Suevite at the Roter Kamm impact crater,Namibia

Abstract— A small area littered with loose decimeter-sized fragments of glass and melt fragment-bearing suevite has been discovered on the western rim of the Roter Kamm impact crater in southern Namibia. The clast population and results of major and trace element chemical analyses are consistent with this breccia having been formed from granitoid basement lithologies only, without contribution from the metasedimentary Gariep and Cenozoic cover sequences. It is assumed that the limited amount of impact melt observed in the Roter Kamm structure could be the result of melt dissipation due to explosive shock-induced devolatilization of the significant marble component of the Gariep supracrustal cover. Preservation of very limited remnants of impact breccia on the rim of the Roter Kamm crater suggests a relatively deep level of erosion of the crater rim.     

Argon isotopic analysis of breccia veins from the Roter Kamm crater,Namibia, and implications for their thermal history

Abstract— The rocks exposed in the rim of the 2.5‐km‐wide and 3.7‐Ma‐old Roter Kamm crater in southwest Namibia are cut by breccia veins that macroscopically resemble, and were originally described as, pseudotachylytes. The veins were later shown to be cataclasites with no evidence for melting. ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar data for vein and host rock samples indicate a low‐grade metamorphic event at around 300 Ma, but provide no evidence for an impact age. The samples have suffered 5–7% Ar loss, which we associate with the impact event. All the samples record similar ranges of possible time‐temperature conditions and there are no resolvable differences between the results for the vein and the host rock samples, as would be expected if frictional heating played an important role in breccia formation. Modeling the ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar data, assuming instantaneous impact heating followed by extended cooling, and coupling these results to published data on fluid inclusions, quartz precipitation, shock effects, and crater degradation, suggest that the veins reached maximum temperatures of 230–290 °C during impact and never approached melting temperatures of the precursor rocks.     

The age of the Roter Kamm impact crater,Namibia: Constraints from 40Ar-39Ar,K-Ar,Rb-Sr,fission track,and 10Be-26Al studies

Abstract The well-preserved 2.5 km diameter Roter Kamm impact crater is located in the Namib desert in Namibia. The impact has occurred in Precambrian granitic and granodioritic orthogneisses of the 1200–900 Ma old Namaqualand Metamorphic Complex which were partly covered by Gariep metasediments; the granites are invaded by quartz veins and quartz-feldspar-pegmatites. Previous geological field evidence suggested a crater age of about 5–10 Ma. In order to constrain this age, we selected a set of basement rocks (granites, granodiorites) exposed at the crater rim and studied the Rb-Sr, K-Ar, ⁴⁰Ar-³⁹Ar, and ¹⁰Be-²⁶Al isotopic systems as well as apatite fission track ages of these samples. The Rb-Sr isotopic systematics confirm the derivation of these samples from the Namaqualand basement (age about 1.29 Ga), which underwent Damaran orogenesis at about 650 Ma. No basement rocks with Rb-Sr ages younger than about 410 Ma were identified. The K-Ar ages of pseudotachylite and melt breccia samples show that these samples are dominated by incompletely degassed fragments of basement rocks, with some retaining their original metamorphic ages of about 470 Ma. The apatite fission track ages range from 20–28 Ma, which may be interpreted as an extension of the 25 Ma Burdigalian peneplanation event, or as incomplete resetting of the apatite fission tracks during the impact event. The ¹⁰Be and ²⁶Al exposure age of a quartz sample isolated from a quartz-pegmatite was found to be 150 ka; it is likely that the exposure of the sample began after material covering it had been removed by erosion 150 ka ago. Two glassy fractions extracted from a rim granite were dated by ⁴⁰Ar-³⁹Ar analysis. One sample gives practically a plateau age of 3.7 ± 0.3 Ma, while the other gives a minimum age of 3.6 Ma. The best available age estimate for the Roter Kamm crater is therefore 3.7 ± 0.3 Ma.     

New impact‐melt rock from the Roter Kamm impact structure,Namibia: Further constraints on impact age,melt rock chemistry,and projectile composition

Abstract— A new locality of in situ massive impact‐melt rock was discovered on the south‐southwestern rim of the Roter Kamm impact structure. While the sub‐samples from this new locality are relatively homogeneous at the hand specimen scale, and despite being from a nearby location, they do not have the same composition of the only previously analyzed impact‐melt rock sample from Roter Kamm. Both Roter Kamm impact‐melt rock samples analyzed to date, as well as several suevite samples, exhibit a granitic‐granodioritic precursor composition. Micro‐chemical analyses of glassy matrix and Al‐rich orthopyroxene microphenocrysts demonstrate rapid cooling and chemical disequilibrium at small scales. Platinum‐group element abundances and ratios indicate an ordinary chondritic composition for the Roter Kamm impactor. Laser argon dating of two sub‐samples did not reproduce the previously obtained age of 3.7 ± 0.3 (1s?) for this impact event, based on ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar dating of a single vesicular impact‐melt rock. Instead, we obtained ages between 3.9 and 6.3 Ma, with an inverse isochron age of 4.7 ± 0.3 Ma for one analyzed sub‐sample and 5.1 ± 0.4 Ma for the other. Clearly a post‐5 Ma impact at Roter Kamm remains indicated, but further analytical work is required to better constrain the currently best estimate of 4–5 Ma. Both impactor and age constraints are clearly obstructed by the inherent microscopic heterogeneity and disequilibrium melting and cooling processes demonstrated in the present study.     

Geophysical studies of the Montagnais impact crater,Canada

Abstract— The 45-km diameter Montagnais impact structure, Nova Scotia, Canada, is characterized by a positive, circular 8 mGal gravity anomaly associated with its central uplift. The negative gravity anomaly, which is expected for a complex crater of this size, is not observed within the structure, and magnetic data lack any well-defined, crater-related signature. The absence of a negative gravity anomaly implies that no low-density zone generally related to fracturing and brecciation exists. Since Montagnais appears well preserved, this zone has not been removed by erosion. Its formation may have been impeded due to the lack of competency in the target rocks. The crater was formed in a shallow marine environment where the lack of strength in the unconsolidated sediments may have prevented the preservation of voids and fractures that cause a negative gravity anomaly as observed over other impact craters. Additionally, the efficient absorption of impact energy by unconsolidated target material may have inhibited fracture/void development. Although the gravity signature of impact craters formed on land is well known, structures occurring in unconsolidated target material, such as continental shelf environments, constitute another signature that should also be recognized.     

Breccias resembling melt bombs from the Roter Kamm Crater

Abstract Irregular, dark green to black, glassy-looking boulders are locally common in the northwest portion of the rim of the Roter Kamm impact crater in southern Namibia. Their smooth surfaces, flow-like textures, presence of folds, and their similarity to melt bombs have led to the interpretation that these are molten impact ejecta. However, the samples we have examined are all fine-grained breccias composed of angular fragments that show no evidence of melting. Meltlike surface textures of these rim breccias are largely a consequence of surface wind polishing of fine-grained rocks in a desert environment. These mono-mict breccias were produced by impact-related brecciation of Gariep sediments (carbonaceous, siliceous shales) previously modified by low-grade Damaran metamorphism. Secondary quartz within the breccias is attributed to fluid activity that postdates the impact.     

Geophysical signature of the Pretoria Saltpan impact structure and a possible satellite crater

Abstract— The genesis of the 1.13-km-diameter Pretoria Saltpan crater has long been the focus of a controversy. Its origin has been explained by either meteorite impact or “cryptoexplosive” volcanic activity, but it was recently confirmed, through detailed petrographic and chemical analysis of a breccia layer forming part of the crater fill, that the crater was formed by impact. As the limited previous geophysical work failed to support an impact origin, a more detailed gravity and magnetic study was conducted. A possible 400-m-diameter circular crater located 3 km to the southwest of the main crater was also investigated with geophysical methods, including resistivity, seismics and ground-probing radar. The gravity signature of the main crater is compatible with that of a simple impact crater and the magnetic signature (no magnetic anomaly could be detected) rules out the possibility of a central magnetic volcanic body below the crater-fill sediments. The results for the possible twin or satellite crater are inconclusive. As it is the only such feature in the entire region, it should not be overlooked. A drilling program may reveal interesting results.     

Surficial geology of the Chicxulub impact crater,Yucatan, Mexico

The Chicxulub impact crater in northwestern Yucatan, Mexico is the primary candidate for the proposed impact that caused mass extinctions at the end of the Cretaceous Period. The crater is buried by up to a kilometer of Tertiary sediment and the most prominent surface expression is a ring of sink holes, known locally as cenotes, mapped with Landsat imagery. This 165 ± 5 km diameter Cenote Ring demarcates a boundary between unfractured limestones inside the ring, and fractured limestones outside. The boundary forms a barrier to lateral ground water migration, resulting in increased flows, dissolution, and collapse thus forming the cenotes. The subsurface geology indicates that the fracturing that created the Cenote Ring is related to slumping in the rim of the buried crater, differential thicknesses in the rocks overlying the crater, or solution collapse within porous impact deposits. The Cenote Ring provides the most accurate position of the Chicxulub crater's center, and the associated faults, fractures, and stratigraphy indicate that the crater may be 240 km in diameter.     

The age of the Saltpan impact crater,South Africa

Abstract— The 1.13-km-diameter Pretoria Saltpan impact crater is located about 40 km NNW of Pretoria, South Africa. The crater is situated in 2.05 Ga old Nebo granite of the Bushveld Complex that is locally intruded by about 1.3 Ga old volcanic rocks. In 1988, a borehole was drilled in the center of the crater. At depths >90 m, breccias were found that contained minerals with characteristic shock-metamorphic features, thus confirming the impact origin of the crater. Fragments of impact glass were recovered from the melt breccias and several hundred sub-millimeter-sized glass fragments were subjected to fission track analysis. The measurements were complicated by the inhomogeneous composition of the impact glasses, but analysis of a large number of tracks yielded an age of 220 ± 52 ka for the Saltpan crater.     

The Whitecourt meteorite impact crater,Alberta, Canada

Abstract– The <1,100 yr old Whitecourt meteorite impact crater, located south of Whitecourt, Alberta, Canada, is a well‐preserved bowl‐shaped structure having a depth and diameter of approximately 6 and 36 m, respectively. There are fewer than a dozen known terrestrial sites of similar size and age. Unlike most of these sites, however, the Whitecourt crater contains nearly all of the features associated with small impact craters including meteorites, ejecta blanket, observable transient crater boundary, raised rim, and associated shock indicators. This study indicates that the crater formed from the impact of an approximately 1 m diameter type IIIAB iron meteoroid traveling east‐northeast at less than approximately 10 km s^?1, striking the surface at an angle between 40° and 55° to horizontal. It appears that the main mass survived atmospheric transit relatively intact, with fragmentation and partial melting during impact. Most meteoritic material has a jagged, shrapnel‐like morphology and is distributed downrange of the crater.     

Millochau crater, Mars: Infilling and erosion of an ancient highland impact crater

The geology and stratigraphy of Millochau crater (21.4° S, 275° W), located in the highlands of Tyrrhena Terra, Mars, are documented through geomorphic analyses and geologic mapping. Crater size-frequency distributions and superposition relationships are used to constrain relative ages of geologic units and determine the timing and duration of the geologic processes that modified Millochau rim materials and emplaced deposits on Millochau's floor. Crater size-frequency distributions show a Middle Noachian age for rim materials and Middle Noachian to Early Hesperian ages for most of the interior deposits. Valley networks and gullies incised within Millochau's rim materials and interior wall, respectively, indicate fluvial activity was an important erosional process. Millochau contains an interior plateau, offset northeast of Millochau's center, which rises up to 400 m above the surrounding crater floor and slopes downward to the south and west. Layers exposed along the northern and eastern scarp boundaries of the plateau are tens to hundreds of meters thick and laterally continuous in MOC images. These layers suggest most materials within Millochau were emplaced by sedimentary processes (e.g., fluvial or eolian), with the potential for lacustrine deposition in shallow transient bodies of water and contributions of volcanic airfall. Mass wasting may have also contributed significant quantities of material to Millochau's interior, especially to the deposits surrounding the plateau. Superposition relationships combined with impact crater statistics indicate that most deposition and erosion of Millochau's interior deposits is ancient, which implies that fluvial activity in this part of Tyrrhena Terra is much older than in the eastern Hellas region. Eolian processes mobilized sediment to form complicated patterns of long- and short-wavelength dunes, whose emplacement is controlled by local topography. These deposits are some of the youngest within Millochau (Amazonian) and eolian modification may be ongoing.     

The Aouelloul crater,Mauritania: On the problem of confirming the impact origin of a small crater

Abstract— The impact origin of small craters in sedimentary rocks is often difficult to confirm because of the lack of characteristic shock metamorphic features. A case in point is the 3.1 Ma Aouelloul crater (Mauritania), 390 m in diameter, which is exposed in an area of Ordovician Oujeft and Zli sandstone. We studied several fractured sandstone samples from the crater rim for the possible presence of shock metamorphic effects. In thin section, a large fraction of the quartz grains show abundant subplanar and planar fractures. Many of the fractures are healed and are evident only as fluid inclusion trails. A few grains showed sets of narrow and densely spaced fluid inclusions trails in one (rarely two) orientations per grain, which could be possible remnants of planar deformation features (PDFs), although such an interpretation is not unambiguous. In contrast, an impact origin of the crater is confirmed by Re-Os isotope studies of the target sandstone and glass found around the crater rim, which show the presence of a distinct extraterrestrial component in the glass.     

Geophysical signature of the Tunnunik impact structure,Northwest Territories,Canada

In 2011, the discovery of shatter cones confirmed the 28 km diameter Tunnunik complex impact structure, Northwest Territories, Canada. This study presents the first results of ground‐based electromagnetic, gravimetric, and magnetic surveys over this impact structure. Its central area is characterized by a ~10 km wide negative gravity anomaly of about 3 mGal amplitude, roughly corresponding to the area of shatter cones, and associated with a positive magnetic field anomaly of ~120 nT amplitude and 3 km wavelength. The latter correlates well with the location of the deepest uplifted strata, an impact‐tilted Proterozoic dolomite layer of the Shaler Supergroup exposed near the center of the structure and intruded by dolerite dykes. Locally, electromagnetic field data unveil a conductive superficial formation which corresponds to an 80–100 m thick sand layer covering the impact structure. Based on the measurements of magnetic properties of rock samples, we model the source of the magnetic anomaly as the magnetic sediments of the Shaler Supergroup combined with a core of uplifted crystalline basement with enhanced magnetization. More classically, the low gravity signature is attributed to a reduction in density measured on the brecciated target rocks and to the isolated sand formations. However, the present‐day fractured zone does not extend deeper than ~1 km in our model, indicating a possible 1.5 km of erosion since the time of impact, about 430 Ma ago.     

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.     

El'gygytgyn impact crater,Russia: Structure,tectonics, and morphology

Abstract— The 3.6 Myr old El'gygytgyn impact crater is located in central Chukotka, northeastern Russia. The crater is a well‐preserved impact structure with an inner basin about 15 km in diameter, surrounded by an uplifted rim about 18 km in diameter. The flat floor of the crater is in part occupied by Lake El'gygytgyn, 12 km in diameter, and surrounding terraces. The average profile of the rim is asymmetric, with a steep inner wall and a gentle outer flank. The rim height is about 180 m above the lake level and 140 m above the surrounding area. An outer ring feature, on average 14 m high, occurs at about 1.75 crater radii from the center of the structure. El'gygytgyn crater is surrounded by a complex network of faults. The density of the faults decreases from the bottom of the rim to the rim crest and outside the crater to a distance of about 2.7 crater radii. Lake El'gygytgyn is surrounded by a number of lacustrine terraces. Only minor remnants are preserved of the highest terraces, 80 and 60 m above the present‐day lake level. The widest of the terraces is 40 m above the current lake level and surrounds the lake on the west and northwest sides. The only outlet of the lake is the Enmivaam River, which cuts through the crater rim in the southeast. In terms of structure, El'gygytgyn is well preserved and displays some interesting, but not well understood, features (e.g., an outer ring), similar to those observed at a few other impact structures.     

Measuring impact crater depth throughout the solar system

One important, almost ubiquitous, tool for understanding the surfaces of solid bodies throughout the solar system is the study of impact craters. While measuring a distribution of crater diameters and locations is an important tool for a wide variety of studies, so too is measuring a crater's “depth.” Depth can inform numerous studies including the strength of a surface and modification rates in the local environment. There is, however, no standard data set, definition, or technique to perform this data-gathering task, and the abundance of different definitions of “depth” and methods for estimating that quantity can lead to misunderstandings in and of the literature. In this review, we describe a wide variety of data sets and methods to analyze those data sets that have been, are currently, or could be used to derive different types of crater depth measurements. We also recommend certain nomenclature in doing so to help standardize practice in the field. We present a review section of all crater depths that have been published on different solar system bodies which shows how the field has evolved through time and how some common assumptions might not be wholly accurate. We conclude with several recommendations for researchers which could help different data sets to be more easily understood and compared.     

A study of lunar impact crater size-distributions

Discrepancies in published crater frequency data prompted this study of lunar crater distributions. Effects modifying production size distributions of impact craters such as surface lava flows, blanketing by ejecta, superposition, infilling, and abrasion of craters, mass wasting, and the contribution of secondary and volcanic craters are discussed. The resulting criteria have been applied in the determination of the size distributions of unmodified impact crater populations in selected lunar regions of different ages. The measured cumulative crater frequencies are used to obtain a general calibration size distribution curve by a normalization procedure. It is found that the lunar impact crater size distribution is largely constant in the size range 0.3 km ?D ? 20 km for regions with formation ages between ≈ 3 × 10⁹ yr and ? 4 × 10⁹ yr. A polynomial of 4th degree, valid in the size range 0.8 km ?D ? 20 km, and a polynomial of 7th degree, valid in the size range 0.3 km ?D ? ? 20 km, have been approximated to the logarithm of the cumulative crater frequencyN as a function of the logarithm of crater diameterD. The resulting relationship can be expressed asN ～D ^α(D) where α is a function depending onD. This relationship allows the comparison of crater frequencies in different size ranges. Exponential relationships with constant α, commonly used in the literature, are shown to inadequately approximate the lunar impact crater size distribution. Deviations of measured size distributions from the calibration distribution are strongly suggestive of the existence of processes having modified the primary impact crater population.     

Organosilane occurrence in irghizite samples from the Zhamanshin impact crater,Kazakhstan

Abstract— The composition of surface deposits on vesicle walls in irghizites (i.e., impact glasses at site) from the Zhamanshin meteorite crater were studied using time‐of‐flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (TOF‐SIMS). The cavity walls are unique interfaces for condensation of gases from the superheated, high‐silica melt during the impact. Initially, signals from the cavity wall are dominated by hydrocarbon fragments whereas the glass fracture face surrounding the cavity gave only signals corresponding to glass components. After 12 h in ultra high vacuum (UHV), signals from the cavity wall are dominated by peaks corresponding to fragments normally measured from organosilanes and organosiloxanes with the majority of the hydrocarbon signals markedly reduced. Characteristic hydrocarbon fragments are now observed on the glass fracture surface next to the cavity in an annulus around the cavity perimeter. There are also minor signals in this region from organosilanes and organosiloxanes. In contrast, four tektites (Australites) (i.e., glassy distal ejecta) gave no organosilane or organosiloxane signals after the same preparation and vacuum evaporation procedure. These species appear to be formed only at the impact site where higher levels of organic material are likely to be present in soil and are trapped before evaporation. This appears to be the first report of naturally occurring silicon‐organic compounds.