Geological overview and cratering model for the Haughton impact structure, Devon Island, Canadian High Arctic
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 o...
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ftunivarizonaojs:oai:journals.uair.arizona.edu:article/15208 2023-05-15T15:01:56+02:00 Geological overview and cratering model for the Haughton impact structure, Devon Island, Canadian High Arctic Osinski, Gordon R. Lee, Pascal Spray, John G. Parnell, John Lim, Darlene S. S. Bunch, Theodore E. Cockell, Charles S. Glass, Brian 2005-01-01 application/pdf https://journals.uair.arizona.edu/index.php/maps/article/view/15208 eng eng Meteoritics & Planetary Science Archives https://journals.uair.arizona.edu/index.php/maps/article/view/15208/15196 https://journals.uair.arizona.edu/index.php/maps/article/view/15208 Meteoritics & Planetary Science Archives; Vol 40, No 12 (2005); 1759-1776 1945-5100 1086-9379 Cratering model;Crater morphometry;Devon Island;Haughton impact structure;Sedimentary target info:eu-repo/semantics/article info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion Peer-reviewed Article 2005 ftunivarizonaojs 2020-11-14T17:53:00Z 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 intracrater lacustrine sediments of the Haughton Formation during the Miocene. Present-day intracrater 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. Article in Journal/Newspaper Arctic Devon Island Journals at the University of Arizona Arctic Devon Island ENVELOPE(-88.000,-88.000,75.252,75.252) |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
Journals at the University of Arizona |
op_collection_id |
ftunivarizonaojs |
language |
English |
topic |
Cratering model;Crater morphometry;Devon Island;Haughton impact structure;Sedimentary target |
spellingShingle |
Cratering model;Crater morphometry;Devon Island;Haughton impact structure;Sedimentary target Osinski, Gordon R. Lee, Pascal Spray, John G. Parnell, John Lim, Darlene S. S. Bunch, Theodore E. Cockell, Charles S. Glass, Brian Geological overview and cratering model for the Haughton impact structure, Devon Island, Canadian High Arctic |
topic_facet |
Cratering model;Crater morphometry;Devon Island;Haughton impact structure;Sedimentary target |
description |
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 intracrater lacustrine sediments of the Haughton Formation during the Miocene. Present-day intracrater 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. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Osinski, Gordon R. Lee, Pascal Spray, John G. Parnell, John Lim, Darlene S. S. Bunch, Theodore E. Cockell, Charles S. Glass, Brian |
author_facet |
Osinski, Gordon R. Lee, Pascal Spray, John G. Parnell, John Lim, Darlene S. S. Bunch, Theodore E. Cockell, Charles S. Glass, Brian |
author_sort |
Osinski, Gordon R. |
title |
Geological overview and cratering model for the Haughton impact structure, Devon Island, Canadian High Arctic |
title_short |
Geological overview and cratering model for the Haughton impact structure, Devon Island, Canadian High Arctic |
title_full |
Geological overview and cratering model for the Haughton impact structure, Devon Island, Canadian High Arctic |
title_fullStr |
Geological overview and cratering model for the Haughton impact structure, Devon Island, Canadian High Arctic |
title_full_unstemmed |
Geological overview and cratering model for the Haughton impact structure, Devon Island, Canadian High Arctic |
title_sort |
geological overview and cratering model for the haughton impact structure, devon island, canadian high arctic |
publisher |
Meteoritics & Planetary Science Archives |
publishDate |
2005 |
url |
https://journals.uair.arizona.edu/index.php/maps/article/view/15208 |
long_lat |
ENVELOPE(-88.000,-88.000,75.252,75.252) |
geographic |
Arctic Devon Island |
geographic_facet |
Arctic Devon Island |
genre |
Arctic Devon Island |
genre_facet |
Arctic Devon Island |
op_source |
Meteoritics & Planetary Science Archives; Vol 40, No 12 (2005); 1759-1776 1945-5100 1086-9379 |
op_relation |
https://journals.uair.arizona.edu/index.php/maps/article/view/15208/15196 https://journals.uair.arizona.edu/index.php/maps/article/view/15208 |
_version_ |
1766333935334195200 |