Physics
Scientific paper
Apr 1997
adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=1997gw.....15..131d&link_type=abstract
Geowissenschaften, Vol. 15, No. 3 - 4, p. 131 - 137
Physics
Earth: Impact Phenomena, Meteorite Craters
Scientific paper
The heavily cratered surfaces of almost all solid bodies in the solar system testify the general importance of impact processes. The role of impacts for evolution of planet Earth is widely underestimated. This may be due to the relatively small number of known craters (about 150) and ejecta horizons in the sedimentary record (about 20). The about 300 km sized, 2023 Ma old, deeply eroded Vredefort structure is the oldest and largest known terrestrial crater. About 60% of the population are younger than 200 Ma reflecting the highly dynamic nature of the Earth's crust. Impact processes have played a fundamental role in the evolution of the atmosphere and life. A cause-effect relation between cratering and a severe crisis in life is at least evident for the Cretaceous-Tertiary (K/T) boundary, 65 Ma ago. The K/T mass-extinction was caused by the Chicxulub impact event, yielding a 200 km sized crater and a globally distributed ejecta layer. Lethal mechanisms may have been manifold yet energy transfer as well as drastic climatic changes are considered as most important.
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