The relevance of iridium and microscopic dynamic deformation features toward understanding the Cretaceous/Tertiary transition |
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| Authors: | Charles B Officer |
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| Institution: | Earth Sciences Department, Dartmouth College, Hanover, New Hampshire 03755, USA |
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| Abstract: | Iridium enhancements are associated with the fine particle emanations from present day basaltic and acidic volcanic eruptions but are not associated with impact craters, with one possible exception of Precambrian age. Microscopic dynamic deformation features are associated with structures originating from a meteorite impact, volcanic and internal explosion event(s), and high tectonic strain-rate(s). The Cretaceous/Tertiary (K/T) distributions of inidium and shocked minerals extend over a stratigraphic interval of a few hundred thousand years, in agreement with the known record of intense volcanism at K/T time but not in accord with the signature expected from a single meteorite impact. The recently studied K/T sections in Haiti add further information on the associations of shocked minerals and iridium enhancements. |
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