The Chicxulub Multi-Ring Impact Crater, Yucatan Carbonate Platform, Gulf of Mexico
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GEOFÍSICA INTERNACIONAL (2011) 50-1: 99-127 REVIEW ARTICLE The Chicxulub multi-ring impact crater, Yucatan carbonate platform, Gulf of Mexico Jaime Urrutia-Fucugauchi*, Antonio Camargo-Zanoguera, Ligia Pérez-Cruz and Guillermo Pérez-Cruz Received: November 16, 2010; accepted: November 23, 2010; published on line: December 17, 2010 Resumen El cráter Chicxulub, parte de un grupo selecto de corteza inferior y manto superior son deformados rasgos geológicos, constituye un laboratorio para y se tiene un levantamiento en la parte central investigar los procesos de formación de cráteres y de la excavación de varias decenas de kilómetros los efectos de impactos en el planeta. Chicxulub es que forma un levantamiento de basamento que uno de tres cráteres complejos multi-anillos docu- caracteriza a estos cráteres complejos. La zona de mentados en el registro terrestre y el impacto es impacto es deformada y fracturada. Los estudios relacionado a los cambios ambientales y climáticos de la dinámica del impacto, formación del cráter, que marcan la frontera Cretácico/Paleógeno (K/Pg) efectos globales de la liberación de energía y ondas y las extinciones masivas de organismos. El cráter, sísmicas y los modelados del comportamiento de localizado en la porción noroeste de la península materiales sujetos a altas presiones y temper- de Yucatán, está cubierto por sedimentos car- aturas forman parte de los problemas en estudio, bonatados y fue identificado inicialmente en los representado retos interesantes en geociencias. estudios dentro del programa de exploración de La capa de eyecta con el material fragmentado Petróleos Mexicanos. En la superficie, evidencias identificada como la capa K/Pg constituye un mar- del cráter sepultado incluyen al anillo de cenotes y cador estratigráfico a escala global, permitiendo rasgos topográficos semi-circulares, los cuales se correlaciones estratigráficas y análisis de procesos asocian a la compactación diferencial de los ma- en la transición del Mesozoico al Cenozoico. En los teriales fragmentados en el impacto y que forman últimos 20 años las investigaciones han aportado parte del relleno de la estructura. El cráter tiene un información importante sobre el cráter Chicxulub diámetro aproximado de 200 km, esta una parte y los eventos que marcan la frontera K/Pg, sin en el mar y otra en tierra y puede ser investigado embargo, son las preguntas formuladas a partir usando métodos geofísicos terrestres, marinos y de los estudios quizá la parte más relevante. Estas aéreos. Las características de la plataforma carbo- interrogantes incluyen temas fundamentales sobre natada, que no ha sido afectada por actividad tec- impactos, formación de cráteres y la evolución del tónica o volcánica reciente, permiten tener mayor sistema solar. resolución en los estudios geofísicos e investigar la estructura del cráter con una alta precisión. La Palabras clave: cráter Chicxulub, límite Cretácico/ formación del cráter y el evento de impacto ocu- Paleógeno, impactos, formación de cráteres de rren en un corto tiempo del orden de centenas de impacto, exploración geofísica, perforación y re- segundos, con una alta liberación de energía y la cuperación de núcleos, plataforma carbonatada de excavación de una cavidad con profundidades del Yucatán, golfo de México orden de 25 km, afectando toda la corteza. La J. Urrutia-Fucugauchi L. Pérez-Cruz Proyecto Universitario de Perforaciones en Océanos y Proyecto Universitario de Perforaciones en Océanos y Continentes Continentes Instituto de Geofísica Instituto de Geofísica Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México Delegación Coyoacan 04510 México D.F. Delegación Coyoacan 04510 México D.F. *Corresponding author: [email protected] e-mail: [email protected] A. Camargo-Zanoguera G. Pérez-Cruz Petróleos Mexicanos Petróleos Mexicanos PEMEX Exploración y Producción (retired) PEMEX Exploración y Producción (retired) Blvd. A. Ruiz Cortines 1202 Blvd. A. Ruiz Cortines 1202 Villahermosa, Tabasco, 86030, México Villahermosa, Tabasco, 86030, México e-mail: [email protected] Also at: Facultad de Ingeniería Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México Delegación Coyoacan 04510 México D.F. e-mail: [email protected] 99 J. Urrutia-Fucugauchi, A. Camargo-Zanoguera, L. Pérez-Cruz and G. Pérez-Cruz Abstract Introduction The Chicxulub impact crater is part of a select Three decades ago Alvarez and co-workers (1980) group of unique geological sites, being a natural published a paper proposing that an asteroid laboratory to investigate crater formation pro- impact caused the extinction of organisms and cesses and global effects of large-scale impacts. the events marking the Cretaceous/Tertiary Chicxulub is one of only three multi-ring craters boundary (now referred as Cretaceous/ documented in the terrestrial record and impact Paleogene, K/Pg boundary). In their paper, has been related to the global environmental/ they reported results from studies on pelagic climatic effects and mass extinction that mark carbonate sequences from Italy, Denmark and the Cretaceous/Paleogene (K/Pg) boundary. The New Zealand that spanned the K/Pg boundary, crater is buried under ~1.0 km of carbonate which was marked by a thin clay layer. This layer sediments in the Yucatan peninsula. The buried was characterized by iridium enrichment, with structure was initially identified from geophysical concentrations of about 30, 160 and 20 times surveys of the PEMEX oil exploration program in the background levels through the sections. The southeastern Mexico. On the surface its influence iridium and other platinum group elements and is marked by the circular ring of cenotes that have chemical and mineralogical characteristics of formed from differential compaction and fractur- the clay layers were interpreted in terms of a ing between the impact breccias and surrounding collision of a large asteroid at the K/Pg boundary. limestone sequences. The crater is about ~200 Effects of the impact included injection into the km in rim diameter, half on-land and half off-shore atmosphere of large amounts of pulverized rock, with geometric center at Chicxulub Puerto, making resulting in blockage of solar radiation, global it possible to use land, marine and aerial geophysi- cooling, and interruption of photosynthesis cal methods. The Yucatan carbonate platform is an processes. As part of the report, Álvarez et al. ideal place to have the crater, tectonically stable (1980) estimated the size of the bolide from with no volcanic activity, having formed by slow different sets of assumptions, with a mean deposition of carbonate sediments. These char- diameter of about 10 ± 4 km in diameter. They acteristics permit high resolution imagery of the analyzed data bases available on Earth crossing crater underground structure with unprecedented objects and the terrestrial crater record. Size of detail. The impact and crater formation occur resulting impact crater was estimated at ~200 instantaneously, with excavation of the crust km in diameter. At that time, only three craters down to ~25 km depths in fractions of a second >100 km in diameter were known, Vredefort, and lower crust uplift and crater formation in Sudbury and Popigai, which were not considered the next few hundred seconds. Energy release as possible candidates for the impact because of results in intense fracturing and deformation at their formation ages. It was mentioned that the the target site, generating seismic waves travel- impact site may not be found, having occurred ing the whole Earth. Understanding the physics in an ocean basin, and if so, documenting it of impacts on planetary surfaces and modeling presented major obstacles for its recognition of crustal deformation and rheological behavior and possible disappearance as a result of plate of materials at high temperatures and pressures subduction. Although probability was considered remain major challenges in geosciences. The K/Pg low, search for the impact site began and ejecta layer is the only global stratigraphic marker continued over the years, which also included in the geological record, allowing correlation of studies on the distribution and characterization of events worldwide. In the last 20 years much has the K/Pg layer and geochemical fingerprinting of been learned about the Chicxulub crater and the bolide and target lithology. Interestingly, about a K/Pg boundary; however what is perhaps most year after publication of the Álvarez et al. (1980) interesting are the questions remaining, which paper, results of oil exploration geophysical include fundamental aspects of Chicxulub impact surveys in southeastern Mexico were presented at and its environmental effects. the Annual Meeting of the Society of Exploration Geophysicists that included the report on a buried Key words: Chicxulub crater, Cretaceous/ structure in the Yucatan carbonate platform Paleogene boundary, cratering, geophysical (Penfield and Camargo-Zanoguera, 1981). The exploration methods, drilling, Yucatan platform, structure was characterized by semi-circular Gulf of Mexico patterns of gravity and aeromagnetic anomalies over a large area some ~200 km in diameter with associated rocks of andesitic composition, which were interpreted in terms of a large volcanic center or an impact crater. Although reports from the meeting were published making the association of the Yucatan crater with the K/Pg boundary impact and mass extinction, it 100 VOLUME 50 NUMBER 1 J. Urrutia-Fucugauchi, A. Camargo-Zanoguera, L. Pérez-Cruz and