n.28 di martino-impact-and-non-impact-craters-in-eastern-sah
DESCRIPTION
Talk of the "International Workshop on Paolo Farinella (1953-2000): the Scientists, the man", Pisa, 14-16 June 2010TRANSCRIPT
IMPACT AND NON-IMPACT CRATERS IN EASTERN SAHARA
Mario Di MartinoINAF – Osservatorio Astronomico di Torino
“Tunguska 96” conferenceBologna July 15-17, 1996
EGYPT
LIBYA
SUDAN
Gilf Kebir Plateau
J. Arkenu
J. Uweinat
“Impact crater field”
Great Sand Sea
Kebira “impact crater”
Arkenu ”impact craters”
BP
Oasis
The Gilf Kebir region and surroundings
El-Baz volcanic crater
Libyan Desert Glass
The “trigger”
GKCF10
“The largest impact crater field on the Earth”
We carried out fieldwork on 7 of 13 craters identified as impact craters, namely GKCF 1, GKCF 6, GKCF 7, GKCF 8, GKCF 11, GKCF 12, GKCF 13, and we collected rock samples from GKCF 1, GKCF 7, GKCF 11, GKCF 13, on which petrographic studies has been in part performed. Also some other similar circular structures in the surroundings have been examined.
GKCF 6 (20 m) GKCF 7 (40 m)
GKCF 13 (950 m)
GKCF 8 (75 m)
GKCF 12 (500 m)GKCF 11 (1.200 m)
November 2005 expedition
GKCF 1 (630 m)
GKCF 1
GKCF 1
El-Baz volcanic crater
GKCF 1GKCF 13
Pseudo-shatter cones (1)
GKCF 1
Sudbury
Gosses Bluff
Brookes, I.A. Geomorphology 56, 155, 2003.
Dashed lines are early Holocene W and NW flows, solid lines are late Holocene N and NE flows.
Pseudo-shatter cones (2)
No Planar Deformation Features (PDF)
Breccias found around most of the structures we visited could have been produced by fluidized sediments reaching the surface.
CONCLUSIONS (1)CONCLUSIONS (1)The crater-like structures in Gilf Kebir area we studied are notof impact origin, but likely related to endogenic processes typical ofhydrothermal vent complexes in volcanic areas, which may reflect the emplacement of subvolcanic intrusives.
Oasis (11.5 km)
BP (2.8 km)
Arkenu(10.3, 6.8 km)
1
2
Libyan “impact” structures
The Arkenu craters are not of impact origin, but very probably the result of the intrusion of a paired nearly cylindrical subvolcanic stocks coupled with ring dike injections in the surroundings, accompanied by hydrothermal alteration and degassing.
This process was followed by local structural adjustments, likely due to thermal contraction of the whole edifices along circular fractures.
Erosion did its cycle and finally revealed the present architecture.
CONCLUSIONS (2)CONCLUSIONS (2)
NON-IMPACT ORIGIN OF THE ARKENU CRATERS (LIBYA)M. Di Martino (1), C. Cigolini (2), L. Orti (3)
1) INAF-Osservatorio Astronomico di Torino, Italy2) Dipartimento di Scienze Mineralogiche e Petrologiche, Università di Torino, Italy3) Dipartimento di Scienze della Terra, Università di Firenze, Italy.
Results presented at the:
“Large Meteorite Impacts and Planetary Evolution IV” LPI conferenceVredeford, South Africa, 17-21 August 2008 – Extended abstract
Huge impact crater found in EgyptThe crater dwarfs the next largest known Saharan crater
A giant crater made by a meteorite impact millions of years ago has been discovered in Egypt's western
desert. (F. El-Baz and E. Ghoneim, Boston Univ.)
Lesson
The analysis of satellite imagery is fundamental for looking for impact
craters, but has to be considered only a preliminary step
BUT
Before claiming that a circular structure has been originated by a cosmic body
impact, accurate field investigations and laboratory analyses are necessary
Luna
Mars
Moon
Earth(Eastern Sahara)
The Kamil cratera “lunar” crater on the Earth
The crater in false color images
Radar image (X band) by Cosmo-SkyMed satellite
The Kamil crater
Chunks of cosmic iron
The tracks of our ancestorsCrater age ≤ 5,000 years
The expedition “Kamil 2010”
February
The “baby” (83 kg)
Geophysical Data
a) Digital elevation model with superimposed magnetic anomaly map detected after systematic searches and collection of meteorites >1 g. Maxima are localized along the northern, southeastern and southwestern ejecta rays where abundant microscopic melt particles of the projectile are interspersed within the ejecta blanket.
b) A representative section of the crater based on digital elevation model and ground penetrating radar survey of the crater floor (lower panel).
c) Diameter ≈ 45 mDepth ≈ 12 m
Basic observations
- density = 7.90 g/cm3 (typical density of iron meteorites)
- Very fresh appearance, no fusion crust, no “heat alteration zone”, “twisted”edges --> the examined specimens, except one, are fragments formed during the meteorite impact event (“schrapnels”)
“twisted” edges
“twisted” edges
The iron meteorite (1)
Macroscopic internal structure: Polished endcut etched with Nital o FeCl3
Brecciation
Schreibersite
Schreibersite
- No Widmannstätten pattern;
- Abundant inclusions of schreibersite[(Fe,Ni)3P, troilite (FeS) and daubreelite (FeCr2S4) with a large rim of kamacite;
- Evidences of shock effects (brecciation, shear zones);
The iron meteorite (2)
Chemical analysis
Ni = 198 mg/g
Co = 7.5 mg/g
Ga = 49.5 g g-1
Ge = 121 g g-1
Ir = 0.39 g g-1 (the following trace elements have been also determined: V, Cr, Cu, Zn, As, Mo, Ru, Rh, Pd, Sn, Sb, W, Re, Pt, Au)
Iron meteorites with Ni contents between 15 and 25 wt%, Ir < 1g g-1, Ge 100 -150 g g-1 and Ga 30-60 g g-1 are very rare. The one most similar is Morradal (Norway), “ungrouped” iron.
An unusual iron meteorite
1) A very rare type of Ni-rich iron meteorite
2) A very fresh and moderately shocked iron meteorite, structurally transitional between the ataxites and the plessitic octahedrites
3) Only one individual meteorite (83 kg) has been found. The other meteorite fragments (shrapnels) have been formed during the impact event
4) The estimated total mass of the impactor is of the order of 5-10 x 103 kg, corresponding to a pre-atmospheric mass of ~20-40 x 103 kg.
An unusual iron projectile