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1.
Abstract— Detailed field mapping has revealed the presence of a series of intra‐crater sedimentary deposits within the interior of the Haughton impact structure, Devon Island, Canadian High Arctic. Coarse‐grained, well‐sorted, pale gray lithic sandstones (reworked impact melt breccias) unconformably overlie pristine impact melt breccias and attest to an episode of erosion, during which time significant quantities of impact melt breccias were removed. The reworked impact melt breccias are, in turn, unconformably overlain by paleolacustrine sediments of the Miocene Haughton Formation. Sediments of the Haughton Formation were clearly derived from pre‐impact lower Paleozoic target rocks of the Allen Bay Formation, which form the crater rim in the northern, western, and southern regions of the Haughton structure. Collectively, these field relationships indicate that the Haughton Formation was deposited up to several million years after the formation of the Haughton crater and that they do not, therefore, represent an immediate, post‐impact crater lake deposit. This is consistent with new isotopic dating of impactites from Haughton that indicate an Eocene age for the impact event (Sherlock et al. 2005). In addition, isolated deposits of post‐Miocene intra‐crater glacigenic and fluvioglacial sediments were found lying unconformably over remnants of the Haughton Formation, impact melt breccias, and other pre‐impact target rock formations. These deposits provide clear evidence for glaciation at the Haughton crater. The wealth and complexity of geological and climatological information preserved as intra‐crater deposits at Haughton suggests that craters on Mars with intra‐crater sedimentary records might present us with similar opportunities, but also possibly significant challenges.  相似文献   

2.
Abstract— The Haughton impact structure has been the focus of systematic, multi‐disciplinary field and laboratory research activities over the past several years. Regional geological mapping has refined the sedimentary target stratigraphy and constrained the thickness of the sedimentary sequence at the time of impact to ?1880 m. New 40Ar–39Ar dates place the impact event at ?39 Ma, in the late Eocene. Haughton has an apparent crater diameter of ?23 km, with an estimated rim (final crater) diameter of ?16 km. The structure lacks a central topographic peak or peak ring, which is unusual for craters of this size. Geological mapping and sampling reveals that a series of different impactites are present at Haughton. The volumetrically dominant crater‐fill impact melt breccias contain a calcite‐anhydrite‐silicate glass groundmass, all of which have been shown to represent impact‐generated melt phases. These impactites are, therefore, stratigraphically and genetically equivalent to coherent impact melt rocks present in craters developed in crystalline targets. The crater‐fill impactites provided a heat source that drove a post‐impact hydrothermal system. During this time, Haughton would have represented a transient, warm, wet microbial oasis. A subsequent episode of erosion, during which time substantial amounts of impactites were removed, was followed by the deposition of intra‐crater lacustrine sediments of the Haughton Formation during the Miocene. Present‐day intra‐crater lakes and ponds preserve a detailed paleoenvironmental record dating back to the last glaciation in the High Arctic. Modern modification of the landscape is dominated by seasonal regional glacial and niveal melting, and local periglacial processes. The impact processing of target materials improved the opportunities for colonization and has provided several present‐day habitats suitable for microbial life that otherwise do not exist in the surrounding terrain.  相似文献   

3.
Abstract— We have re‐evaluated the published age information for the Haughton impact structure, which was believed to have formed ?23 Ma ago during the Miocene age, and report new Ar/Ar laser probe data from shocked basement clasts. This reveals an Eocene age, which is at odds with the published Miocene stratigraphic, apatite fission track and Ar/Ar data; we discuss our new data within this context. We have found that the age of the Haughton impact structure is ?39 Ma, which has implications for both crater recolonization models and post‐impact hydrothermal activity. Future work on the relationship between flora and fauna within the crater, and others at high latitude, may resolve this paradox.  相似文献   

4.
Haughton is a ~24 Myr old midsize (apparent diameter 23 km) complex impact structure located on Devon Island in Nunavut, Canada. The center of the structure shows a negative gravity anomaly of ?12 mGal coupled to a localized positive magnetic field anomaly of ~900 nT. A field expedition in 2013 led to the acquisition of new ground magnetic field mapping and electrical resistivity data sets, as well as the first subsurface drill cores down to 13 m depth at the top of the magnetic field anomaly. Petrography, rock magnetic, and petrophysical measurements were performed on the cores and revealed two different types of clast‐rich polymict impactites: (1) a white hydrothermally altered impact melt rock, not previously observed at Haughton, and (2) a gray impact melt rock with no macroscopic sign of alteration. In the altered core, gypsum is present in macroscopic veins and in the form of intergranular selenite associated with colored and zoned carbonate clasts. This altered core has a natural remanent magnetization (NRM) four to five times higher than materials from the other core but the same magnetic susceptibility. Their magnetization is still higher than the surrounding crater‐fill impact melt rocks. X‐ray fluorescence data indicate a similar proportion of iron‐rich phases in both cores and an enrichment in silicates within the altered core. In addition, alternating‐field demagnetization results show that one main process remagnetized the rocks. These results support the hypothesis that intense and possibly localized post‐impact hydrothermal alteration enhanced the magnetization of the clast‐rich impact melt rocks by crystallization of magnetite within the center of the Haughton impact structure. Subsequent erosion was followed by in situ concentration in the subsurface leading to large magnetic gradient on surface.  相似文献   

5.
Meteorite impacts on Earth and Mars can generate hydrothermal systems that alter the primary mineralogies of rocks and provide suitable environments for microbial colonization. We investigate a calcite–marcasite‐bearing vug at the ~23 km diameter Haughton impact structure, Devon Island, Nunavut, Canada, using imaging spectroscopy of the outcrop in the field (0.65–1.1 μm) and samples in the laboratory (0.4–2.5 μm), point spectroscopy (0.35–2.5 μm), major element chemistry, and X‐ray diffraction analyses. The mineral assemblages mapped at the outcrop include marcasite; marcasite with minor gypsum and jarosite; fibroferrite and copiapite with minor gypsum and melanterite; gypsum, Fe3+ oxides, and jarosite; and calcite, gypsum, clay, microcline, and quartz. Hyperspectral mapping of alteration phases shows spatial patterns that illuminate changes in alteration conditions and formation of specific mineral phases. Marcasite formed from the postimpact hydrothermal system under reducing conditions, while subsequent weathering oxidized the marcasite at low temperatures and water/rock ratios. The acidic fluids resulting from the oxidation collected on flat‐lying portions of the outcrop, precipitating fibroferrite + copiapite. That assemblage then likely dissolved, and the changing chemistry and pH resulting from interaction with the calcite‐rich host rock formed gypsum‐bearing red coatings. These results have implications for understanding water–rock interactions and habitabilities at this site and on Mars.  相似文献   

6.
Abstract— Organic geochemistry applied to samples of bedrock and surface sediment from the Haughton impact structure detects a range of signatures representing the impact event and the transfer of organic matter from the crater bedrock to its erosion products. The bedrock dolomite contains hydrocarbon‐bearing fluid inclusions which were incorporated before the impact event. Comparison of biomarker data from the hydrocarbons in samples inside and outside of the crater show the thermal signature of an impact. The occurrence of hydrocarbon inclusions in hydrothermal mineral samples shows that organic matter was mobilized and migrated in the immediate aftermath of the impact. The hydrocarbon signature was then transferred from bedrock to the crater‐fill lacustrine deposits and present‐day sediments in the crater, including wind‐blown detritus in snow/ice. Separate signatures are detected from modern microbial life in crater rock and sediment samples. Signatures in Haughton crater samples are readily detectable because they include hydrocarbons generated by the burial of organic matter. This type of organic matter is not expected in crater samples on other planets, but the Haughton data show that, using very high resolution detection of organic compounds, any signature of primitive life in the crater rocks could be transferred to surface detritus and so extend the sampling medium.  相似文献   

7.
Abstract— This study serves as a proof‐of‐concept for the technique of using visible‐near infrared (VNIR), short‐wavelength infrared (SWIR), and thermal infrared (TIR) spectroscopic observations to map impact‐exposed subsurface lithologies and stratigraphy on Earth or Mars. The topmost layer, three subsurface layers and undisturbed outcrops of the target sequence exposed just 10 km to the northeast of the 23 km diameter Haughton impact structure (Devon Island, Nunavut, Canada) were mapped as distinct spectral units using Landsat 7 ETM+ (VNIR/SWIR) and ASTER (VNIR/SWIR/TIR) multispectral images. Spectral mapping was accomplished by using standard image contrast‐stretching algorithms. Both spectral matching and deconvolution algorithms were applied to image‐derived ASTER TIR emissivity spectra using spectra from a library of laboratory‐measured spectra of minerals (Arizona State University) and whole‐rocks (Ward's). These identifications were made without the use of a priori knowledge from the field (i.e., a “blind” analysis). The results from this analysis suggest a sequence of dolomitic rock (in the crater rim), limestone (wall), gypsum‐rich carbonate (floor), and limestone again (central uplift). These matched compositions agree with the lithologic units and the pre‐impact stratigraphic sequence as mapped during recent field studies of the Haughton impact structure by Osinski et al. (2005a). Further conformation of the identity of image‐derived spectra was confirmed by matching these spectra with laboratory‐measured spectra of samples collected from Haughton. The results from the “blind” remote sensing methods used here suggest that these techniques can also be used to understand subsurface lithologies on Mars, where ground truth knowledge may not be generally available.  相似文献   

8.
Abstract— The results of a systematic field mapping campaign at the Haughton impact structure have revealed new information about the tectonic evolution of mid‐size complex impact structures. These studies reveal that several structures are generated during the initial compressive outward‐directed growth of the transient cavity during the excavation stage of crater formation: (1) sub‐vertical radial faults and fractures; (2) sub‐horizontal bedding parallel detachment faults; and (3) minor concentric faults and fractures. Uplift of the transient cavity floor toward the end of the excavation stage produces a central uplift. Compressional inward‐directed deformation results in the duplication of strata along thrust faults and folds. It is notable that Haughton lacks a central topographic peak or peak ring. The gravitational collapse of transient cavity walls involves the complex interaction of a series of interconnected radial and concentric faults. While the outermost concentric faults dip in toward the crater center, the majority of the innermost faults at Haughton dip away from the center. Complex interactions between an outward‐directed collapsing central uplift and inward collapsing crater walls during the final stages of crater modification resulted in a structural ring of uplifted, intensely faulted (sub‐) vertical and/or overturned strata at a radial distance from the crater center of ?5.0–6.5 km. Converging flow during the collapse of transient cavity walls was accommodated by the formation of several structures: (1) sub‐vertical radial faults and folds; (2) positive flower structures and chaotically brecciated ridges; (3) rollover anticlines in the hanging‐walls of major listric faults; and (4) antithetic faults and crestal collapse grabens. Oblique strike‐slip (i.e., centripetal) movement along concentric faults also accommodated strain during the final stages of readjustment during the crater modification stage. It is clear that deformation during collapse of the transient cavity walls at Haughton was brittle and localized along discrete fault planes separating kilometer‐size blocks.  相似文献   

9.
Abstract— Contrary to the previous interpretation of a single allochthonous impactite lithology, combined field, optical, and analytical scanning electron microscopy (SEM) studies have revealed the presence of a series of impactites at the Haughton impact structure. In the crater interior, there is a consistent upward sequence from parautochthonous target rocks overlain by parautochthonous lithic (monomict) breccias, through allochthonous lithic (polymict) breccia, into pale grey allochthonous impact melt breccias. The groundmass of the pale grey impact melt breccias consists of microcrystalline calcite, silicate impact melt glass, and anhydrite. Analytical data and microtextures indicate that these phases represent a series of impact‐generated melts that were molten at the time of, and following, deposition. Impact melt glass clasts are present in approximately half of the samples studied. Consideration of the groundmass phases and impact glass clasts reveal that impactites of the crater interior contain shock‐melted sedimentary material from depths of >920 to <1880 m in the pre‐impact target sequence. Two principal impactites have been recognized in the near‐surface crater rim region of Haughton. Pale yellow‐brown allochthonous impact melt breccias and megablocks are overlain by pale grey allochthonous impact melt breccias. The former are derived from depths of >200 to <760 m and are interpreted as remnants of the continuous ejecta blanket. The pale grey impact melt breccias, although similar to the impact melt breccias of the crater interior, are more carbonate‐rich and do not appear to have incorporated clasts from the crystalline basement. Thus, the spatial distribution of the crater‐fill impactites at Haughton, the stratigraphic succession from target rocks to allochthonous impactites, the recognition of large volumes of impact melt breccias, and their probable original volume are all analogous to characteristics of coherent impact melt layers in comparatively sized structures formed in crystalline targets.  相似文献   

10.
Abstract— The well‐preserved state and excellent exposure at the 39 Ma Haughton impact structure, 23 km in diameter, allows a clearer picture to be made of the nature and distribution of hydrothermal deposits within mid‐size complex impact craters. A moderate‐ to low‐temperature hydrothermal system was generated at Haughton by the interaction of groundwaters with the hot impact melt breccias that filled the interior of the crater. Four distinct settings and styles of hydrothermal mineralization are recognized at Haughton: a) vugs and veins within the impact melt breccias, with an increase in intensity of alteration towards the base; b) cementation of brecciated lithologies in the interior of the central uplift; c) intense veining around the heavily faulted and fractured outer margin of the central uplift; and d) hydrothermal pipe structures or gossans and mineralization along fault surfaces around the faulted crater rim. Each setting is associated with a different suite of hydrothermal minerals that were deposited at different stages in the development of the hydrothermal system. Minor, early quartz precipitation in the impact melt breccias was followed by the deposition of calcite and marcasite within cavities and fractures, plus minor celestite, barite, and fluorite. This occurred at temperatures of at least 200 °C and down to ?100–120 °C. Hydrothermal circulation through the faulted crater rim with the deposition of calcite, quartz, marcasite, and pyrite, occurred at similar temperatures. Quartz mineralization within breccias of the interior of the central uplift occurred in two distinct episodes (?250 down to ?90 °C, and <60 °C). With continued cooling (<90 °C), calcite and quartz were precipitated in vugs and veins within the impact melt breccias. Calcite veining around the outer margin of the central uplift occurred at temperatures of ?150 °C down to <60 °C. Mobilization of hydrocarbons from the country rocks occurred during formation of the higher temperature calcite veins (>80 °C). Appreciation of the structural features of impact craters has proven to be key to understanding the distribution of hydrothermal deposits at Haughton.  相似文献   

11.
Abstract— Surface and subsurface structural studies undertaken under the Haughton impact structure study (HISS) project indicate that the 23 Ma-old Haughton impact structure, (Devon Island, Canadian Arctic) consists of a central basin of uplifted strata, an inner zone of uplifted megablocks at 3.5–5.5 km radius, a complex, faulted annulus of megablocks at 5.5–7.0 km radius and an outer zone of downfaulted blocks. No evidence of a previously suggested structural multi-ring form was found. The geophysical studies suggest an original diameter of 24 km, slightly larger than previous estimates and the seismic data indicate considerably more faulting in the western portion than has been mapped from surface exposures. Detailed studies of the allochthonous breccia deposits found no major radial variations in lithology and shock levels. The only anomaly is the concentration of highly shocked, cobble-sized clasts in the central area coincident with the maximum gravity and magnetic anomalies. It is suggested that this local component is related to the highly shocked rocks of the central uplift and may have been shed from the uplift during late stage adjustments. There is no visible central topographic peak of uplifted bedrock at Haughton but studies of the post-impact Haughton Formation suggest that the center of the structure subsided 300–350 m soon after formation. Breccia studies also indicate the occurrence of shock-melted sediments, including shales, but no evidence of shock melted carbonates, the most common target lithology. This may be ascribed to the ease with which carbonates are volatilized by relatively moderate shock levels. The large amount of volatiles released on impact helped disperse the highly shocked products leading to the formation of a relatively cool clastic and polymict breccia deposit in the interior, as opposed to a coherent melt sheet. In this regard, the breccia deposit is somewhat analogous to the suevite deposits within the Ries crater. Sedimentological studies indicate that the Cretaceous-age Eureka Sound Formation was present at the time of impact and that the Haughton area has undergone as much as 200 m of erosion since the time of impact.  相似文献   

12.
Abstract— Large impact crater formation is an important geologic process that is not fully understood. The current paradigm for impact crater formation is based on models and observations of impacts in homogeneous targets. Real targets are rarely uniform; for example, the majority of Earth's surface is covered by sedimentary rocks and/or a water layer. The ubiquity of layering across solar system bodies makes it important to understand the effect target properties have on the cratering process. To advance understanding of the mechanics of crater collapse, and the effect of variations in target properties on crater formation, the first “Bridging the Gap” workshop recommended that geological observation and numerical modeling focussed on mid‐sized (15–30 km diameter) craters on Earth. These are large enough to be complex; small enough to be mapped, surveyed and modelled at high resolution; and numerous enough for the effects of target properties to be potentially disentangled from the effects of other variables. In this paper, we compare observations and numerical models of three 18–26 km diameter craters formed in different target lithology: Ries, Germany; Haughton, Canada; and El'gygytgyn, Russia. Based on the first‐order assumption that the impact energy was the same in all three impacts we performed numerical simulations of each crater to construct a simple quantitative model for mid‐sized complex crater formation in a subaerial, mixed crystalline‐sedimentary target. We compared our results with interpreted geological profiles of Ries and Haughton, based on detailed new and published geological mapping and published geophysical surveys. Our combined observational and numerical modeling work suggests that the major structural differences between each crater can be explained by the difference in thickness of the pre‐impact sedimentary cover in each case. We conclude that the presence of an inner ring at Ries, and not at Haughton, is because basement rocks that are stronger than the overlying sediments are sufficiently close to the surface that they are uplifted and overturned during excavation and remain as an uplifted ring after modification and post‐impact erosion. For constant impact energy, transient and final crater diameters increase with increasing sediment thickness.  相似文献   

13.
Abstract— Field studies and analytical scanning electron microscopy indicate that a hydrothermal system was created by the interaction of water with hot, impact‐generated rocks following formation of the 24 km diameter, 23 Ma Haughton impact structure. Hydrothermal alteration is recognized in two settings: within polymict impact breccias overlying the central portion of the structure, and within localized pipes in impact‐generated concentric fault systems. The intra‐breccia alteration comprises three varieties of cavity and fracture filling: (a) sulfide with carbonate, (b) sulfate, and (c) carbonate. These are accompanied by subordinate celestite, barite, fluorite, quartz and marcasite. Selenite is also developed, particularly in the lower levels of the impact breccia sheet. The fault‐related hydrothermal alteration occurs in 1–7 m diameter subvertical pipes that are exposed for lengths of up 20 m. The pipes are defined by a monomict quartz‐carbonate breccia showing pronounced Fe‐hydroxide alteration. Associated sulfides include marcasite, pyrite and chalcopyrite. We propose three distinct stages in the evolution of the hydrothermal system: (1) Early Stage (>200 °C), with the precipitation of quartz (vapor phase dominated); (2) Main Stage (200‐100 °C), with the development of a two‐phase (vapor plus liquid) zone, leading to calcite, celestite, barite, marcasite and fluorite precipitation; and (3) Late Stage (<100 °C), with selenite and fibroferrite development through liquid phase‐dominated precipitation. We estimate that it took several tens of thousands of years to cool below 50 °C following impact. During this time, Haughton supported a 14 km diameter crater lake and subsurface water system, providing a warmer, wetter niche relative to the surrounding terrain. The results reveal how understanding the internal structure of impact craters is necessary in order to determine their plumbing and cooling systems.  相似文献   

14.
Abstract— The results of a new gravity survey show that the Haughton impact structure is associated with a 24 km diameter negative Bouguer gravity anomaly with a maximum amplitude of ?12 mgal. A local minimum with a half-width of 2 km and an amplitude of ?4 mgal is located at the center of the structure. A positive magnetic total field anomaly with a half-width of 0.6 km and an amplitude of 700 nT coincides with the local central gravity anomaly. The overall negative gravity anomaly is explained by lowered rock densities due to impact-related fracturing in the crater area. The central gravity and magnetic anomalies are believed to be due to highly shocked and heated sedimentary and crystalline basement rocks forming the unexposed peak of the central uplift in the Haughton impact structure.  相似文献   

15.
Abstract— Impact cratering is an important geological process on Mars and the nature of Martian impact craters may provide important information as to the volatile content of the Martian crust. Terrestrial impact structures currently provide the only ground‐truth data as to the role of volatiles and an atmosphere on the impact‐cratering process. Recent advancements, based on studies of several well‐preserved terrestrial craters, have been made regarding the role and effect of volatiles on the impact‐cratering process. Combined field and laboratory studies reveal that impact melting is much more common in volatile‐rich targets than previously thought, so impact‐melt rocks, melt‐bearing breccias, and glasses should be common on Mars. Consideration of the terrestrial impact‐cratering record suggests that it is the presence or absence of subsurface volatiles and not the presence of an atmosphere that largely controls ejecta emplacement on Mars. Furthermore, recent studies at the Haughton and Ries impact structures reveal that there are two discrete episodes of ejecta deposition during the formation of complex impact craters that provide a mechanism for generating multiple layers of ejecta. It is apparent that the relative abundance of volatiles in the near‐surface region outside a transient cavity and in the target rocks within the transient cavity play a key role in controlling the amount of fluidization of Martian ejecta deposits. This study shows the value of using terrestrial analogues, in addition to observational data from robotic orbiters and landers, laboratory experiments, and numerical modeling to explore the Martian impact‐cratering record.  相似文献   

16.
Abstract– Shock metamorphism can occur at transient pressures that reach tens of GPa and well over 1000 °C, altering the target material on both megascopic and microscopic scales. This study explores the effects of shock metamorphism on crystalline, quartzofeldspathic basement material from the Haughton impact structure on Devon Island, Arctic Canada. Shock levels were assigned to samples based on petrographic examination of main mineral phases. Conventional shock classification schemes proved to incompletely describe the Haughton samples so a modified shock classification system is presented. Fifty‐two crystalline bedrock samples from the clast‐rich impact melt rocks in the crater, and one reference site outside of the crater, were classified using this system. The shock levels range from 0 to 7 (according to the new shock stage classification proposed here, i.e., stages 0–IV after the Stöffler classification), indicating shock pressures ranging from 0 to approximately 80 GPa. The second aspect of this study involved measuring bulk physical characteristics of the shocked samples. The bulk density, grain density, and porosity were determined using a water displacement method, a bead displacement method, and a Hepycnometer. Results suggest a nonlinear, negative correlation between density and shock level such that densities of crystalline rocks with original densities of approximately 3 g cm?3 are reduced to <1.0 g cm?3 at high shock levels. The results also show a positive nonlinear correlation between porosity and shock level. These data illustrate the effect of shock on the bulk physical characteristics of crystalline rocks, and has implications for assessing the habitability of shocked rocks.  相似文献   

17.
Abstract— Impact‐metamorphosed CaCO3‐bearing sandstones at the Haughton structure have been divided into 6 classes, based to a large extent on a previous classification developed for sandstones at Meteor Crater. Class 1a sandstones (<3 GPa) display crude shatter cones, but no other petrographic indications of shock. At pressures of 3 to 5.5 GPa (class 1b), porosity is destroyed and well‐developed shatter cones occur. Class 2 rocks display planar deformation features (PDFs) and are characterized by a “jigsaw” texture produced by rotation and shear at quartz grain boundaries. Calcite shows an increase in the density of mechanical twins and undergoes micro‐brecciation in class 1 and 2 sandstones. Class 3 samples display multiple sets of PDFs and widespread development of diaplectic glass, toasted quartz, and symplectic intergrowths of quartz, diaplectic glass, and coesite. Textural evidence, such as the intermingling of silicate glasses and calcite and the presence of flow textures, indicates that calcite in class 3 sandstones has undergone melting. This constrains the onset of melting of calcite in the Haughton sandstones to > 10 < 20 GPa. At higher pressures, the original texture of the sandstone is lost, which is associated with major development of vesicular SiO2 glass or lechatelierite. Class 5 rocks (>30 GPa) consist almost entirely of lechatelierite. A new class of shocked sandstones (class 6) consists of SiO2‐rich melt that recrystallized to microcrystalline quartz. Calcite within class 4 to 6 sandstones also underwent melting and is preserved as globules and euhedral crystals within SiO2 phases, demonstrating the importance of impact melting, and not decomposition, in these CaCO3‐bearing sandstones.  相似文献   

18.
Abstract— Sandstones are a common habitat for lithophytic microorganisms, including cryptoendoliths. We describe laboratory experiments on the colonization of impact metamorphosed sandstones from the Haughton impact structure, Canadian High Arctic. Colonization experiments with the coccoid cyanobacterium, Chroococcidiopsis sp. and the motile gram‐positive bacterium Bacillus subtilis, show that, in contrast to initially low porosity crystalline target rocks, which can become more porous as a result of impact bulking, by closing pore spaces the sedimentary cryptoendolithic habitat can be impoverished by impact. However, the heterogeneous distribution of collapsed pores, melt phases, and subsequent recrystallization, results in heterogeneous colonization patterns. Cavities and vesicles formed during melting can yield new habitats for both cryptoendoliths and chasmoendoliths, manifested in the natural cryptoendolithic colonization of shocked sandstones. By contrast, post‐impact thermal annealing and recrystallization of impact melt phases destroys the cavities and vesicles. In extreme cases, complete recrystallization of the rock fabric makes the material suitable only for epilithic, and potentially hypolithic, colonists. These experiments further our understanding of the influence of the target lithology on the effects of asteroid and comet impacts on habitats for lithophytic microorganisms.  相似文献   

19.
Abstract— Asteroid and comet impacts on Earth are commonly viewed as agents of ecosystem destruction, be it on local or global scales. However, for some microbial communities, impacts may represent an opportunity for habitat formation as some substrates are rendered more suitable for colonization when processed by impacts. We describe how heavily shocked gneissic crystalline basement rocks exposed at the Haughton impact structure, Devon Island, Nunavut, Arctic Canada, are hosts to endolithic photosynthetic microorganisms in significantly greater abundance than lesser‐shocked or unshocked gneisses. Two factors contribute to this enhancement: (a) increased porosity due to impact fracturing and differential mineral vaporization, and (b) increased translucence due to the selective vaporization of opaque mineral phases. Using biological ultraviolet radiation dosimetry, and by measuring the concentrations of photoprotective compounds, we demonstrate that a covering of 0.8 mm of shocked gneiss can provide substantial protection from ultraviolet radiation, reducing the inactivation of Bacillus subtilis spores by 2 orders of magnitude. The colonisation of the shocked habitat represents a potential mechanism for pioneer microorganisms to invade an impact structure in the earliest stages of post‐impact primary succession. The communities are analogous to the endolithic communities associated with sedimentary rocks in Antarctica, but because they occur in shocked crystalline rocks, they illustrate a mechanism for the creation of microbial habitats on planetary surfaces that do not have exposed sedimentary units. This might have been the case on early Earth. The data have implications for the microhabitats in which biological signatures might be sought on Mars.  相似文献   

20.
Abstract— Asteroid and comet impacts can have a profound influence on the habitats available for lithophytic microorganisms. Using evidence from the Haughton impact structure, Nunavut, Canadian High Arctic, we describe the role of impacts in influencing the nature of the lithophytic ecological niche. Impact‐induced increases in rock porosity and fracturing can result in the formation of cryptoendolithic habitats. In some cases and depending upon the target material, an increase in rock translucence can yield new habitats for photosynthetic cryptoendoliths. Chasmoendolithic habitats are associated with cracks and cavities connected to the surface of the rock and are commonly increased in abundance as a result of impact bulking. Chasmoendolithic habitats require less specific geological conditions than are required for cryptoendolithic habitats, and their formation is likely to be common to most impact events. Impact events are unlikely to have an influence on epilithic and hypolithic habitats except in rare cases, where, for example, the formation of impact glasses might yield new hypolithic habitats. We present a synthetic understanding of the influence of asteroid and comet impacts on the availability and characteristics of rocky habitats for microorganisms.  相似文献   

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