The Appearance of a “Fresh” Surface on 596 Scheila as a Consequence of the 2010 Impact Event

Dust emission was detected on main-belt asteroid 596 Scheila in 2010 December and was attributed to the collision of a few-tens-of-meters projectile on the surface of the asteroid. In such an impact, the ejected material from the collided body is expected to mainly come from its fresh, unweathered subsurface. Therefore, it is expected that the surface of 596 was partially or entirely refreshed during the 2010 impact. By combining spectra of 596 from the literature and our own observations, we show that the 2010 impact event resulted in a significant slope change in the near-infrared (0.8–2.5 μm) spectrum of the asteroid, from moderately red (T type) before the impact to red (D type) after the impact. This provides evidence that red carbonaceous asteroids become less red with time due to space weathering, in agreement with predictions derived from laboratory experiments on the primitive Tagish Lake meteorite, which is spectrally similar to 596. This discovery provides the very first telescopic confirmation of the expected weathering trend of asteroids spectrally analog to Tagish Lake and/or anhydrous chondritic porous interplanetary dust particles. Our results also suggest that the population of implanted objects from the outer solar system is much larger than previously estimated in the main belt, but many of these objects are hidden below their space-weathered surfaces.

Seasonal calibration of the end-cretaceous Chicxulub impact event

The end-Cretaceous Chicxulub impact triggered Earth’s last mass-extinction, extinguishing ~ 75% of species diversity and facilitating a global ecological shift to mammal-dominated biomes. Temporal details of the impact event on a fine scale (hour-to-day), important to understanding the early trajectory of mass-extinction, have largely eluded previous studies. This study employs histological and histo-isotopic analyses of fossil fish that were coeval with a unique impact-triggered mass-death assemblage from the Cretaceous-Paleogene (KPg) boundary in North Dakota (USA). Patterns of growth history, including periodicity of ẟ18O and ẟ13C and growth band morphology, plus corroborating data from fish ontogeny and seasonal insect behavior, reveal that the impact occurred during boreal Spring/Summer, shortly after the spawning season for fish and most continental taxa. The severity and taxonomic symmetry of response to global natural hazards are influenced by the season during which they occur, suggesting that post-impact perturbations could have exerted a selective force that was exacerbated by seasonal timing. Data from this study can also provide vital hindsight into patterns of extant biotic response to global-scale hazards that are relevant to both current and future biomes.

Stratigraphy around the Cretaceous-Paleogene boundary in sediment cores from the Lord Howe Rise, Southwest Pacific

During Deep Sea Drilling Project (DSDP) Leg 21, Cenozoic and latest Cretaceous sediments were recovered at Site 208 on the Lord Howe Rise, Southwest Pacific. We provide new biostratigraphic, magnetostratigraphic and chemostratigraphic data from Site 208 to constrain the stratigraphy around the Cretaceous-Paleogene (K-Pg) boundary and to determine the depth of the K-Pg boundary more precisely. Biostratigraphic data from calcareous nannofossils indicate a near-continuous succession of sediments from the mid-Maastrichtian (Late Cretaceous) to lowermost Thanetian (Paleocene) at depths of 540−590 m below seafloor (mbsf). The biostratigraphic data suggest that the K-Pg boundary corresponds to a siliceous claystone at the base of an interval of silicified sediments (576.0−576.8 mbsf). Carbonate carbon isotopic composition (δ13Ccarb) reveals a negative shift across this interval, which is consistent with global patterns of δ13C across the K-Pg boundary. Osmium concentration and Os isotopic composition (187Os/188Os) can also be used to identify the K-Pg boundary interval, as it is marked by a peak in Os concentration and a drop in 187Os/188Os values to 0.12−0.15, both of which are the result of the Chicxulub impact event. Our 187Os/188Os data show trends similar to those of coeval global seawater with the lowest value of 0.12−0.16 in the siliceous claystone (576.8 mbsf). However, the concentration of Os is low (<80 pg g−1) in this sample, which suggests that this siliceous claystone was deposited around the K-Pg boundary but may not include the boundary itself. Although the sedimentary record across the K-Pg interval at Site 208 may not be completely continuous, it nevertheless captures a time interval that is close to the Chicxulub impact event.

On the capture of small stony asteroids into Earth orbit by atmospheric grazing

An Earth-grazing asteroid can be captured into a gravitational bound orbit around Earth during its transitory atmospheric journey. Otherwise, it will either escape back to space or plunge to Earth directly. With fragmentation taken into account, we subdivide the captured and direct impact modes, expanding the above three modes into five – escaping, captured impact with and without fragmentation, direct impact with and without fragmentation. We then investigate the conditions of those various impact modes of shallow-angle impacts of small stony asteroids no larger than 100 m in diameter. Moreover, the atmospheric entry processes of captured stony asteroids are further studied. Results show that asteroids with larger diameters are easier to fragment for less deceleration due to the smaller area-mass ratio, narrowing the corridor for capture. A captured asteroid can enter the atmosphere many times, highlighting itself by a series of explosive phenomena due to the shock wave it produced during every passage. The number of revolutions before its final entry increases as the theoretical perigee altitude rises. The multi-entry phenomenon of captured impact reduces the velocity and mass of the impactor and raises the possibility of an intact landing of the object via atmospheric dissipation. The time and space intervals between each entry make it difficult to identify whether the scattered impacts come from one captured impact event or just a series of different fireballs. The long path before its final hit also increases the difficulty of predicting the exact airburst position or landing site.

Tektite geoarchaeology in mainland Southeast Asia

Tektites formed by an extraterrestrial impact event in Southeast Asia at 0.78 Ma have been found in geological contexts and archaeological sites throughout Australia, East and Southeast Asia. At some archaeological sites, especially in Bose Basin, China, and An Khe, Vietnam, tektites have been interpreted as in situ in primary deposits, marking the age of deposit formation, and thus the age of artefacts in those deposits. We argue that tektites are rarely reliable age markers. We describe five archaeological sites in Vietnam where tektites have been found in association with artefacts with a variety of ages in the Late Pleistocene and Holocene. We review the conditions when tektites may be useful as chronological markers, and recommend that they only be used as such in combination with other dating methods.

Numerical modeling of the thermal state of Earth after the Moon-forming impact event

<p align="justify">Planetary collisions play an important role in the compositional and thermal evolution of planetary systems and such collisions are caracteristics of the final stage of planetary formation. The Moon-forming impact event is thought to (re)set the conditions for the subsequent thermochemical evolution of Earth and Moon. Large parts of proto-Earth are thought to melt as a consequence of the impact [e.g.1] and the extent of melting affects the evolution of the Earth’s interior and atmosphere. It is then critical to address the initial conditions of the proto-Earth and the volume and shape of a possible magma ocean after the impact. Previously, the Moon-forming giant impact was modeled with mesh-free so-called smoothed particle hydrodynamics (SPH [1, 2, 3]). In this study, we, in contrast, carried out numerical simulations of the Moon-forming impact event considering different impact scenarios with the three-dimensional (3D) iSALE code [4, 5], that tends to be more accurate in the description of thermodynamics and shock waves than SPH simulations. We also compare simulation results from our iSALE code with SPH models for benchmarking ([1]) because SPH uses self-gravity, whereas iSALE uses central gravity. We vary the impact angle (15° to 90°) and impact velocities (12 to 20 km/s). In order to quantify the volume of impact-induced melt, we use the so-called peak-shock pressure approach (‘Tracer method’) that has been used in several modeling studies [6,7] and is described in more detail by [8].</p> <p align="justify">The benchmark study shows a good agreement of the two different numerical approaches with respect to pressure evolution. However the production of a magma ocean show some differences that need to be further explored, with notably the effects of considering central gravity instead of self-gravity into iSALE 3D simulations.</p> <p align="justify"> </p> <p align="justify"><strong>Acknowledgments</strong>: We gratefully thank the iSALE developers, including Gareth Collins, Kai Wünnemann, Dirk Elbeshausen, Boris Ivanov and Jay Melosh and Thomas Davison for the development of the pysaleplot tool. We also thank the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (SFB-TRR 170, subproject C2 and C4) for funding.</p> <p align="justify"> </p> <p align="justify"><strong>References</strong>:[1] Nakajima M. and Stevenson D. J. (2015) EPSL, 427, 286-295. [2] Canup R. M. et al. (2013) ICARUS 222, 200-219. [3] Canup R, M. (2004) Science 338, 1052-1054. [4] Collins G. S. et al. (2004) Meteoritics & Planet. Sci., 39, 217-231. [5] Wünnemann K. (2006) ICARUS 180, 514-527. [6] Wünnemann K. et al. (2008) EPSL 269, 529-538. [7] Pierazzo et al. (1997) ICARUS 127, 408-423. [8] Manske L. et al. (2018) 49th LPSC, abstract# 2269.[11] Pierazzo and Melosh (1999) EPSL 165, 163-176</p>

Systematic survey of K, Th, and U signatures in airborne radiometric data from Australian meteorite impact structures: Possible causes of circular features and implications

ABSTRACT Airborne radiometric (gamma-ray) data provide estimates of the concentrations of potassium (K), thorium (Th), and uranium (U) in soil, regolith, and bedrock. Radiometric data constitute an important source of geochemical information, commonly used in mineral exploration and for geological mapping of Earth and other planets. Airborne radiometric data have rarely been applied to the exploration and analyses of impact structures, in contrast with other conventional geophysical tools (e.g., gravimetry, magnetism, and seismic reflection/refraction). This work represents the first systematic survey of the K, Th, and U radiometric signatures of Australian impact structures, based on the continent-wide airborne radiometric coverage of Australia. We first formulated several hypotheses regarding the possible causes of formation of circular radiometric patterns associated with impact structures. Then, the radiometric signatures of 17 exposed impact structures in Australia were documented. Our observations confirmed the supposition that impact structures are commonly associated with circular radiometric patterns. We then selected the five structures with the most prominent circular radiometric patterns (Gosses Bluff, Lawn Hill, Acraman, Spider, and Shoemaker), and we discuss the possible origin of these anomalies. Based on these five case studies, we argue that such patterns result from either crustal deformation induced by the impact event and/or from postimpact superficial processes controlled by the crater topography. This work also suggests that airborne radiometric data may be useful, in combination with other geophysical tools, in the search for new possible impact structures.

U-Pb geochronology of apatite crystallized within a terrestrial impact melt sheet: Manicouagan as a geochronometer test site

ABSTRACT The Manicouagan impact event has been the subject of multiple age determinations over the past ~50 yr, providing an ideal test site for evaluating the viability of different geochronometers. This study highlights the suitability of Manicouagan’s essentially pristine impact melt body as a medium for providing insight into the U-Pb isotope systematics of geochronometers in the absence of shock-related overprinting. We performed in situ laser-ablation–inductively coupled plasma–mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) U-Pb geochronology on apatite and zircon, both of which crystallized as primary phases. This study is the first application of U-Pb geochronology to apatite crystallized within a terrestrial impact melt sheet. U-Pb analyses were obtained from 200 melt-grown apatite grains (n = 222 spots), with a data subset providing a lower-intercept age of 212.5 ± 8.0 Ma. For melt-grown zircon, a total of 30 analyses from 28 grains were obtained, with a subset of the data yielding a lower-intercept age of ± 1.6 Ma. The lower precision (±8.0 Ma; ±3%) obtained from apatite is a consequence of low U and a high and variable common-Pb composition. This resulted from localized Pb*/PbC heterogeneity within the impact melt sheet that was incorporated into the apatite crystal structure during crystallization (where Pb*/PbC is the ratio of radiogenic Pb to common Pb). While considered a limitation to the precision obtainable from melt-grown apatite, its ability to record local-scale isotopic variations highlights an advantage of U-Pb studies on melt-grown apatite. The best-estimate ages from zircon and apatite overlap within error and correlate with previously determined ages for the Manicouagan impact event. An average formation age from the new determinations, combined with previous age constraints, yields a weighted mean age of 214.96 ± 0.30 Ma for the Manicouagan impact structure.