Diversity of soil characteristics at the Haughton Impact Structure

Physics

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[0400] Biogeosciences

Scientific paper

The Haughton Impact Structure (HIS) resulted from an extra-terrestrial impact ~39MYA. Devon Island is part of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago, and, over most of the island, is only sparsely vegetated (<1% cover). However, within the HIS, there are regions of relatively dense vegetation. The primary objective of this study was to analyze soil samples from within the HIS and in the surrounding polar desert, in order to determine if the impact-induced changes to the overlying rock within the crater led to differences in present soils within the crater. Soil samples from regions of breccia and alluvium-derived soils from within the crater, as well as samples from the crater rim, and the polar desert outside the crater were taken in the summers of 2006 and 2008. Analysis of these samples revealed clear grouping in soil characteristics: alluvium-derived soils were associated with increased electrical conductivity, clay and silt fractions; breccia-derived soils were associated with increased available potassium, magnesium, and sand; and crater rim and polar desert soils were associated with fine sand and increased pH. The HIS offers the opportunity to study the long term effects of extra-terrestrial impacts on the chemical and physical characteristics of soils, without the masking effects of thousands of years of organic matter accumulation and related soil development processes that are typically found at impact sites.

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