and earlier) lacustrine basin, the Proto Gulf of Corinth Basin or PGCB. In the late Early Pleistocene, relief in this region was minimal but, subsequently, dramatic relief has developed, involving the creation of  900 m of bathymetry within the Gulf and the uplift by many hundreds of metres of the part of the PGCB, south of the modern Gulf, which forms the Gulf's main sediment supply. It is assumed that, as a result of climate change around 0.9 Ma, erosion of this sediment source region and re-deposition of this material within the Gulf began, both processes occurring at spatial average rates of  0.2 mm a^− 1. Modelling of the resulting isostatic response indicates that the local effective viscosity of the lower crust is  4 × 10¹⁹ Pa s, indicating a Moho temperature of  560 °C. It predicts that the  10 mm a^− 1 of extension across this  70 km wide model region, at an extensional strain rate of  0.15 Ma^− 1, is partitioned with  3 mm a^− 1 across the sediment source,  2 mm a^− 1 across the depocentre, and  5 mm a^− 1 across the ‘hinge zone’ in between, the latter value being an estimate of the extension rate on normal faults forming the major topographic escarpment at the southern margin of the Gulf. This modelling confirms the view, suggested previously, that coupling between this depocentre and sediment source by lower-crustal flow can explain the dramatic development in local relief since the late Early Pleistocene. The effective viscosity of the lower crust in this region is not particularly low; the strong coupling interpreted between the sediment source and depocentre results instead from their close proximity. In detail, the effective viscosity of the lower crust is expected to decrease northward across this model region, due to the northward increase in exposure of the base of the continental lithosphere to the asthenosphere; in the south the two are separated by the subducting Hellenic slab. The isostatic consequences of such a lateral variation in viscosity provide a natural explanation for why, since  0.9 Ma, the modern Gulf has developed asymmetrically over the northern part of the PGCB, leaving the rest of the PGCB to act as its sediment source.