Meteorite Impacts
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Cross-References ASTEROID IMPACT Definition and Introduction History of Impact Cratering Studies
18 ASTEROID IMPACT Tedesco, E. F., Noah, P. V., Noah, M., and Price, S. D., 2002. The identification and confirmation of impact structures on supplemental IRAS minor planet survey. The Astronomical Earth were developed: (a) crater morphology, (b) geo- 123 – Journal, , 1056 1085. physical anomalies, (c) evidence for shock metamor- Tholen, D. J., and Barucci, M. A., 1989. Asteroid taxonomy. In Binzel, R. P., Gehrels, T., and Matthews, M. S. (eds.), phism, and (d) the presence of meteorites or geochemical Asteroids II. Tucson: University of Arizona Press, pp. 298–315. evidence for traces of the meteoritic projectile – of which Yeomans, D., and Baalke, R., 2009. Near Earth Object Program. only (c) and (d) can provide confirming evidence. Remote Available from World Wide Web: http://neo.jpl.nasa.gov/ sensing, including morphological observations, as well programs. as geophysical studies, cannot provide confirming evi- dence – which requires the study of actual rock samples. Cross-references Impacts influenced the geological and biological evolu- tion of our own planet; the best known example is the link Albedo between the 200-km-diameter Chicxulub impact structure Asteroid Impact Asteroid Impact Mitigation in Mexico and the Cretaceous-Tertiary boundary. Under- Asteroid Impact Prediction standing impact structures, their formation processes, Torino Scale and their consequences should be of interest not only to Earth and planetary scientists, but also to society in general. ASTEROID IMPACT History of impact cratering studies In the geological sciences, it has only recently been recog- Christian Koeberl nized how important the process of impact cratering is on Natural History Museum, Vienna, Austria a planetary scale. -
Planetary Surfaces
Chapter 4 PLANETARY SURFACES 4.1 The Absence of Bedrock A striking and obvious observation is that at full Moon, the lunar surface is bright from limb to limb, with only limited darkening toward the edges. Since this effect is not consistent with the intensity of light reflected from a smooth sphere, pre-Apollo observers concluded that the upper surface was porous on a centimeter scale and had the properties of dust. The thickness of the dust layer was a critical question for landing on the surface. The general view was that a layer a few meters thick of rubble and dust from the meteorite bombardment covered the surface. Alternative views called for kilometer thicknesses of fine dust, filling the maria. The unmanned missions, notably Surveyor, resolved questions about the nature and bearing strength of the surface. However, a somewhat surprising feature of the lunar surface was the completeness of the mantle or blanket of debris. Bedrock exposures are extremely rare, the occurrence in the wall of Hadley Rille (Fig. 6.6) being the only one which was observed closely during the Apollo missions. Fragments of rock excavated during meteorite impact are, of course, common, and provided both samples and evidence of co,mpetent rock layers at shallow levels in the mare basins. Freshly exposed surface material (e.g., bright rays from craters such as Tycho) darken with time due mainly to the production of glass during micro- meteorite impacts. Since some magnetic anomalies correlate with unusually bright regions, the solar wind bombardment (which is strongly deflected by the magnetic anomalies) may also be responsible for darkening the surface [I]. -
Terrestrial Impact Structures Provide the Only Ground Truth Against Which Computational and Experimental Results Can Be Com Pared
Ann. Rev. Earth Planet. Sci. 1987. 15:245-70 Copyright([;; /987 by Annual Reviews Inc. All rights reserved TERRESTRIAL IMI!ACT STRUCTURES ··- Richard A. F. Grieve Geophysics Division, Geological Survey of Canada, Ottawa, Ontario KIA OY3, Canada INTRODUCTION Impact structures are the dominant landform on planets that have retained portions of their earliest crust. The present surface of the Earth, however, has comparatively few recognized impact structures. This is due to its relative youthfulness and the dynamic nature of the terrestrial geosphere, both of which serve to obscure and remove the impact record. Although not generally viewed as an important terrestrial (as opposed to planetary) geologic process, the role of impact in Earth evolution is now receiving mounting consideration. For example, large-scale impact events may hav~~ been responsible for such phenomena as the formation of the Earth's moon and certain mass extinctions in the biologic record. The importance of the terrestrial impact record is greater than the relatively small number of known structures would indicate. Impact is a highly transient, high-energy event. It is inherently difficult to study through experimentation because of the problem of scale. In addition, sophisticated finite-element code calculations of impact cratering are gen erally limited to relatively early-time phenomena as a result of high com putational costs. Terrestrial impact structures provide the only ground truth against which computational and experimental results can be com pared. These structures provide information on aspects of the third dimen sion, the pre- and postimpact distribution of target lithologies, and the nature of the lithologic and mineralogic changes produced by the passage of a shock wave. -
A Fossiliferous Spherule-Rich Bed at the Cretaceous–Paleogene (K–Pg) Boundary in 1 Mississippi, USA: Implications for the K
1 A fossiliferous spherule-rich bed at the Cretaceous–Paleogene (K–Pg) boundary in 2 Mississippi, USA: implications for the K–Pg mass extinction event in the Mississippi 3 Embayment and Eastern Gulf Coastal Plain 4 James D. Witts1, Neil H. Landman1, Matthew P. Garb2, Caitlin Boas2, Ekaterina Larina3, 5 Remy Rovelli4, Lucy E. Edwards5, Robert M. Sherrell6,7, and J. Kirk Cochran8 6 1Division of Paleontology (Invertebrates), American Museum of Natural History, New York, 7 NY 10024, USA 8 2Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Brooklyn College, Brooklyn, NY 11210, 9 USA 10 3University of Southern California, Department of Earth Sciences, Los Angeles, CA 90018, 11 USA 12 4Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, The University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, 13 NM 87131, USA 14 5U.S. Geological Survey, Mail Stop 926A, Reston, VA 20192, USA 15 6Department of Marine and Coastal Sciences, Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ 08901, 16 USA 17 7 Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ 08901, 18 USA 19 8School of Marine and Atmospheric Science, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY 11794, 20 USA 21 [The final, fully formatted version of this article is available online at Cretaceous Research: 22 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cretres.2018.06.002 ] 23 Abstract 24 We describe an outcrop of the Cretaceous–Paleogene (K–Pg) boundary exposed due 25 to construction near New Albany, Union County, Mississippi. It consists of the Owl Creek 26 Formation and overlying Clayton Formation. The Owl Creek Formation is rich in the 27 ammonites Discoscaphites iris and Eubaculites carinatus, which, along with 28 biostratigraphically important dinoflagellate cysts and calcareous nannofossils, indicate 29 deposition occurred within the last 1 million years, most likely last 500 kyrs, of the 30 Cretaceous. -
Evidence for Impact-Generated Deposition
EVIDENCE FOR IMPACT-GENERATED DEPOSITION ON THE LATE EOCENE SHORES OF GEORGIA by ROBERT SCOTT HARRIS (Under the direction of Michael F. Roden) ABSTRACT Modeling demonstrates that the Late Eocene Chesapeake Bay impact would have been capable of depositing ejecta in east-central Georgia with thicknesses exceeding thirty centimeters. A coarse sand layer at the base of the Upper Eocene Dry Branch Formation was examined for shocked minerals. Universal stage measurements demonstrate that planar fabrics in some fine to medium sand-size quartz grains are parallel to planes commonly exploited by planar deformation features (PDF’s) in shocked quartz. Possible PDF’s are observed parallel to {10-13}, {10-11}, {10-12}, {11-22} and {51-61}. Petrographic identification of shocked quartz is supported by line broadening in X-ray diffraction experiments. Other impact ejecta recognized include possible ballen quartz, maskelynite, and reidite-bearing zircon grains. The layer is correlative with an unusual diamictite that contains goethite spherules similar to altered microkrystites. It may represent an impact-generated debris flow. These discoveries suggest that the Chesapeake Bay impact horizon is preserved in Georgia. The horizon also should be the source stratum for Georgia tektites. INDEX WORDS: Chesapeake Bay impact, Upper Eocene, Shocked quartz, Impact shock, Shocked zircon, Impact, Impact ejecta, North American tektites, Tektites, Georgiaites, Georgia Tektites, Planar deformation features, PDF’s, Georgia, Geology, Coastal Plain, Stratigraphy, Impact stratigraphy, Impact spherules, Goethite spherules, Diamictite, Twiggs Clay, Dry Branch Formation, Clinchfield Sand, Irwinton Sand, Reidite, Microkrystite, Cpx Spherules, Impact debris flow EVIDENCE FOR IMPACT-GENERATED DEPOSITION ON THE LATE EOCENE SHORES OF GEORGIA by ROBERT SCOTT HARRIS B. -
Impact Cratering
6 Impact cratering The dominant surface features of the Moon are approximately circular depressions, which may be designated by the general term craters … Solution of the origin of the lunar craters is fundamental to the unravel- ing of the history of the Moon and may shed much light on the history of the terrestrial planets as well. E. M. Shoemaker (1962) Impact craters are the dominant landform on the surface of the Moon, Mercury, and many satellites of the giant planets in the outer Solar System. The southern hemisphere of Mars is heavily affected by impact cratering. From a planetary perspective, the rarity or absence of impact craters on a planet’s surface is the exceptional state, one that needs further explanation, such as on the Earth, Io, or Europa. The process of impact cratering has touched every aspect of planetary evolution, from planetary accretion out of dust or planetesimals, to the course of biological evolution. The importance of impact cratering has been recognized only recently. E. M. Shoemaker (1928–1997), a geologist, was one of the irst to recognize the importance of this process and a major contributor to its elucidation. A few older geologists still resist the notion that important changes in the Earth’s structure and history are the consequences of extraterres- trial impact events. The decades of lunar and planetary exploration since 1970 have, how- ever, brought a new perspective into view, one in which it is clear that high-velocity impacts have, at one time or another, affected nearly every atom that is part of our planetary system. -
The Eltanin Impact and Its Tsunami Along the Coast of South America: Insights for Potential Deposits
Earth and Planetary Science Letters 409 (2015) 175–181 Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Earth and Planetary Science Letters www.elsevier.com/locate/epsl The Eltanin impact and its tsunami along the coast of South America: Insights for potential deposits Robert Weiss a, Patrick Lynett b, Kai Wünnemann c a Department of Geosciences, Virginia Tech, VA 24061, USA b Sonny Astani Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089-2531, USA c Museum für Naturkunde, Leibniz Institute for Evolution and Biodiversity Science, Invalidenstrasse 43, 10115 Berlin, Germany a r t i c l e i n f o a b s t r a c t Article history: The Eltanin impact occurred 2.15 million years ago in the Bellinghausen Sea in the southern Pacific. Received 21 June 2014 While a crater was not formed, evidence was left behind at the impact site to prove the impact origin. Received in revised form 10 October 2014 Previous studies suggest that a large tsunami formed, and sedimentary successions along the coast of Accepted 19 October 2014 South America have been attributed to the Eltanin impact tsunami. They are characterized by large clasts, Available online xxxx often several meters in diameter. Our state-of-the-art numerical modeling of the impact process and its Editor: J. Lynch-Stieglitz coupling with non-linear wave simulations allows for quantifying the initial wave characteristic and the Keywords: propagation of tsunami-like waves over large distances. We find that the tsunami attenuates quickly with −1.2 Eltanin impact η(r) ∝ r resulting in maximum wave heights similar to those observed during the 2004 Sumatra tsunamis and 2011 Tohoku-oki tsunamis. -
Sedimentological Analysis of Resurge Deposits at the Lockne and Tvären Craters: Clues to Flow Dynamics
Meteoritics & Planetary Science 42, Nr 11, 1929–1943 (2007) Abstract available online at http://meteoritics.org Sedimentological analysis of resurge deposits at the Lockne and Tvären craters: Clues to flow dynamics Jens ORMÖ1*, Erik STURKELL2, and Maurits LINDSTRÖM3 1Centro de Astrobiología (CAB), Instituto Nacional de Técnica Aeroespacial, Ctra de Torrejón a Ajalvir, km 4, 28850 Torrejón de Ardoz, Madrid, Spain 2Nordic Volcanological Center, Institute of Earth Sciences, University of Iceland, Sturlugata 7, 101 Reykjavík, Iceland 3Department of Geology and Geochemistry, Stockholm University, 10691 Stockholm, Sweden *Corresponding author. E-mail: [email protected] (Submitted 08 November 2006; revision accepted 14 May 2007) Abstract–The Lockne and Tvären craters formed about 455 million years ago in an epicontinental sea where seawater and mainly limestones covered a crystalline basement. The target water depth for Tvären (apparent basement crater diameter D = 2 km) was probably not over 150 m, and for Lockne (D = 7.5 km) recent best-fit numerical simulations suggest the target water depth of 500–700 m. Lockne has crystalline ejecta that partly cover an outer crater (14 km diameter) apparent in the target sediments. Tvären is eroded with only the crater infill preserved. We have line-logged cores through the resurge deposits within the craters in order to analyze the resurge flow. The focus was clast lithology, frequencies, and size sorting. We divide the resurge into “resurge proper,” with water and debris shooting into the crater and ultimately rising into a central water plume, “anti-resurge,” with flow outward from the collapsing plume, and “oscillating resurge” (not covered by the line-logging due to methodological reasons), with decreasing flow in diverse directions. -
Geology of the Troy, Miss., 7.5 Minute Topographic Quadrangle Chickasaw and Pontotoc Counties Mississippi by Charles T
~ Geology of the Troy, Miss., 7.5 Minute Topographic Quadrangle Chickasaw and Pontotoc Counties Mississippi by Charles T. Swann, R.P.G. and Jeremy J. Dew Mississippi Mineral Resources Institute 310 Lester Hall University, Mississippi 38677 Mississippi Mineral Resources Institute Open - File Report 09-2S August, 2009 On The Cover The Mississippi Office of Geology drilled the MMRI-Reeves, No. 1 well in support of the MMRI’s surface mapping efforts. The cover picture is the drill rig set up in sand pits in sec.22, T.12S, R.3E. A set of core samples as well as a set of geophysical logs were obtained during the drilling operations. The well was begun in the lower Clayton section (Tertiary) and reached a total depth of 403 feet in the Demopolis Formation (Cretaceous). -i- TABLE OF CONTENTS On The Cover ............................................................................................................................. i Table of Contents . ..................................................................................................................... ii List of Tables ............................................................................................................................ iii List of Figures . ......................................................................................................................... iii Abstract...................................................................................................................................... 1 Introduction. ............................................................................................................................. -
Flynn Creek Crater, Tennessee: Final Report, by David J
1967010060 ASTROGEOLOGIC STUDIES / ANNUAL PROGRESS REPORT " July 1, 1965 to July 1, 1966 ° 'i t PART B - h . CRATERINVESTIGATIONS N 67_1_389 N 57-" .]9400 (ACCEC_ION [4U _" EiER! (THRU} .2_ / PP (PAGLS) (CO_ w ) _5 (NASA GR OR I"MX OR AD NUMBER) (_ATEGORY) DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR UNITED STATES GEOLOQICAL SURVEY • iri i i i i iiii i i 1967010060-002 ASTROGEOLOGIC STUDIES ANNUAL PROGRESS REPORT July i, 1965 to July I, 1966 PART B: CRATER INVESTIGATIONS November 1966 This preliminary report is distributed without editorial and technical review for conformity with official standards and nomenclature. It should not be quoted without permission. This report concerns work done on behalf of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR UNITED STATES GEOLOGICAL SURVEY 1967010060-003 • #' C OING PAGE ,BLANK NO/" FILMED. CONTENTS PART B--CRATER INVESTIGATIONS Page Introduction ........................ vii History and origin of the Flynn Creek crater, Tennessee: final report, by David J. Roddy .............. 1 Introductien ..................... 1 Geologic history of the Flynn Creek crater ....... 5 Origin of the Flynn Creek crater ............ ii Conc lusions ...................... 32 References cited .................... 35 Geology of the Sierra Madera structure, Texas: progress report, by H. G. Wilshire ............ 41_ Introduction ...................... 41 Stratigraphy ...................... 41 Petrography and chemical composition .......... 49 S truc ture ....................... 62 References cited ............. ...... 69 Some aspects of the Manicouagan Lake structure in Quebec, Canada, by Stephen H. Wolfe ................ 71 f Craters produced by missile impacts, by H. J. Moore ..... 79 Introduction ...................... 79 Experimental procedure ................. 80 Experimental results .................. 81 Summary ........................ 103 References cited .................... 103 Hypervelocity impact craters in pumice, by H. J. Moore and / F. -
Impact Structures and Events – a Nordic Perspective
107 by Henning Dypvik1, Jüri Plado2, Claus Heinberg3, Eckart Håkansson4, Lauri J. Pesonen5, Birger Schmitz6, and Selen Raiskila5 Impact structures and events – a Nordic perspective 1 Department of Geosciences, University of Oslo, P.O. Box 1047, Blindern, NO 0316 Oslo, Norway. E-mail: [email protected] 2 Department of Geology, University of Tartu, Vanemuise 46, 51014 Tartu, Estonia. 3 Department of Environmental, Social and Spatial Change, Roskilde University, P.O. Box 260, DK-4000 Roskilde, Denmark. 4 Department of Geography and Geology, University of Copenhagen, Øster Voldgade 10, DK-1350 Copenhagen, Denmark. 5 Division of Geophysics, University of Helsinki, P.O. Box 64, FIN-00014 Helsinki, Finland. 6 Department of Geology, University of Lund, Sölvegatan 12, SE-22362 Lund, Sweden. Impact cratering is one of the fundamental processes in are the main reason that the Nordic countries are generally well- the formation of the Earth and our planetary system, as mapped. reflected, for example in the surfaces of Mars and the Impact craters came into the focus about 20 years ago and the interest among the Nordic communities has increased during recent Moon. The Earth has been covered by a comparable years. The small Kaalijärv structure of Estonia was the first impact number of impact scars, but due to active geological structure to be confirmed in northern Europe (Table 1; Figures 1 and processes, weathering, sea floor spreading etc, the num- 7). First described in 1794 (Rauch), the meteorite origin of the crater ber of preserved and recognized impact craters on the field (presently 9 craters) was proposed much later in 1919 (Kalju- Earth are limited. -
Geological Survey Research 1961 Synopsis of Geologic and Hydrologic Results
Geological Survey Research 1961 Synopsis of Geologic and Hydrologic Results GEOLOGICAL SURVEY PROFESSIONAL PAPER 424-A Geological Survey Research 1961 THOMAS B. NOLAN, Director GEOLOGICAL SURVEY PROFESSIONAL PAPER 424 A synopsis ofgeologic and hydrologic results, accompanied by short papers in the geologic and hydrologic sciences. Published separately as chapters A, B, C, and D UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE, WASHINGTON : 1961 FOEEWOED The Geological Survey is engaged in many different kinds of investigations in the fields of geology and hydrology. These investigations may be grouped into several broad, inter related categories as follows: (a) Economic geology, including engineering geology (b) Eegional geologic mapping, including detailed mapping and stratigraphic studies (c) Eesource and topical studies (d) Ground-water studies (e) Surface-water studies (f) Quality-of-water studies (g) Field and laboratory research on geologic and hydrologic processes and principles. The Geological Survey also carries on investigations in its fields of competence for other Fed eral agencies that do not have the required specialized staffs or scientific facilities. Nearly all the Geological Survey's activities yield new data and principles of value in the development or application of the geologic and hydrologic sciences. The purpose of this report, which consists of 4 chapters, is to present as promptly as possible findings that have come to the fore during the fiscal year 1961 the 12 months ending June 30, 1961. The present volume, chapter A, is a synopsis of the highlights of recent findings of scientific and economic interest. Some of these findings have been published or placed on open file during the year; some are presented in chapters B, C, and D ; still others have not been pub lished previously.