Spherule textures in the Neoarchaean Wittenoom impact layer, Western Australia: Consistency in diversity

Australian Journal of Earth Sciences

Volumn 52, Issue 4-5, 2005, Pages 773-783

  Scally, A ^a   Simonson, Bruce M ^a  

^a OBERLIN COLLEGE   (United States)

Author keywords

Impact ejecta; Impact spherules; Microkrystites; Precambrian; Strewn field

Indexed keywords

ARCHEAN; CRATER; IMPACT STRUCTURE; SPHERULE; TEXTURE;

AUSTRALASIA; AUSTRALIA; EASTERN HEMISPHERE; WESTERN AUSTRALIA; WORLD;

EID: 27344443697     PISSN: 08120099     EISSN: 14400952     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.1080/08120090500170484     Document Type: Article

References (40)

1. Berkebile C. A. & Dowty E. 1982. Nucleation in laboratory charges of basaltic composition. American Mineralogist 67, 886-899.
2. Glass B. P. 2002. Upper Eocene impact ejecta/spherule layers in marine sediments. Chemie der Erde 62, 173-196.
3. Glass B. P. & Burns C. A. 1988. Microkrystites: a new term for impact-produced glassy spherules containing primary crystallites. Proceedings of Lunar and Planetary Science Conference XVIII, 455-458.
4. Glikson A. Y. 2004. Early Precambrian asteroid impact-triggered tsunami: Excavated seabed, debris flows, exotic boulders, and turbulence features associated with 3.47-2.47 Ga-old asteroid impact fallout units, Pilbara Craton, Western Australia. Astrobiology 4, 1-32.
5. Gostin V. A., Haines P. W., Jenkins R. J. F., Compston W. & Williams I. S. 1986. Impact ejecta horizon within late Precambrian shales, Adelaide Geosyncline, South Australia. Science 233, 198-200.
6. Grieve R. A. F. 2001. The terrestrial cratering record. In: Peucker-Ehrenbrink B. & Schmitz B. eds. Accretion of Extraterrestrial Matter Throughout Earth's History, pp. 379-402. Kluwer Academic, New York.
7. Hassler S. W. 1993. Depositional history of the Main Tuff Interval of the Wittenoom Formation, Late Archean - Early Proterozoic Hamersley Group, Western Australia. Precambrian Research 60, 337-359.
8. Hassler S. W., Robey H. F. & Simonson B. M. 2000. Bedforms produced by impact-generated tsunami, ∼2.6 Ga Hamersley Basin, Western Australia. Sedimentary Geology 135, 283-294.
9. Hassler S. W. & Simonson B. M. 2001. The sedimentary record of extraterrestrial impacts in deep shelf environments - evidence from the early Precambrian. Journal of Geology 109, 1-22.
10. Hassler S. W., Simonson B. M., Sumner D. Y. & Murphy M. 2005. Neoarchaean impact spherule layers in the Fortescue and Hamersley Groups, Western Australia: stratigraphic and depositional implications of re-correlation Australian Journal of Earth Sciences 52, 759-771.
11. Keller G., Adatte T., Stinnesbeck W., Affolter M., Schilli L. & Lopez-Oliva J. G. 2002. Multiple spherule layers in the late Maastrichtian of northeastern Mexico. In: Koeberl C. & MacLeod K. G. eds. Catastrophic Events and Mass Extinctions: Impacts and Beyond, pp. 145-162. Geological Society of America Special Paper 356.
12. Lofgren G. E. 1971a. Devitrified glass fragments from Apollo 11 and Apollo 12 lunar samples. In: Proceedings of the 2nd Lunar Science Conference, Vol. 1, pp. 949-955. MIT Press, Cambridge.
13. Lofgren G. E. 1971b. Spherulitic textures in glassy and crystalline rocks. Journal of Geophysical Research 76, 5635-5648.
14. Lofgren G. E. 1974. An experimental study of plagioclase morphology: isothermal crystallization. American Journal of Science 274, 243-273.
15. Lofgren G. E. 1977. Dynamic crystallization experiments bearing on the origin of textures in impact-generated liquids. In: Proceedings of the 8th Lunar Science Conference, pp. 2079-2095. Pergamon Press, New York.
16. Lofgren G. E. 1983. Effect of heterogeneous nucleation on basaltic textures: a dynamic crystallization study. Journal of Petrology 24, 229-255.
17. Nelson D. R., Trendall A. F. & Altermann W. 1999. Chronological correlations between the Pilbara and Kaapvaal cratons. Precambrian Research 97, 165-189.
18. Ryder G. 2002. Mass flux in the ancient Earth-Moon system and benign implications for the origin of life on Earth. Journal of Geophysical Research 107, doi 10.1029/2001JE001583, pp. 6-16.14.
19. Schulte P., Stinnesbeck W., Stuben D., Kramar U., Berner Z., Keller G. & Adatte T. 2003. Fe-rich and K-rich mafic spherules from slumped and channelized Chicxulub ejecta deposits in the northern La Sierrita area, NE Mexico. International Journal of Earth Sciences 92, 114-142.
20. Simonson B. M. 1992. Geological evidence for a strewn field of impact spherules in the early Precambrian Hamersley Basin of Western Australia. Geological Society of America Bulletin 104, 829-839.
21. Simonson B. M. 2003. Petrographic criteria for recognizing certain types of impact spherules in well-preserved Precambrian successions. Astrobiology 3, 49-65.
22. Simonson B. M., Byerly G. R. & Lowe D.R. 2004. The early Precambrian stratigraphic record of large extraterrestrial impacts. In: Eriksson P. G., Altermann W., Nelson D. R., Mueller W. U. & Catuneanu O. eds. The Precambrian Earth: Tempos and Events, pp. 27-45. Elsevier, Amsterdam.
23. Simonson B. M., Cardiff M. & Schubel K. A. 2001. New evidence that a spherule layer in the late Archean Jeerinah Formation of Western Australia was produced by a major impact. Proceedings Lunar and Planetary Science Conference XXXII, 1141.
24. Simonson B. M., Davies D. & Hassler S. W. 2000b. Discovery of a layer of probable impact melt spherules in the Late Archaean Jeerinah Formation, Fortescue Group, Western Australia. Australian Journal of Earth Sciences 47, 315-325.
25. Simonson B. M., Davies D., Wallace M., Reeves S. & Hassler S. W. 1998. Iridium anomaly but no shocked quartz from Late Archean microkrystite layer: oceanic impact ejecta? Geology 26, 195-198.
26. Simonson B. M. & Glass B. P. 2004. Spherule layers - records of ancient impacts. Annual Review of Earth and Planetary Sciences 32, 329-361.
27. Simonson B. M. & Harnik P. 2000. Have distal impact ejecta changed through geologic time? Geology 28, 975-978.
28. Simonson B. M. & Hassler S. W. 1997. Revised correlations in the Early Precambrian Hamersley Basin based on a horizon of resedimented impact spherules. Australian Journal of Earth Sciences 44, 37-48.
29. Simonson B. M., Hassler S. W. & Beukes N. 1999. Late Archean impact spherule layer in South Africa that may correlate with a layer in Western Australia. In: Dressler B. O. & Sharpton V. L. eds. Large Meteorite Impacts and Planetary Evolution II, pp. 249-262. Geological Society of America Special Paper 339.
30. Simonson B. M., Hassler S. W. & Schubel K. A. 1993b. Lithology and proposed revisions in stratigraphic nomenclature of the Wittenoom Formation Dolomite) and overlying formations, Hamersley Group, Western Australia. Geological Survey of Western Australia Report 34, 195 198.
31. Simonson B. M., Hornstein M. & Hassler S. W. 2000a. Particles in Late Archean Carawine (Dolomite) (Western Australia) resemble Muong Nong-type Tektites. In: Gilmour I. & Koeberl C. eds. Impacts and the Early Earth, pp. 181-214. Springer-Verlag, Berlin.
32. Simonson B. M., Schubel K. A. & Hassler S. W. 1993a. Carbonate sedimentology of the early Precambrian Group of Western Australia. Precambrian Research 60, 287-335.
33. Simonson B. M. & Sweeney D. 2002. Textural evidence that Precambrian impact melt spherules crystallized and devitrified in flight. Geological Society of America Abstracts with Program 34(6), 81.
34. Smit J. 1999. The global stratigraphy of the Cretaceous-Tertiary boundary impact ejecta. Annual Review of Earth and Planetary Sciences 27, 75-113.
35. Smit J., Alvarez W., Montanari A., Swinburne N., Van Kempen T. M., Klaver G. T. & Lustenhouwer W. J. 1992. 'Tektites' and microkrystites at the Cretaceous Tertiary boundary: two strewn fields, one crater? Proceedings Lunar and Planetary Science Conference XXII, 87-100.
36. Trendall A. F. 1983. The Hamersley Basin. In: Trendall A. F. & Morris R. C. eds. Iron-Formation: Facts and Problems, pp. 69-129. Elsevier, Amsterdam.
37. Trendall A. F, Nelson D. R., De Laeter J. R. & Hassler S. W. 1998. Precise zircon U-Pb ages from the Marra Mamba. Iron Formation and Wittenoom Formation, Hamersley Group, Western Australia. Australian Journal of Earth Sciences 45, 137-142.
38. Wilkinson B. H. & Landing E. 1978. 'Eggshell diagenesis' and primary fabric in calcite ooids. Journal of Sedimentary Petrology 48, 1129-1138.
39. Woodhead J. D., Hergt J. M. & Simonson B. M. 1998. Isotopic dating of an Archean bolide impact horizon, Hamersley basin, Western Australia. Geology 26, 47-50.
40. Yancey T. E. 1996. Stratigraphy and depositional environments of the Cretaceous - Tertiary. boundary complex and basal Paleocene section, Brazos River, Texas. Transactions of the Gulf Coast Association of Geological Societies 46, 433-442.