Petrographic investigation of shatter cone melt films recovered from MEMIN impact experiments in sandstone and iSALE modeling of their formation boundary conditions

Shatter cones are diagnostic for the recognition of meteorite impact craters. They are unambiguously identifiable in the field and the only macroscopic shock deformation feature. However, the physical boundary conditions and exact formation mechanism(s) are still a subject of debate. Melt films found on shatter cone surfaces may allow the constraint of pressure–temperature conditions during or immediately after their formation. Within the framework of the MEMIN research group, we recovered 24 shatter cone fragments from the ejecta of hypervelocity impact experiments. Here, we focus on silicate melt films (now quenched to glass) found on shatter cone surfaces formed in experiments with 20–80 cm sized sandstone targets, impacted by aluminum and iron meteorite projectiles of 5 and 12 mm diameter at velocities of 7.0 and 4.6 km s⁻¹, respectively. The recovered shatter cone fragments vary in size from 1.2 to 9.3 mm. They show slightly curved, striated surfaces, and conical geometries with apical angles of 36°–52°. The fragments were recovered from experiments with peak pressures ranging from 46 to 86 GPa, and emanated from a zone within 0.38 crater radii. Based on iSale modeling and petrographic investigations, the shatter coned material experienced low bulk shock pressures of 0.5–5 GPa, whereas deformation shows a steep increase toward the shatter cone surface leading to localized melting of the rock, resulting in both vesicular as well as polished melt textures visible under the SEM. Subjacent to the melt films are zones of fragmentation and brittle shear, indicating movement away from the shatter cone apex of the rock that surrounds the cone. Smearing and extension of the melt film indicates subsequent movement in opposite direction to the comminuted and brecciated shear zone. We believe the documented shear textures and the adjacent smooth melt films can be related to frictional melting, whereas the overlying highly vesiculated melt layer could indicate rapid pressure release. From the observation of melting and mixing of quartz, phyllosilicates, and rutile in this overlying texture, we infer high, but very localized postshock temperatures exceeding 2000 °C. The melted upper part of the shatter cone surface cross-cuts the fragmented lower section, and is accompanied by PDFs developed in quartz parallel to the {112} plane. Based on the overprinting textures and documented shock effects, we hypothesize shatter cones start to form during shock loading and remain an active fracture surface until pressure release during unloading and infer that shatter cone surfaces are mixed mode I/II fracture surfaces.     

Deformation and melting of steel projectiles in hypervelocity cratering experiments

Abstract– We carried out hypervelocity cratering experiments with steel projectiles and sandstone targets to investigate the structural and mineralogical changes that occur upon impact in the projectile and target. The masses of coherent projectile relics that were recovered in different experiments ranged between 58% and 92% of their initial projectile masses. A significant trend between impact energy, the presence of water in the target, and the mass of projectile relics could not be found. However, projectile fragmentation seems to be enhanced if the target contains substantial amounts of water. Two experiments that were performed with 1 cm sized steel projectiles impacting at 3400 and 5300 m s^?1 vertically onto dry Seeberger sandstone were investigated in detail. The recovered projectiles are intensely plastically deformed. Deformation mechanisms include dislocation glide and dislocation creep. The latter led to the formation of subgrains and micrometer‐sized dynamically recrystallized grains. In case of the 5300 m s^?1 impact experiment, this deformation is followed by grain annealing. In addition, brittle fracturing and friction‐controlled melting at the surface along with melting and boiling of iron and silica were observed in both experiments. We estimated that heating and melting of the projectile impacting at 5300 m s^?1 consumed 4.4% of the total impact energy and was converted into thermal energy and heat of fusion. Beside the formation of centimeter‐sized projectile relics, projectile matter is distributed in the ejecta as spherules, unmelted fragments, and intermingled iron‐silica aggregates.     

The first MEMIN shock recovery experiments at low shock pressure (5–12.5 GPa) with dry,porous sandstone

Abstract– As part of the MEMIN research program this project is focused on shock deformation experimentally generated in dry, porous Seeberger sandstone in the low shock pressure range from 5 to 12.5 GPa. Special attention is paid to the influence of porosity on progressive shock metamorphism. Shock recovery experiments were carried out with a high‐explosive set‐up that generates a planar shock wave, and using the shock impedance method. Cylinders of sandstone of average grain size of 0.17 mm and porosity of about 19 vol%, and containing some 96 wt% SiO₂, were shock deformed. Shock effects induced with increasing shock pressure include: (1) Already at 5 GPa the entire pore space is closed; quartz grains show undulatory extinction. On average, 134 fractures per mm are observed. Dark vesicular melt (glass) of the composition of the montmorillonitic phyllosilicate component of this sandstone occurs at an average amount of 1.6 vol%. (2) At 7.5 GPa, quartz grains show weak but prominent mosaicism and the number of fractures increases to 171 per millimeter. Two additional kinds of melt, both based on phyllosilicate precursor, could be observed: a light colored, vesicular melt and a melt containing large iron particles. The total amount of melt (all types) increased in this experiment to 2.4 vol%. Raman spectroscopy confirmed the presence of shock‐deformed quartz grains near the surface. (3) At 10 and 12.5 GPa, quartz grains also show weak but prominent mosaicism, the number of fractures per mm has reached a plateau value of approximately 200, and the total amount of the different melt types has increased to 4.8 vol%. Diaplectic quartz glass could be observed locally near the impacted surface. In addition, local shock effects, most likely caused by multiple shock wave reflections at sandstone‐container interfaces, occur throughout the sample cylinders and include locally enhanced formation of PDF, as well as shear zones associated with cataclastic microbreccia, diaplectic quartz glass, and SiO₂ melt. Overall findings from these first experiments have demonstrated that characteristic shock effects diagnostic for the confirmation of impact structures and suitable for shock pressure calibration are rare. So far, they are restricted to the limited formation of PDF and diaplectic quartz glass at shock pressures of 10 GPa and above.     

Application of nondestructive testing methods to study the damage zone underneath impact craters of MEMIN laboratory experiments

Abstract– Within the framework of the Multidisciplinary Experimental and Modeling Impact Research Network (MEMIN) research group, the damage zones underneath two experimentally produced impact craters in sandstone targets were investigated using several nondestructive testing (NDT) methods. The 20 × 20 × 20 cm sandstones were impacted by steel projectiles with a radius of 1.25 mm at approximately 5 km s^?1, resulting in craters with approximately 6 cm diameter and approximately 1 cm depth. Ultrasound (US) tomography and vibrational analysis were applied before and after the impact experiments to characterize the damage zone, and micro‐computer tomography (μ‐CT) measurements were performed to visualize subsurface fractures. The newly obtained experimental data can help to quantify the extent of the damage zone, which extends to about 8 cm depth in the target. The impacted sandstone shows a local p‐wave reduction of 18% below the crater floor, and a general reduction in elastic moduli by between approximately 9 and approximately 18%, depending on the type of elastic modulus. The results contribute to a better empirical and theoretical understanding of hypervelocity events and simulations of cratering processes.     

Analysis of the hypervelocity impact process from impact flash measurements

Hypervelocity microparticle impact experiments were performed with a 2 MV Van De Graaff dust accelerator. From measurements of the light intensity I and the total light energy E, the relations I=c₁mv^4.1 and E=c₂mv^3.2 were obtained, where m is the projectile mass, ν the projectile velocity and c₁,c₂ are constants, depending on projectile and target material. Using the measured values of the spectral distribution of the light emitted during impact, the temperature of the radiating material was estimated to be between 2500 and 5000 K depending on the projectile velocity. From an analysis of these measurements the angular distribution of secondary particle velocities as well as the relative mass distribution of these particles was determined. Approximately 90% of the detected ejecta mass (ν?1 km/sec) is found between 50° and 70° ejection angle. For ejection angles smaller than 20°, ejecta velocities of up to 30 km/sec were detected when the primary particle velocity was 4.8 km/sec. Using the dependence of the light intensity on pressure in the target chamber, an estimate of the total amount of material vaporized during impact could be derived. It was concluded that at 7.4 km/sec particle impact velocity at least 1.6% of the displaced projectile and crater material was vaporized.     

Hypervelocity impacts on dry and wet sandstone: Observations of ejecta dynamics and crater growth

Abstract– This study deals with the investigation of highly dynamic processes associated with hypervelocity impacts on porous sandstone. For the impact experiments, two light‐gas accelerators with different calibers were used, capable of accelerating steel projectiles with diameters ranging from 2.5 to 12 mm to several kilometers per second. The projectiles impacted on dry and water‐saturated Seeberger Sandstone targets. The study includes investigations of the influence of pore water on the shape of the ejecta cloud as well as transient crater growth. The results show a significant influence of pore water on ejecta behavior. Steeper ejecta cone angles are observed if the impacts are conducted on wet sandstones. The transient crater grows at a faster rate and reaches a larger diameter if the target is water saturated. In our experiments, target porosity leads to smaller crater sizes compared with nonporous targets. Water within the pore space reduces porosity and counteracts this process. Power law fits were applied to the crater growth curves. The results show an increase in the scaling exponent μ with increasing pore space saturation.     

Tectonics of complex crater formation as revealed by the Haughton impact structure,Devon Island,Canadian High Arctic

Abstract— The results of a systematic field mapping campaign at the Haughton impact structure have revealed new information about the tectonic evolution of mid‐size complex impact structures. These studies reveal that several structures are generated during the initial compressive outward‐directed growth of the transient cavity during the excavation stage of crater formation: (1) sub‐vertical radial faults and fractures; (2) sub‐horizontal bedding parallel detachment faults; and (3) minor concentric faults and fractures. Uplift of the transient cavity floor toward the end of the excavation stage produces a central uplift. Compressional inward‐directed deformation results in the duplication of strata along thrust faults and folds. It is notable that Haughton lacks a central topographic peak or peak ring. The gravitational collapse of transient cavity walls involves the complex interaction of a series of interconnected radial and concentric faults. While the outermost concentric faults dip in toward the crater center, the majority of the innermost faults at Haughton dip away from the center. Complex interactions between an outward‐directed collapsing central uplift and inward collapsing crater walls during the final stages of crater modification resulted in a structural ring of uplifted, intensely faulted (sub‐) vertical and/or overturned strata at a radial distance from the crater center of ?5.0–6.5 km. Converging flow during the collapse of transient cavity walls was accommodated by the formation of several structures: (1) sub‐vertical radial faults and folds; (2) positive flower structures and chaotically brecciated ridges; (3) rollover anticlines in the hanging‐walls of major listric faults; and (4) antithetic faults and crestal collapse grabens. Oblique strike‐slip (i.e., centripetal) movement along concentric faults also accommodated strain during the final stages of readjustment during the crater modification stage. It is clear that deformation during collapse of the transient cavity walls at Haughton was brittle and localized along discrete fault planes separating kilometer‐size blocks.     

Micron‐scale hypervelocity impact craters: Dependence of crater ellipticity and rim morphology on impact trajectory,projectile size,velocity, and shape

The interstellar collector on NASA's Stardust mission captured many particles from sources other than the interstellar dust stream. Impact trajectory may provide a means of discriminating between these different sources, and thus identifying/eliminating candidate interstellar particles. The collector's aerogel preserved a clear record of particle impact trajectory from the inclination and direction of the resultant tracks. However, the collector also contained aluminum foils and, although impact crater studies to date suggest only the most inclined impacts (>45° from normal) produce crater morphologies that indicate trajectory (i.e., distinctly elliptical), these studies have been restricted to much larger (mm and above) scales than are relevant for Stardust (μm). It is unknown how oblique impact crater morphology varies as a function of length scale, and therefore how well Stardust craters preserve details of impactor trajectory. Here, we present data from a series of impact experiments, together with complementary hydrocode modeling, that examine how crater morphology changes with impact angles for different‐sized projectiles. We find that, for our smallest spherical projectiles (2 μm diameter), the ellipticity and rim morphology provide evidence of their inclined trajectory from as little as 15° from normal incidence. This is most likely a result of strain rate hardening in the target metal. Further experiments and models find that variation in velocity and impactor shape complicate these trends, but that rim morphology remains useful in determining impact direction (where the angle of impact is >20° from normal) and may help identify candidate interstellar particle craters on the Stardust collector.     

High- and low-velocity impact experiments on porous sintered glass bead targets of different compressive strengths: Outcome sensitivity and scaling

Impact experiments on porous targets consisting of sintered glass beads have been performed at different impact velocities in order to investigate the disruption impact energy threshold (also called Q^∗) of these targets, the influence of the target compressive strength on this threshold and a scaling parameter of the degree of fragmentation that takes into account material strength. A large fraction of small bodies of our Solar System are expected to be composed of highly-porous material. Depending on their location and on the period considered during the Solar System history, these bodies collide with each other at velocities which cover a wide range of values from a few m/s to several km/s. Determining the impact response of porous bodies in both high- and low-velocity regimes is thus crucial to understand their collisional evolution over the entire Solar System history, from the early stages of planetary formation through collisional accretion at low impact velocities to the current and future stages during which impact velocities are much higher and lead to their disruption. While these problems at large scale can only be addressed directly by numerical simulations, small scale impact experiments are a necessary step which allows the understanding of the physical process itself and the determination of the small scale behavior of the material used as target. Moreover, they are crucial to validate numerical codes that can then be applied to larger scales.Sintered glass beads targets of different shapes and porosity have been built and their main material properties, in particular their compressive strength and their porosity, have been measured. The outcomes of their disruptions both at low and high impact velocities have then been analyzed.We then found that the value of Q^∗ strongly depends on the target compressive strength. Measuring the particle velocities as a function of their distance to the impact point, we first found that the attenuation rate of the stress wave in our sintered glass bead targets does not depend on the impact velocity regime. Ejecta velocities as a function of the distance from the impact point can thus be well fitted by a power law with an exponent about −2 in both velocity regimes. We then looked for a scaling parameter that can apply to both regimes. We found that the scaling parameter PI, which is related to the initial peak pressure and to the stress wave attenuation can be used to represent the outcome in a general way. Future investigations will be performed to determine whether these results can be generalized to other kinds of porous materials.     

Detection of sporadic impact flashes on the Moon: Implications for the luminous efficiency of hypervelocity impacts and derived terrestrial impact rates

We present the first redundant detection of sporadic impact flashes on the Moon from a systematic survey performed between 2001 and 2004. Our wide-field lunar monitoring allows us to estimate the impact rate of large meteoroids on the Moon as a function of the luminous energy received on Earth. It also shows that some historical well-documented mysterious lunar events fit in a clear impact context. Using these data and traditional values of the luminous efficiency for this kind of event we obtain that the impact rate on Earth of large meteoroids (0.1-10 m) would be at least one order of magnitude larger than currently thought. This discrepancy indicates that the luminous efficiency of the hypervelocity impacts is higher than 10⁻², much larger than the common belief, or the latest impact fluxes are somewhat too low, or, most likely, a combination of both. Our nominal analysis implies that on Earth, collisions of bodies with masses larger than 1 kg can be as frequent as 80,000 per year and blasts larger than 15-kton could be as frequent as one per year, but this is highly dependent on the exact choice of the luminous efficiency value. As a direct application of our results, we expect that the impact flash of the SMART-1 spacecraft should be detectable from Earth with medium-sized telescopes.     

A new method to determine the direction of impact: Asymmetry of concentric impact craters as observed in the field (Lockne), on Mars,in experiments,and simulations

Most impacts occur at an angle with respect to the horizontal plane. This is primarily reflected in the ejecta distribution, but at very low angle structural asymmetries such as elongation of the crater and nonradial development of the central peak become apparent. Unfortunately, impact craters with pristine ejecta layers are rare on Earth and also in areas with strong past or ongoing surface erosion on other planetary bodies, and the structural analysis of central peaks requires good exposures or even on‐site access to outcrop. However, target properties are known to greatly influence the shape of the crater, especially the relatively common target configuration of a weaker layer covering a more rigid basement. One such effect is the formation of concentric craters, i.e., a nested, deeper, inner crater surrounded by a shallow, outer crater. Here, we show that with decreasing impact angle there is a downrange shift of the outer crater with respect to the nested crater. We use a combination of (1) field observation and published 3‐D numerical simulation of one of the best examples of a terrestrial, concentric impact crater formed in a layered target with preserved ejecta layer: the Lockne crater, Sweden; (2) remote sensing data for three pristine, concentric impact craters on Mars with preserved ejecta layers further constraining the direction of impact; as well as (3) laboratory impact experiments, to develop the offset in crater concentricity into a complementary method to determine the direction of impact for layered‐target craters with poorly preserved ejecta layers.     

Composition and structures of the subsurface in the vicinity of Valles Marineris as revealed by central uplifts of impact craters

Despite recent efforts from space exploration to sound the martian subsurface with RADAR, the structure of the martian subsurface is still unknown. Major geologic contacts or discontinuities inside the martian crust have not been revealed. Another way to analyze the subsurface is to study rocks that have been exhumed from depth by impact processes. The last martian mission, MRO (Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter), put forth a great deal of effort in targeting the central peaks of impact craters with both of its high resolution instruments: CRISM (Compact Reconnaissance Imaging Spectrometer for Mars) and HiRISE (High Resolution Science Experiment). We analyzed the composition with CRISM and the physical characteristics on HiRISE of the rocks exhumed from depth from 31 impact craters in the vicinity of Valles Marineris. Our analyses revealed the presence at depth of two kinds of material: massive light-toned rocks and intact layers. Exhumed light-toned massive rocks are enriched in low calcium pyroxenes and olivine. Hydrated phases such as smectites and putative serpentine are present and may provide evidence of hydrothermal processes. Some of the rocks may represent portions of the volatile-rich, pre-Noachian martian primitive crust. In the second class of central peaks, exhumed layers are deformed, folded, and fractured. Visible-near infrared (VNIR) spectra suggest that they are composed of a mixture of olivine and high calcium pyroxene associated with hydrated phases. These layers may represent a Noachian volcanic accumulation of up to 18 km due to Tharsis activity. The spatial distribution, as well as the in-depth distribution between the two groups of rocks exhumed, are not random and reveal a major geologic discontinuity below the Tharsis lava plateau. The contact may be vertical over several kilometers depth suggesting the pre-existence of a steep basin (early giant impact or subsidence basin) or sagduction processes.     

Origin and emplacement of the impact formations at Chicxulub,Mexico, as revealed by the ICDP deep drilling at Yaxcopoil‐1 and by numerical modeling

We present and interpret results of petrographic, mineralogical, and chemical analyses of the 1511 m deep ICDP Yaxcopoil‐1 (Yax‐1) drill core, with special emphasis on the impactite units. Using numerical model calculations of the formation, excavation, and dynamic modification of the Chicxulub crater, constrained by laboratory data, a model of the origin and emplacement of the impact formations of Yax‐1 and of the impact structure as a whole is derived. The lower part of Yax‐1 is formed by displaced Cretaceous target rocks (610 m thick), while the upper part comprises six suevite‐type allochthonous breccia units (100 m thick). From the texture and composition of these lithological units and from numerical model calculations, we were able to link the seven distinct impact‐induced units of Yax‐1 to the corresponding successive phases of the crater formation and modification, which are as follows: 1) transient cavity formation including displacement and deposition of Cretaceous “megablocks;” 2) ground surging and mixing of impact melt and lithic clasts at the base of the ejecta curtain and deposition of the lower suevite right after the formation of the transient cavity; 3) deposition of a thin veneer of melt on top of the lower suevite and lateral transport and brecciation of this melt toward the end of the collapse of the transient cavity (brecciated impact melt rock); 4) collapse of the ejecta plume and deposition of fall‐back material from the lower part of the ejecta plume to form the middle suevite near the end of the dynamic crater modification; 5) continued collapse of the ejecta plume and deposition of the upper suevite; 6) late phase of the collapse and deposition of the lower sorted suevite after interaction with the inward flowing atmosphere; 7) final phase of fall‐back from the highest part of the ejecta plume and settling of melt and solid particles through the reestablished atmosphere to form the upper sorted suevite; and 8) return of the ocean into the crater after some time and minor reworking of the uppermost suevite under aquatic conditions. Our results are compatible with: a) 180 km and 100 km for the diameters of the final crater and the transient cavity of Chicxulub, respectively, as previously proposed by several authors, and b) the interpretation of Chicxulub as a peak‐ring impact basin that is at the transition to a multi‐ring basin.     

Dust production from the hypervelocity impact disruption of the Murchison hydrous CM2 meteorite: Implications for the disruption of hydrous asteroids and the production of interplanetary dust

More than half of the C-type asteroids, the dominant type of asteroid in the outer half of the main-belt, show evidence of hydration in their reflectance spectra. In order to understand the collisional evolution of asteroids and the production of interplanetary dust and to model the infrared signature of small particles in the Solar System it is important to characterize the dust production from primary impact disruption events, and compare the disruption of hydrous and anhydrous targets. We performed a hypervelocity impact disruption experiment on an ∼30 g target of the Murchison CM2 hydrated carbonaceous chondrite meteorite, and compared the results with our previous disruption experiments on anhydrous meteorites including Allende, a CV3 carbonaceous chondrite, and nine ordinary chondrites. Murchison is significantly more friable than the ordinary chondrites or Allende. Nonetheless, on a plot of mass of the largest fragment versus specific impact energy, the Murchison disruption plots within the field of the anhydrous meteorites points, suggesting that Murchison is at least as resistant to impact disruption as the anhydrous meteorites, which require about twice the energy for disruption as terrestrial anhydrous basalt targets. We determined the mass-frequency distribution of the debris from the Murchison disruption over a nine order-of-magnitude mass range, from ∼10⁻⁹ g to the mass of the largest fragment produced in the disruption. The cumulative mass-frequency distribution from the Murchison disruption is fit by three power-law segments. For masses >10⁻² g the slope is only slightly steeper than that of the corresponding segment from the disruption of most anhydrous meteorites. Over the range from ∼10⁻⁶ to 10⁻² g the slope is significantly steeper than that for the anhydrous meteorites. For masses <10⁻⁶ g the slopes of both the Murchison and the anhydrous meteorites are almost flat. Thus the Murchison disruption significantly over-produced small fragments (10⁻⁶-10⁻³ g) compared to anhydrous meteorite targets. If the Murchison results are representative of hydrous asteroids, the hydrous asteroids may dominate over anhydrous asteroids in the production of interplanetary dust >100 μm in size, the size of micrometeorites recovered from the polar ices, while both types of asteroids might produce comparable amounts of ∼10 μm interplanetary dust. This would explain the puzzle that polar micrometeorites (>100 μm in size) are similar to hydrous meteorites, while the majority of the ∼10 μm interplanetary dust particles are anhydrous.     

Shocked rocks and impact glasses from the El'gygytgyn impact structure,Russia

Abstract— The El'gygytgyn impact structure is about 18 km in diameter and is located in the central part of Chukotka, arctic Russia. The crater was formed in volcanic rock strata of Cretaceous age, which include lava and tuffs of rhyolites, dacites, and andesites. A mid‐Pliocene age of the crater was previously determined by fission track (3.45 ± 0.15 Ma) and ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar dating (3.58 ± 0.04 Ma). The ejecta layer around the crater is completely eroded. Shock‐metamorphosed volcanic rocks, impact melt rocks, and bomb‐shaped impact glasses occur in lacustrine terraces but have been redeposited after the impact event. Clasts of volcanic rocks, which range in composition from rhyolite to dacite, represent all stages of shock metamorphism, including selective melting and formation of homogeneous impact melt. Four stages of shocked volcanic rocks were identified: stage I (≤35 GPa; lava and tuff contain weakly to strongly shocked quartz and feldspar clasts with abundant PFs and PDFs; coesite and stishovite occur as well), stage II (35–45 GPa; quartz and feldspar are converted to diaplectic glass; coesite but no stishovite), stage III (45–55 GPa; partly melted volcanic rocks; common diaplectic quartz glass; feldspar is melted), and stage IV (>55 GPa; melt rocks and glasses). Two main types of impact melt rocks occur in the crater: 1) impact melt rocks and impact melt breccias (containing abundant fragments of shocked volcanic rocks) that were probably derived from (now eroded) impact melt flows on the crater walls, and 2) aerodynamically shaped impact melt glass “bombs” composed of homogeneous glass. The composition of the glasses is almost identical to that of rhyolites from the uppermost part of the target. Cobalt, Ni, and Ir abundances in the impact glasses and melt rocks are not or only slightly enriched compared to the volcanic target rocks; only the Cr abundances show a distinct enrichment, which points toward an achondritic projectile. However, the present data do not allow one to unambiguously identify a meteoritic component in the El'gygytgyn impact melt rocks.     

Cathodoluminescence as a tool to discriminate impact melt,shocked and unshocked volcanics: A case study of samples from the El'gygytgyn impact structure

El'gygytgyn (Chukotka, Arctic Russia) is a well‐preserved impact structure, mostly excavated in siliceous volcanic rocks. For this reason, the El'gygytgyn structure has been investigated in recent years and drilled in 2009 in the framework of an ICDP (International Continental Scientific Drilling Program) project. The target rocks mostly consist of rhyodacitic ignimbrites and tuffs, which make it difficult to distinguish impact melt clasts from fragments of unshocked target rock within the impact breccia. Several chemical and petrologic attempts, other than dating individual clasts, have been considered to distinguish impact melt from unshocked volcanic rock of the targets, but none has proven reliable. Here, we propose to use cathodoluminescence (imaging and spectrometry), whose intensity is inversely correlated with the degree of shock metamorphism experienced by the investigated lithology, to aid in such a distinction. Specifically, impact melt rocks display low cathodoluminescence intensity, whereas unshocked volcanic rocks from the area typically show high luminescence. This high luminescence decreases with the degree of shock experienced by the individual clasts in the impact breccia, down to almost undetectable when the groundmass is completely molten. This might apply only to El'gygytgyn, because the luminescence in volcanic rocks might be due to devitrification and recrystallization processes of the relatively old (Cretaceous) target rock with respect to the young impactites (3.58 Ma). The alteration that affects most samples from the drill core does not have a significant effect on the cathodoluminescence response. In conclusion, cathodoluminescence imaging and spectra, supported by Raman spectroscopy, potentially provide a useful tool for in situ characterization of siliceous impactites formed in volcanic target.     

Geochemical studies of impact breccias and country rocks from the El'gygytgyn impact structure,Russia

The complex impact structure El'gygytgyn (age 3.6 Ma, diameter 18 km) in northeastern Russia was formed in ~88 Ma old volcanic target rocks of the Ochotsk‐Chukotsky Volcanic Belt (OCVB). In 2009, El'gygytgyn was the target of a drilling project of the International Continental Scientific Drilling Program (ICDP), and in summer 2011 it was investigated further by a Russian–German expedition. Drill core material and surface samples, including volcanic target rocks and impactites, have been investigated by various geochemical techniques in order to improve the record of trace element characteristics for these lithologies and to attempt to detect and constrain a possible meteoritic component. The bedrock units of the ICDP drill core reflect the felsic volcanics that are predominant in the crater vicinity. The overlying suevites comprise a mixture of all currently known target lithologies, dominated by felsic rocks but lacking a discernable meteoritic component based on platinum group element abundances. The reworked suevite, directly overlain by lake sediments, is not only comparatively enriched in shocked minerals and impact glass spherules, but also contains the highest concentrations of Os, Ir, Ru, and Rh compared to other El'gygytgyn impactites. This is—to a lesser extent—the result of admixture of a mafic component, but more likely the signature of a chondritic meteoritic component. However, the highly siderophile element contribution from target material akin to the mafic blocks of the ICDP drill core to the impactites remains poorly constrained.     

Target rocks,impact glasses,and melt rocks from the Lonar impact crater,India: Petrography and geochemistry

Abstract— The Lonar crater, India, is the only well‐preserved simple crater on Earth in continental flood basalts; it is excavated in the Deccan trap basalts of Cretaceous‐Tertiary age. A representative set of target basalts, including the basalt flows excavated by the crater, and a variety of impact breccias and impact glasses, were analyzed for their major and trace element compositions. Impact glasses and breccias were found inside and outside the crater rim in a variety of morphological forms and shapes. Comparable geochemical patterns of immobile elements (e.g., REEs) for glass, melt rock and basalt indicates minimal fractionation between the target rocks and the impactites. We found only little indication of post‐impact hydrothermal alteration in terms of volatile trace element changes. No clear indication of an extraterrestrial component was found in any of our breccias and impact glasses, indicating either a low level of contamination, or a non‐chondritic or otherwise iridium‐poor impactor.     

Chemical compositions of impact melt breccias and target rocks from the Tenoumer impact crater,Mauritania

Abstract— The impact melt breccias from the Tenoumer crater (consisting of a fine‐grained intergrowth of plagioclase laths, pyroxene crystals, oxides, and glass) display a wide range of porosity and contain a large amount of target rock clasts. Analyses of major elements in impact melt rocks show lower contents of SiO₂, Al₂O₃, and Na₂O, and higher contents of MgO, Fe₂O₃, and CaO, than the felsic rocks (i.e., granites and gneisses) of the basement. In comparison with the bulk analyses of the impact melt, the glass is strongly enriched in Si‐Al, whereas it is depleted both in Mg and Fe; moreover, the impact melt rocks are variably enriched or depleted in some REE with respect to the felsic and mafic bedrock types. Gold is slightly enriched in the impact melt, and Co, Cr, and Ni abundances are possibly due to a contribution from mafic bedrock. Evidences of silicate‐carbonate liquid immiscibility, mainly as spherules and globules of calcite within the silicate glass, have been highlighted. HMX mixing calculation confirm that the impact melt rocks are derived from a mixing of at least six different target lithologies outcropping in the area of the crater. A large contribution is derived from granitoids (50%) and mica schist (17–19%), although amphibolites (?15%), cherty limestones (?10%), and ultrabasites (?6%) components are also present. The very low abundances of PGE in the melt rock seem to come mainly from some ultrabasic target rocks; therefore, the contamination from the meteoritic projectile appears to have been negligible.     

Cratering of icy targets by different impactors: Laboratory experiments and implications for cratering in the Solar System

Studies of impacts (impactor velocity about 5 km s⁻¹) on icy targets were performed. The prime goal was to study the response of solid CO₂ targets to impacts and to find the differences between the results of impacts on CO₂ targets with those on H₂O ice targets. The crater dimensions in CO₂ ice were found to scale with impact energy, with little dependence on projectile density (which ranged from nylon to copper, i.e., 1150-8930 kg m⁻³). At equal temperatures, craters in CO₂ ice were the same diameter as those in water ice, but were shallower and smaller in volume. In addition, the shape of the radial profiles of the craters was found to depend strongly on the type of ice and to change with impact energy. The impact speed of the data is comparable to that for impacts on many types of icy bodies in the outer Solar System (e.g., the satellites of the giant planets, the cometary nuclei and the Kuiper Belt objects), but the size and thus energy of the impactors is lower. Scaling with impact energy is demonstrated for the impacts on CO₂ ice. The issue of impact disruption (rather than cratering) is discussed by analogy with that on water ice. Expressions for the critical energy density for the onset of disruption rather than cratering are established for water ice as a function of porosity and silicate content. Although the critical energy density for disruption of CO₂ ice is not established, it is argued that the critical energy to disrupt a CO₂ ice body will be greater than that for a (non-porous) water ice body of the similar mass.