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Hydrothermal Processes and Mobile Element Transport in Martian Impact Craters - Evidence from Terrestrial Analogue Craters

Author:
Nelson, M. J.
Published:
[2005].
Physical Description:
1 electronic document
Additional Creators:
Shearer, C. K., Newsom, H. E., and Dressler, B. L.
Online Version

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Summary:
Hydrothermal alteration and chemical transport involving impact craters probably occurred on Mars throughout its history. Our studies of alteration products and mobile element transport in ejecta blanket and drill core samples from impact craters show that these processes may have contributed to the surface composition of Mars. Recent work on the Chicxulub Yaxcopoil-1 drill core has provided important information on the relative mobility of many elements that may be relevant to Mars. The Chicxulub impact structure in the Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico and offshore in the Gulf of Mexico is one of the largest impact craters identified on the Earth, has a diameter of 180-200 km, and is associated with the mass extinctions at the K/T boundary. The Yax-1 hole was drilled in 2001 and 2002 on the Yaxcopoil hacienda near Merida on the Yucatan Peninsula. Yax-1 is located just outside of the transient cavity, which explains some of the unusual characteristics of the core stratigraphy. No typical impact melt sheet was encountered in the hole and most of the Yax-1 impactites are breccias. In particular, the impact melt and breccias are only 100 m thick which is surprising taking into account the considerably thicker breccia accumulations towards the center of the structure and farther outside the transient crater encountered by other drill holes.
Other Subject(s):
Collection:
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS) Collection.
Note:
Document ID: 20050201868.
Workshop on The Role of Volatile and Atmospheres on Martian Impact Craters; LPI-Contrib-1273.
Terms of Use and Reproduction:
Copyright, Distribution under U.S. Government purpose rights.
View MARC record | catkey: 15632578