Amelia Creek: a Proterozoic impact structure in the Davenport Ranges,Northern Territory

The Amelia Creek impact structure is located in Australia's Northern Territory in folded Palaeoproterozoic strata of the Davenport Ranges (20°51'S, 134°53′E). An impact origin is confirmed by presence of unequivocal shatter cones with apices that point upwards, and by planar microstructures in quartz grains from target sandstones of the Hatches Creek Group. Aeromagnetic, advanced spaceborne thermal emission and reflection radiometer (ASTER), and X-band synthetic aperture radar (X-SAR) images show an area of anomalous deformation in which smooth regional trends are disrupted by arcuate features at a 10 km radius to the north and south of the shock-metamorphosed rocks. However, no arcuate forms are apparent to the east and west of these shocked rocks, and instead, large south-southwest-trending faults are present about 6 km away on both sides. Despite pervasive shatter coning, typical of the central region of complex impact structures, no structural uplift is apparent, but instead the shocked rocks lie at the southern toe of a north-northeast-trending syncline. These shatter cones overprint and post-date the Palaeoproterozoic regional deformation, and thus, the impact structure has not been refolded and its abnormal form is likely due to pre-existing structure in the target rocks and/or an oblique impact. Small pockets of undeformed Late Neoproterozoic and Middle Cambrian strata are exposed in palaeovalleys in the central region of the structure, constraining the time of the impact to the Proterozoic.     

Gulpuliyul structure: a possible impact structure of Mesoproterozoic age in western Arnhem Land,Northern Territory

The Gulpuliyul structure is the eroded remains of a possible impact structure of Mesoproterozoic age, in western Arnhem Land, Northern Territory, on the Arnhem Shelf of the northwestern McArthur Basin. Enigmatic, highly deformed and brecciated strata, within the roughly circular or pentagonal feature about 8.5 km across, contrast with mildly deformed rocks of the surrounding Arnhem Shelf. Shock-metamorphic features have yet to be observed. Other features of the Gulpuliyul Structure are: (i) sharp and faulted outer boundaries; (ii) strata within the structure are younger than adjacent country rocks; i.e., the rocks have been emplaced downwards into the structure; (iii) outcrops display an overall concentric or tangential pattern, the stratigraphy is essentially coherent, and there is an overall younging from the centre outwards; and (iv) strata are commonly overturned by southward-directed thrusting and recumbent folding. It is suggested that the projectile impacted at a shallow angle from the north, to produce a southward-deepening crater about 8.5 km across. The depth of the transient crater was probably between ～500?–?700 m (minimum) and ～800 m (maximum). The central uplift probably rebounded only about 300?–?400 m. The present erosion level is thought to lie near the top of the low central uplift, at about or just below the floor of the final crater. The age of the possible impact is Mesoproterozoic (ca 1600?–?1325 Ma); it is most likely to have occurred very early in the Mesoproterozoic (1600?–?1500 Ma).     

Geology and age of the Glikson impact structure,Western Australia

The Glikson structure is an aeromagnetic and structural anomaly located in the Little Sandy Desert of Western Australia (23°59'S, 121°34′E). Shatter cones and planar microstructures in quartz grains are present in a highly deformed central region, suggesting an impact origin. Circumferential shortening folds and chaotically disposed bedding define a 19 km-diameter area of deformation. Glikson is located in the northwestern Officer Basin in otherwise nearly flat-lying sandstone, siltstone and conglomerate of the Neoproterozoic Mundadjini Formation, intruded by dolerite sills. The structure would not have been detected if not for its strong ring-shaped aeromagnetic anomaly, which has a 10 km inner diameter and a 14 km outer diameter. We interpret the circular magnetic signature as the product of truncation and folding of mafic sills into a ring syncline. The sills most likely correlate with dolerites that intrude the Boondawari Formation ～25 km to the north, for which we report a SHRIMP U?–?Pb baddeleyite and zircon age of 508?±?5 Ma, providing a precise older limit for the impact event that formed the Glikson structure.     

Geological note: New field evidence resolving the relationship between the Grampians group and the Rocklands Rhyolite,western Victoria

The Rocklands Rhyolite is a latest Silurian to Early Devonian sequence of silicic ignimbrite, lava, volcanic sedimentary rocks and dykes in western Victoria. These volcanic rocks lie west of the Grampians Ranges, which consist of a thick succession of quartz sandstone of presumed Silurian age called the Grampians Group. The previously unresolved stratigraphic relationship between these two sequences of rocks is clarified by an exposed contact between steeply dipping Grampians Group cut by quartz veins, and overlying undeformed rhyolite. The implications of this relationship are that the Grampians Group is older than the Rocklands Rhyolite and that parts of the sandstone succession were locally deformed prior to volcanism. Furthermore, other outlying areas of sandstone and rhyolite, previously correlated with the Grampians Group and Rocklands Rhyolite, respectively, display different timing relationships and are proposed to be significantly younger.     

Spider impact structure,Kimberley Plateau,Western Australia: interpretations of formation mechanism and age based on integrated map-scale data

The centre of the 13?×?11 km Spider impact structure, Western Australia, displays an unusual system of eroded folds and imbricated thrusts surrounding a sandstone dome. As inferred from GIS-integrated remote sensing, geological and digital elevation data, the structural setting of the original crater was influenced by, and hence post-dates, the formation of the Mt Barnett Syncline, the east?–?west-oriented axis of which runs through the Spider structure. The syncline formed during the regional Yampi Orogeny (ca 900 Ma), thus constraining the maximum age of the impact event. The sandstone dome in the centre of Spider formed prior to the imbrication, as interpreted from the present setting that indicates a deflection of the southward moving material during the crater collapse. Two modes of formation are discussed in order to explain the south-directed shortening in the Spider impact structure: (i) impact into the bottom of a syncline-controlled palaeovalley leading to uplift of the central crater floor followed by gravity-driven asymmetric sliding preferentially from the northern crater wall and valley slope, respectively; and (ii) moderately oblique (～10?–?30°) impact from the north onto the axis of the syncline, producing a central uplift under the influence of downrange residual momentum and, thus, asymmetric deformation inside the uplift and farther downrange. Neither model alone explains all the observations, and only a combination of both may provide a satisfactory solution.     

New insights into the size and timing of the Lawn Hill impact structure: relationship to the Century Zn – Pb deposit

The Lawn Hill circular structure in northwest Queensland contains unambiguous evidence of an extraterrestrial impact, including planar deformation features in quartz, impact diamonds, widespread shatter cone formation and impact melt breccia in the Mesoproterozoic basement. The question of its relevance to ore genesis is investigated because the world-class Century Zn – Pb deposit is situated at the conjunction of the 100+ km Termite Range Fault and the previously defined margin of the impact structure. The impact structure is considered to be a 19.5 km wide feature, this constrained in part by the outer margin of an annulus of brecciated and highly contorted limestone. New evidence is presented indicating impact into this Cambrian limestone, including: (i) ‘dykes’ of brecciated Cambrian limestone extending hundreds of metres into the Mesoproterozoic basement; (ii) highly contorted bedding in the limestone annulus compared with essentially undeformed limestone away from the impact site; as well as (iii) a 1 Mt megaclast of Mesoproterozoic Century-like ore suspended in the limestone. Through aerial photograph analysis, large-scale convoluted flow structures within the limestone are identified, and these are interpreted to indicate that parts of the Cambrian sequence may have been soft or only semi-consolidated at the time of impact. This highly contorted limestone bedding is suggested to represent slump-filling of an annular trough in response to impact-induced partial liquefaction of a sediment veneer. The age of impact is therefore considered to be concurrent with limestone formation during the Ordian to early Templetonian, at 520 – 510 Ma. Formation of the Century deposit is found to be unrelated to impact-generated hydrothermal activity, although some minor hydrothermal remobilisation of metals occurred. However, there was macro-scale remobilisation of gigantic ore fragments driven by impact-induced lateral and vertical injection of limestone into the Proterozoic sediments. The limestone-filled annular trough surrounds a 7.8 km diameter central uplift, consistent with formation of a complex crater morphology.     

Drilling the Waqf as Suwwan impact structure

The about 6-km diameter, near-circular Waqf as Suwwan structure located at E36°48′/N31°03′ in eastern Jordan was only recently recognized as a somewhat eroded, complex impact structure. Surface geological mapping, geophysical interpretation, remote sensing, and petrographic and mineralogical analyses have been carried out to understand the structure. In particular, the complex geology of the remnant of the central uplift has been scrutinized. A recent drilling project afforded an opportunity to expand the investigation of the structure to previously inaccessible strata of the ring syncline in the environs of the central uplift. Three boreholes were drilled, two to 140 and 110 m depth to the north and outside of the central uplift, and a further short hole to 5 m depth into the innermost part of the central uplift. Preliminary assessment of these cores has revealed the presence of around 11 m of fluvial breccias (wadi deposit) that are dominated by chert fragments at the top of the syncline fill. This is underlain by a normal succession of late Maastrichtian to Campanian strata. A variety of microstructures such as fracturing with vertical, as well as inclined at 45° and 30° fractures occurs throughout the cores. Some joints have slickensides along their walls. Limestone and marly limestone constitute the most abundant rocks in the boreholes. Distinct shock deformation effects are entirely lacking in the cores from the syncline. These observations are interpreted as a result of substantial erosion of the impact structure down to a level within the crater floor. The microstructures and the preliminary results of the analyses of sediment ages, textures, and compositions (nanofossils and sediment mineralogy) show that sediments as old as Campanian and as young as late Maastrichtian were affected by the impact. Unfortunately, the drilling did not expose any lithologies such as impact melt breccias that could lend themselves to absolute chronological analysis for a better constraint of the impact age.     

Provenance of Permian Delaware Mountain Group,central and southern Delaware Basin,and implications of sediment dispersal pathway near the southwestern terminus of Pangea

ABSTRACT

The Delaware Basin is located near the southwestern end of the Alleghanian–Ouachita–Marathon orogenic belt. The basin is mostly filled by Permian clastic rocks of the Delaware Mountain Group with ramp- to shelf-carbonate rimming basin edges. The Delaware Mountain Group has been well-documented as a deep-water clastic reservoir unit in the prolific Permian Basin, but its sources and related sediment dispersal pathways remain inconclusive. In this study, a total of 55 samples of the Delaware Mountain Group were collected from whole core and sidewall core from the central and southern Delaware Basin, and sandstone modal analyses and U-Pb detrital zircon geochronology were applied to constrain their potential sources. Sandstone modal analyses show that the majority of samples fall within the transitional continental source field. Age spectra of detrital zircon from five selected samples include a prominent middle Palaeozoic age cluster (~490–275 Ma), a major Neoproterozoic to early Palaeozoic age cluster (~790–510 Ma), and a series of minor age clusters of the middle to late Mesoproterozoic (~1300–920 Ma), early Mesoproterozoic (~1600–1300 Ma), late Palaeoproterozoic (~1825–1600 Ma), and Archaean and Palaeoproterozoic (> ~1825 Ma). Integrating detrital zircon data from all potential sources and coeval sandstones from the northern Delaware Basin suggests that the majority of sediment was derived from the Appalachian foreland, the Ouachita orogenic system, and the peri-Gondwanan terranes. Variation in the abundance of the different age groups reveals a provenance shift between deposition of the Brushy Canyon Formation and the Cherry and Bell Canyon Formations. To accommodate the composition, and the stratigraphic and spatial age spectral variations, we proposed that the sediment dispersal pathway includes a transcontinental fluvial system from the Appalachian orogenic belt to the east, a regional scale fluvial system from the Ouachita orogenic belt to the north and northeast, and a local, proximal fluvial system from the peri-Gondwanan terranes to the south and southeast.     

Discovery of a double impact crater in Libya: the astrobleme of Arkenu

Using orbital imaging radar, we detected a double circular structure, located in the southeastern part of the Libyan Desert, which is partially hidden under sandy sediments. Fieldwork confirmed it to be an unknown double impact crater, each crater having a diameter of about 10 km, younger than 140 Ma. Sampling on the site enabled the observation of quantities of shatter cone structures and impact breccias containing planar fractures. To cite this article: P. Paillou et al., C. R. Geoscience 335 (2003).     

Structural history of the Greenvale Province,north Queensland: Early Palaeozoic extension and convergence on the Pacific margin of Gondwana*

The southeastern Georgetown Inlier (Greenvale Province) consists of Early Palaeozoic metamorphic rocks in fault contact along the Lynd Mylonite Zone with the Palaeoproterozoic to Mesoproterozoic craton of northeastern Australia. It has a central assemblage of metamorphosed silicic volcanic and sedimentary rocks considered equivalent to the Late Cambrian to Early Ordovician Seventy Mile Range Group that developed in an extensional backarc in the Charters Towers Province to the southeast. In the western part of the Greenvale Province, the Oasis Metamorphics have a U – Pb zircon SHRIMP metamorphic age of 476 ± 5 Ma and are intruded by the granodioritic Lynwater Complex with U – Pb zircon ages of 486 ± 5 Ma and 477 ± 6 Ma. These ages are consistent with these rocks forming basement and intrusive equivalents to the extensional volcanic basin. Existing geochronological constraints on the Halls Reward domain, located at the eastern margin of the province, are consistent with it being basement to the extensional basin. Several domains are recognised in the Greenvale Province with either dominantly steep or low to moderate dips of the main foliation, and each experienced multiple deformation with locally up to four overprinting structural phases. Steepening of foliation in several of the domains is attributed to contractional deformation in the Early Silurian that is inferred to have overprinted low-angle foliation developed during extensional tectonics in the backarc setting. Contractional deformation related to the Early Silurian Benambran Orogeny is considered responsible for multiple deformation in the Greenvale Province and reactivation of domain-bounding faults.     

丹凤地区秦岭岩群片麻岩锆石U-Pb年龄:北秦岭地体中-新元古代岩浆作用和早古生代变质作用的记录

秦岭岩群被认为是出露于北秦岭地体内最古老的前寒武纪基底岩石,记录了北秦岭造山带的地壳形成和演化历史。本文报道丹凤-西峡地区五件秦岭岩群片麻岩锆石U-Pb年龄结果,限定其形成和变质时代,探讨北秦岭地体的构造归属。定年结果表明,岩浆成因锆石颗粒的年龄集中在1400～1600Ma左右和850～950Ma左右,记录两期主要岩浆活动。6粒锆石具有变质成因特征,低Th/U比值(0.03),206Pb/238U年龄变化在510～465Ma之间,加权平均值477±18Ma。这一古生代变质叠加时代与北秦岭地体南北缘高压变质作用时代基本一致,说明秦岭岩群遭受到北秦岭造山带俯冲-碰撞造山过程的变质作用。秦岭岩群主要形成于中元古代晚期至新元古代早期,基底岩石缺乏早元古代和太古代岩浆活动的记录。在岩浆作用时代上,北秦岭地体与广泛发育新元古代中-晚期岩浆作用的扬子陆块北缘有差别,也不同于晚太古代-早元古代的华北陆块南缘,可能是中-新元古代形成的独立微陆块。     

阿拉善地块南缘龙首山东段“龙首山岩群”的再厘定——来自碎屑锆石U-Pb定年的证据

龙首山东段滑石口井地区存在一套浅变质的沉积岩系,原被认为属于古元古代“龙首山岩群”.本文取自这套变沉积岩系的2件样品的碎屑锆石年龄范围介于0.52～3.56 Ga之间,与相邻的寒武系大黄山群碎屑锆石年龄谱相似,其时代可能为中、晚寒武世.取自原“龙首山岩群”和寒武系大黄山群的3件变沉积岩样品中,共获得129个谐和的碎屑锆石年龄,主要分布在0.7～1.2 Ga(约占47％,峰值～0.8、～0.94、～1.0 Ga)和2.5～2.8 Ga(约占31％,峰值～2.5、～2.7 Ga),相对较小的年龄群集中在0.5～0.6 Ga(约占7％,峰值～0.56 Ga)和1.4～1.8 Ga(约占10％,峰值～1.5 Ga),其余年龄零星分布于1.8～2.4 Ga,少量锆石年龄＞3.0 Ga.碎屑物源分析认为,大黄山群的碎屑物质主要来自祁连地块,其中新元古代末一早古生代初期的碎屑物质来自北祁连造山带相关的火成岩,新元古代碎屑物质来自祁连地块广泛分布的新元古代岩浆岩,而中元古代一太古宙碎屑物质可能来自祁连地块再循环的变质基底岩石.结合区域地质资料认为,龙首山东段的浅变质沉积岩系和寒武系大黄山群可能沉积于祁连地块北侧的大陆边缘,在构造背景上属于祁连造山带,而不属于阿拉善地块.     

滇中地区昆阳群物源及构造环境

昆阳群的形成时代、沉积环境、源岩性质等一直存在较大争议,为了查明滇中地区昆阳群的物源及其形成的构造环境,文章在分析昆阳群沉积组合和沉积相的基础上,对昆阳群3件变质砂岩样品中的碎屑锆石进行LA-ICPMS锆石U-Pb年龄测定,对昆阳群20件极低级变质碎屑岩进行地球化学分析。从昆阳群黄草岭组、黑山头组和美党组中分别获得了最年轻的谐和年龄为984.0 Ma、945.0 Ma和954.0 Ma;碎屑锆石年龄峰谱显示,在1.0 Ga、1.35Ga、1.73 Ga和2.44 Ga出现了统计峰值,其年龄主要集中在1.73 Ga和1.35 Ga。表明昆阳群源区主要经历了1.0 Ga、1.35 Ga、1.73 Ga和2.44 Ga的构造热事件,资料显示扬子地块西南缘出露的大红山群形成时代为1.7 Ga,格林威尔期的构造热事件时期为1.0~1.3 Ga。此外,地球化学分析结果表明昆阳群源岩主要是形成于大陆岛弧—活动大陆边缘的石英质旋回沉积、长英质岩石和少量镁铁质岩石。在中元古代晚期—新元古代早期(0.95~1.0 Ga),Rodinia超大陆形成阶段,在扬子地块西南缘的弧后前陆盆地中形成昆阳群的沉积组合,物源主要来自扬子地块西南缘的大红山群和格林威尔期岛弧的岩石。     

滇中中元古代昆阳群因民组碎屑风暴岩及其意义

滇中地区中元古代昆阳群因民组以碎屑岩为主,内发育典型的风暴沉积构造 (包括渠铸型、丘状交错层理和洼状交错层理、递变层理等 )。风暴沉积主要包括 4种岩相类型 :A -具口袋构造的递变层理砂岩段。B -具丘状或洼状交错层理的砂岩段。C -具均质层理的粉砂岩、泥质岩段。D -具水平层理的泥质岩段。上述岩相A、B、C分别代表风暴流作用 -风暴浪作用 -风暴后期的快速悬浮沉积 (事件沉积 ),D代表风暴过后缓慢悬浮沉积 (背景沉积 ),它们组合成不同的风暴沉积序列。滇中地区昆阳群风暴沉积的发现表明中元古代大气圈、水圈及其相互作用与现今近似;中元古代滇中地区位于低纬度 (5 - 30°)的风暴作用带。该沉积对于解释因民组递变层砂岩的成因、证实昆阳群的地层层序也具有重要意义。     

Remote sensing and GIS analyses of the Strangways impact structure,Northern Territory

Remote sensing and GIS techniques play a substantial role for the identification of possible terrestrial impact structures, for mapping target-rock lithologies and deciphering the structural style of known craters. In this case study the lithological and structural characteristics of the highly eroded Proterozoic Strangways impact crater in the Northern Territory have been analysed on the basis of Landsat Enhanced Thematic Mapper satellite imagery, topographical data and airborne geophysical data. Regarding Landsat data, the calculation of basic statistical parameters and the optimum index factor has been found useful for a pre-selection of informative band combinations. By means of the analysis of multisensoral data, the distribution of crystalline basement rocks, siliciclastic target rocks of the Roper Group as well as post-impact deposits and deeper seated Proterozoic dykes can be detected. The original crater dimensions of the Strangways structure are carefully estimated at 26?–?29 km by combining the remote sensing data with the distribution of shatter cones localised in the field. The remote sensing/GIS approach of a geological interpretation based on multisensoral sources and combined fieldwork data can be successfully applied to other impact structures on earth, as well.     

Impact cratering and distal ejecta: the Australian record

The Australian continent has one of the best-preserved impact-cratering records on Earth, closely rivalling that of North America and parts of northern Europe, and the rate of new discoveries remains high. In this review 26 impact sites are described, including five small meteorite craters or crater fields associated with actual meteorite fragments (Boxhole, Dalgaranga, Henbury, Veevers, Wolfe Creek) and 21 variably eroded or buried impact structures (Acraman, Amelia Creek, Connolly Basin, Foelsche, Glikson, Goat Paddock, Gosses Bluff, Goyder, Kelly West, Lawn Hill, Liverpool, Matt Wilson, Mt Toondina, Piccaninny, Shoemaker, Spider, Strangways, Tookoonooka, Woodleigh, Yallalie, Yarrabubba). In addition a number of possible impact structures have been proposed and a short list of 22 is detailed herein. The Australian cratering record is anomalously biased towards old structures, and includes the Earth's best record of Proterozoic impact sites. This is likely to be a direct result of aspects of the continent's unique geological evolution. The Australian impact record also includes distal ejecta in the form of two tektite strewn fields (Australasian strewn field, ‘high-soda’ tektites), a single report of 12.1?–?4.6 Ma microtektites, ejecta from the ca 580 Ma Acraman impact structure, and a number of Archaean to Early Palaeoproterozoic impact spherule layers. Possible impact related layers near the Eocene?–?Oligocene and the Permian?–?Triassic boundaries have been described in the literature, but remain unconfirmed. The global K?–?T boundary impact horizon has not been recognised onshore in Australia but is present in nearby deep-sea cores.     

Cambrian trace fossils and worm like impressions from the Tal Group, Gopi-Chand-Ka Mahal section, Mussoorie syncline, Lesser Himalaya

Cambrian trace fossils and worm like impressions are described herein from the three stratigraphic units of Tal Group of rocks exposed along the track from Maldeota to Dhaulagiri in Gopi-Chand-Ka Mahal sec-tion, Mussoorie syncline. The upper 10 m thick sand-stone succession (Arenaceous Member) of Deo-Ka- Tibba Formation (lower Tal Group) contains high den-sity and low diversity Skolithos pipe rock. The Sko-lithos pipe rock in sandstone succession of Arenaceous Member (Deo-Ka-Tibba Formation) indicates shallow marine condition under sand shifting environment of deposition. Higher in the succession, in calcareous Member (Deo-Ka-Tibba Formation), Cruziana ichno-facies occurs in association with Monomorphichnus, Planolites and Paleophycus.     

Depositional environment and tectono-provenance of Upper Kaimur Group sandstones,Son Valley,Central India

The Mesoproterozoic Upper Kaimur Group consists of Bijaigarh Shale, Scarp Sandstone, and Dhandraul Sandstone. Based on the lithofacies data set, two major facies associations were identified, namely—tidal sand flat/sand bar facies association (TSFA) and tidally influenced fluvial channel facies/tidal channel facies association (TIFCFA). The Dhandraul Sandstone has been interpreted as a product of TIFCFA and the underlying Scarp Sandstone in TSFA which endorses a tidal dominated estuarine setting. Detrital modes of the Dhandraul and Scarp Sandstones fall in the quartz arenite to sub-litharenite types. Petrographical data suggest that the deposition of the Upper Kaimur Group sandstones took place in humid climate and was derived from mixed provenances. The sandstone composition suggests detritus from igneous rocks, metamorphic rocks, and recycled sedimentary rocks. The sandstone tectonic discrimination diagrams suggest that the provenances of the Upper Kaimur Group sandstones were continental block, recycled orogen, rifted continental margin to quartzose recycled tectonic regimes. It is envisaged that the Paleo- and Mesoproterozoic granite, granodiorite, gneiss, and metasedimentary rocks of Mahakoshal Group and Chotanagpur granite–gneiss present in the western and northwestern direction are the possible source rocks for the Upper Kaimur Group in the Son Valley.     

云南峨山地区东川群黑山组流纹质碎斑熔岩锆石U－Pb年龄及其地质意义

滇中地区中元古界"昆阳群"、"东川群"的地层层序是长期争议的重大基础地质问题。本次在峨山地区东川群黑山组中发育的厚近5m厚的流纹质碎斑熔岩采集样品D0023一件,选出120余粒锆石,获得的锆石LA-ICP-MS U-Pb加权平均年龄为(1569. 2±4. 5) Ma。样品锆石的Th/U值均大于0. 5,具有清晰的振荡环带结构,均为岩浆成因的锆石,表明东川群黑山组形成于中元古代早期,属非造山相关的火山岩系,可能是哥伦比亚超大陆裂解作用在扬子陆块的响应,为东川群的地层时代和层序研究增添了新资料。     

秦岭岩群中斜长角闪岩的年代学、地球化学特征及其地质意义

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