Stirred not shaken; critical evaluation of a proposed Archean meteorite impact in West Greenland

Research output: Contribution to journalJournal articlepeer-review

Standard

Stirred not shaken; critical evaluation of a proposed Archean meteorite impact in West Greenland. / Yakymchuk, Chris; Kirkland, Christopher L.; Cavosie, Aaron J.; Szilas, Kristoffer; Hollis, Julie; Gardiner, Nicholas J.; Waterton, Pedro; Steenfelt, Agnete; Martin, Laure.

In: Earth and Planetary Science Letters, Vol. 557, 116730, 03.2021.

Research output: Contribution to journalJournal articlepeer-review

Harvard

Yakymchuk, C, Kirkland, CL, Cavosie, AJ, Szilas, K, Hollis, J, Gardiner, NJ, Waterton, P, Steenfelt, A & Martin, L 2021, 'Stirred not shaken; critical evaluation of a proposed Archean meteorite impact in West Greenland', Earth and Planetary Science Letters, vol. 557, 116730. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.epsl.2020.116730

APA

Yakymchuk, C., Kirkland, C. L., Cavosie, A. J., Szilas, K., Hollis, J., Gardiner, N. J., Waterton, P., Steenfelt, A., & Martin, L. (2021). Stirred not shaken; critical evaluation of a proposed Archean meteorite impact in West Greenland. Earth and Planetary Science Letters, 557, [116730]. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.epsl.2020.116730

Vancouver

Yakymchuk C, Kirkland CL, Cavosie AJ, Szilas K, Hollis J, Gardiner NJ et al. Stirred not shaken; critical evaluation of a proposed Archean meteorite impact in West Greenland. Earth and Planetary Science Letters. 2021 Mar;557. 116730. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.epsl.2020.116730

Author

Yakymchuk, Chris ; Kirkland, Christopher L. ; Cavosie, Aaron J. ; Szilas, Kristoffer ; Hollis, Julie ; Gardiner, Nicholas J. ; Waterton, Pedro ; Steenfelt, Agnete ; Martin, Laure. / Stirred not shaken; critical evaluation of a proposed Archean meteorite impact in West Greenland. In: Earth and Planetary Science Letters. 2021 ; Vol. 557.

Bibtex

@article{e3fdbe1eb9794b19946f03052382d80a,
title = "Stirred not shaken; critical evaluation of a proposed Archean meteorite impact in West Greenland",
abstract = "Large meteorite impacts have a profound effect on the Earth's geosphere, atmosphere, hydrosphere and biosphere. It is widely accepted that the early Earth was subject to intense bombardment from 4.5 to 3.8 Ga, yet evidence for subsequent bolide impacts during the Archean Eon (4.0 to 2.5 Ga) is sparse. However, understanding the timing and magnitude of these early events is important, as they may have triggered significant change points to global geochemical cycles. The Maniitsoq region of southern West Greenland has been proposed to record a ∼3.0 Ga meteorite impact, which, if confirmed, would be the oldest and only known impact structure to have survived from the Archean. Such an ancient structure would provide the first insight into the style, setting, and possible environmental effects of impact bombardment continuing into the late Archean. Here, using field mapping, geochronology, isotope geochemistry, and electron backscatter diffraction mapping of 5,587 zircon grains from the Maniitsoq region (rock and fluvial sediment samples), we test the hypothesis that the Maniitsoq structure represents Earth's earliest known impact structure. Our comprehensive survey shows that previously proposed impact-related geological features, ranging from microscopic structures at the mineral scale to macroscopic structures at the terrane scale, as well as the age and geochemistry of the rocks in the Maniitsoq region, can be explained through endogenic (non-impact) processes. Despite the higher impact flux, intact craters from the Archean Eon remain elusive on Earth.",
keywords = "bolide, impact, Maniitsoq, North Atlantic Craton, planar deformation features, zircon",
author = "Chris Yakymchuk and Kirkland, {Christopher L.} and Cavosie, {Aaron J.} and Kristoffer Szilas and Julie Hollis and Gardiner, {Nicholas J.} and Pedro Waterton and Agnete Steenfelt and Laure Martin",
year = "2021",
month = mar,
doi = "10.1016/j.epsl.2020.116730",
language = "English",
volume = "557",
journal = "Earth and Planetary Science Letters",
issn = "0012-821X",
publisher = "Elsevier",

}

RIS

TY - JOUR

T1 - Stirred not shaken; critical evaluation of a proposed Archean meteorite impact in West Greenland

AU - Yakymchuk, Chris

AU - Kirkland, Christopher L.

AU - Cavosie, Aaron J.

AU - Szilas, Kristoffer

AU - Hollis, Julie

AU - Gardiner, Nicholas J.

AU - Waterton, Pedro

AU - Steenfelt, Agnete

AU - Martin, Laure

PY - 2021/3

Y1 - 2021/3

N2 - Large meteorite impacts have a profound effect on the Earth's geosphere, atmosphere, hydrosphere and biosphere. It is widely accepted that the early Earth was subject to intense bombardment from 4.5 to 3.8 Ga, yet evidence for subsequent bolide impacts during the Archean Eon (4.0 to 2.5 Ga) is sparse. However, understanding the timing and magnitude of these early events is important, as they may have triggered significant change points to global geochemical cycles. The Maniitsoq region of southern West Greenland has been proposed to record a ∼3.0 Ga meteorite impact, which, if confirmed, would be the oldest and only known impact structure to have survived from the Archean. Such an ancient structure would provide the first insight into the style, setting, and possible environmental effects of impact bombardment continuing into the late Archean. Here, using field mapping, geochronology, isotope geochemistry, and electron backscatter diffraction mapping of 5,587 zircon grains from the Maniitsoq region (rock and fluvial sediment samples), we test the hypothesis that the Maniitsoq structure represents Earth's earliest known impact structure. Our comprehensive survey shows that previously proposed impact-related geological features, ranging from microscopic structures at the mineral scale to macroscopic structures at the terrane scale, as well as the age and geochemistry of the rocks in the Maniitsoq region, can be explained through endogenic (non-impact) processes. Despite the higher impact flux, intact craters from the Archean Eon remain elusive on Earth.

AB - Large meteorite impacts have a profound effect on the Earth's geosphere, atmosphere, hydrosphere and biosphere. It is widely accepted that the early Earth was subject to intense bombardment from 4.5 to 3.8 Ga, yet evidence for subsequent bolide impacts during the Archean Eon (4.0 to 2.5 Ga) is sparse. However, understanding the timing and magnitude of these early events is important, as they may have triggered significant change points to global geochemical cycles. The Maniitsoq region of southern West Greenland has been proposed to record a ∼3.0 Ga meteorite impact, which, if confirmed, would be the oldest and only known impact structure to have survived from the Archean. Such an ancient structure would provide the first insight into the style, setting, and possible environmental effects of impact bombardment continuing into the late Archean. Here, using field mapping, geochronology, isotope geochemistry, and electron backscatter diffraction mapping of 5,587 zircon grains from the Maniitsoq region (rock and fluvial sediment samples), we test the hypothesis that the Maniitsoq structure represents Earth's earliest known impact structure. Our comprehensive survey shows that previously proposed impact-related geological features, ranging from microscopic structures at the mineral scale to macroscopic structures at the terrane scale, as well as the age and geochemistry of the rocks in the Maniitsoq region, can be explained through endogenic (non-impact) processes. Despite the higher impact flux, intact craters from the Archean Eon remain elusive on Earth.

KW - bolide

KW - impact

KW - Maniitsoq

KW - North Atlantic Craton

KW - planar deformation features

KW - zircon

U2 - 10.1016/j.epsl.2020.116730

DO - 10.1016/j.epsl.2020.116730

M3 - Journal article

VL - 557

JO - Earth and Planetary Science Letters

JF - Earth and Planetary Science Letters

SN - 0012-821X

M1 - 116730

ER -

ID: 255127491