Shock-produced mosaicism in plagioclase, Charlevoix structure, Quebec
The Charlevoix structure, Quebec, Canada, is generally accepted as a Paleozoic meteorite impact site. Plagioclase grains from samples in and around this structure were examined via X-ray (oscillation) techniques to determine the maximum range of angular misorientation between crystal subdomains (mosaicism) within a given sample (ηmax), and its usefulness as an index of shock metamorphism at Charlevoix. The complex morphological character of the impact crater can be divided into five concentric zones, which exhibit alternately high and low values of ηmax. This distribution appears to be the result of differential uplift and subsidence that followed the impact event, in that blocks which have undergone different shock histories during the impact event have been brought into juxtaposition. The wide range in ηmax within as well as between samples attests to the complex nature of the shock process and the hazards of using mosaicism as the sole index of shock metamorphism.