|
1
|
Morgan JV, Gulick SPS, Bralower T, Chenot E, Christeson G, Claeys P, Cockell C, Collins GS, Coolen MJL, Ferrière L, Gebhardt C, Goto K, Jones H, Kring DA, Le Ber E, Lofi J, Long X, Lowery C, Mellett C, Ocampo-Torres R, Osinski GR, Perez-Cruz L, Pickersgill A, Poelchau M, Rae A, Rasmussen C, Rebolledo-Vieyra M, Riller U, Sato H, Schmitt DR, Smit J, Tikoo S, Tomioka N, Urrutia-Fucugauchi J, Whalen M, Wittmann A, Yamaguchi KE, Zylberman W. The formation of peak rings in large impact craters. Science 2017; 354:878-882. [PMID: 27856906 DOI: 10.1126/science.aah6561] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/27/2016] [Accepted: 10/14/2016] [Indexed: 11/02/2022]
Abstract
Large impacts provide a mechanism for resurfacing planets through mixing near-surface rocks with deeper material. Central peaks are formed from the dynamic uplift of rocks during crater formation. As crater size increases, central peaks transition to peak rings. Without samples, debate surrounds the mechanics of peak-ring formation and their depth of origin. Chicxulub is the only known impact structure on Earth with an unequivocal peak ring, but it is buried and only accessible through drilling. Expedition 364 sampled the Chicxulub peak ring, which we found was formed from uplifted, fractured, shocked, felsic basement rocks. The peak-ring rocks are cross-cut by dikes and shear zones and have an unusually low density and seismic velocity. Large impacts therefore generate vertical fluxes and increase porosity in planetary crust.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Joanna V Morgan
- Department of Earth Science and Engineering, Imperial College London, SW7 2AZ, UK.
| | - Sean P S Gulick
- Institute for Geophysics, Jackson School of Geosciences, University of Texas at Austin, TX 78758-4445, USA
| | - Timothy Bralower
- Department of Geosciences, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA
| | - Elise Chenot
- Biogéosciences Laboratory, UMR 6282 CNRS, Université de Bourgogne-Franche Comté, Dijon 21000, France
| | - Gail Christeson
- Institute for Geophysics, Jackson School of Geosciences, University of Texas at Austin, TX 78758-4445, USA
| | - Philippe Claeys
- Analytical, Environmental and Geo-Chemistry, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Pleinlaan 2,Brussels 1050, Belgium
| | - Charles Cockell
- Centre for Astrobiology, School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH9 3FD, UK
| | - Gareth S Collins
- Department of Earth Science and Engineering, Imperial College London, SW7 2AZ, UK
| | - Marco J L Coolen
- Department of Chemistry, WA-Organic and Isotope Geochemistry Centre (WA-OIGC), Curtin University, Bentley, WA 6102, Australia
| | | | - Catalina Gebhardt
- Alfred Wegener Institute Helmholtz Centre of Polar and Marine Research, Bremerhaven, 27568, Germany
| | - Kazuhisa Goto
- Tohoku University, International Research Institute of Disaster Science, Aoba 468-1 E303, Sendai 980-0845, Japan
| | - Heather Jones
- Department of Geosciences, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA
| | - David A Kring
- Lunar and Planetary Institute, 3600 Bay Area Boulevard, Houston, TX 77058, USA
| | - Erwan Le Ber
- Department of Geology, University of Leicester, Leicester, LE1 7RH, UK
| | - Johanna Lofi
- Géosciences Montpellier, Université de Montpellier, 34095 Montpellier Cedex05, France
| | - Xiao Long
- China University of Geosciences (Wuhan), School of Earth Sciences, Planetary Science Institute, 388 Lumo Rd. Hongshan Dist., China
| | - Christopher Lowery
- Institute for Geophysics, Jackson School of Geosciences, University of Texas at Austin, TX 78758-4445, USA
| | - Claire Mellett
- British Geological Survey, The Lyell Centre, Research Avenue South, Edinburgh, EH14 4AP, UK
| | - Rubén Ocampo-Torres
- Groupe de Physico-Chimie de l'Atmosphère, L'Institut de Chimie et Procédés pour l'Énergie, l'Environnement et la Santé (ICPEES), UMR 7515 Université de Strasbourg-CNRS 1 rue Blessig, 67000 Strasbourg, France
| | - Gordon R Osinski
- Centre for Planetary Science and Exploration and Department of Earth Sciences, University of Western Ontario, London, ON, N6A 5B7, Canada.,Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Western Ontario, London, ON, N6A 5B7, Canada
| | - Ligia Perez-Cruz
- Instituto de Geofísica, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Cd. Universitaria, Coyoacán Ciudad de México, C. P. 04510, México
| | - Annemarie Pickersgill
- School of Geographical and Earth Sciences, University of Glasgow, Gregory, Lilybank Gardens, Glasgow, G12 8QQ, UK
| | - Michael Poelchau
- University of Freiburg, Geology, Albertstraße 23b, Freiburg, 79104, Germany
| | - Auriol Rae
- Department of Earth Science and Engineering, Imperial College London, SW7 2AZ, UK
| | - Cornelia Rasmussen
- University of Utah, Department of Geology and Geophysics, 115 S 1460 E (FASB), Salt Lake City, UT 84112, USA
| | - Mario Rebolledo-Vieyra
- Unidad de Ciencias del Agua, Centro de Investigación, Científica de Yucatán, A.C., Cancún, Quintana Roo, C.P. 77500, México
| | - Ulrich Riller
- Institut für Geologie, Universität Hamburg, Bundesstrasse 55, Hamburg, 20146, Germany
| | - Honami Sato
- Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology, 2-15, Natsushima-cho, Yokosuka-city, Kanagawa, 237-0061, Japan
| | - Douglas R Schmitt
- Department of Physics, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, T6G 2E1, Canada
| | - Jan Smit
- Faculty of Earth and Life Sciences (FALW), Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, de Boelelaan 1085, Amsterdam, 1018HV, Netherlands
| | - Sonia Tikoo
- Rutgers University New Brunswick, Earth and Planetary Sciences, Piscataway Township, NJ 08854, USA
| | - Naotaka Tomioka
- Kochi Institute for Core Sample Research, Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology, 200 Monobe Otsu, Nankoku, Kochi, 783-8502, Japan
| | - Jaime Urrutia-Fucugauchi
- Instituto de Geofísica, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Cd. Universitaria, Coyoacán Ciudad de México, C. P. 04510, México
| | - Michael Whalen
- Department of Geosciences, University of Alaska Fairbanks, 900 Yukon Drive, Fairbanks, AK 99775, USA
| | - Axel Wittmann
- Arizona State University, LeRoy Eyring Center for Solid State Science, Physical Sciences, Tempe, AZ 85287-1704, USA
| | - Kosei E Yamaguchi
- Department of Chemistry, Toho University, Funabashi, Chiba 274-8510, Japan.,NASA Astrobiology Institute, USA
| | - William Zylberman
- Centre for Planetary Science and Exploration and Department of Earth Sciences, University of Western Ontario, London, ON, N6A 5B7, Canada.,Aix Marseille Université, CNRS, Institut pour la Recherche et le Développement, Coll France, CEREGE, Aix-en-Provence, France
| |
Collapse
|