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Geochronology, Crystallography and Phase Transition in Shocked Minerals

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A special issue of Minerals (ISSN 2075-163X). This special issue belongs to the section "Mineral Geochemistry and Geochronology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 December 2023) | Viewed by 15635

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Special Issue Editors

Dr. Elizaveta Kovaleva

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Guest Editor

1. Department of Earth Science, University of the Western Cape, Robert Sobukwe Road, Belville 7535, South Africa
2. GFZ German Research Centre for Geosciences (Deutsches GeoForschungsZentrum GFZ), 14473 Potsdam, Germany
Interests: metamorphic petrology and deformation in shear zones; tectonic deformation and shock deformation effects in accessory minerals; formation and evolution of shock-generated melts and other impactites

Dr. Matthew Huber

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Guest Editor

Department of Earth Science, University of the Western Cape, Bellville, Cape Town 7535, South Africa
Interests: planetary science, particularly pertaining to shock deformation and geochemistry relating to hypervelocity impact structures

Dr. Martin Clark

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Guest Editor

Department of Geology, University of the Free State, Bloemfontein, South Africa
Interests: structural geology, remote sensing, and spatial analysis of impact deformed and post-impact deformed rocks

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

In recent years, geoscientists have significantly improved their understanding of planetary processes relating to the evolution of the Earth, Moon, Mars, and other rocky bodies in our Solar System. These breakthroughs became possible, in part, due to developments in high-resolution analytical techniques, such as electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD), high-resolution secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS and nanoSIMS), sensitive high-resolution ion microprobe (SHRIMP), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), micro-CT scanning, X-ray diffraction (XRF) analyses, etc. These techniques allow petrological, geochronological, geochemical, and microstructural investigations of mineral phases from meteorites, impactites, and samples returned from planetary bodies, and in combination with numerical modeling and (micro)structural studies, they allow for the history of the solar system and its rocky objects to be untangled. This Special Issue will include studies of impactites and planetary materials with a focus on geochemistry, geochronology, and phase transitions of rock-forming and accessory mineral phases. Such contributions should shed light on planetary tectonics and especially hypervelocity impact events.

We cordially invite you to express your interest and to submit contributions to this Special Issue.

Dr. Elizaveta Kovaleva
Dr. Matthew Huber
Dr. Martin Clark
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Minerals is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

impact processes
geochronology and cosmochronology
phase transitions
shock deformation
equation of state
structural geology
microstructures
planetary processes
meteorites
micrometeorites
shocked zircon
shocked monazite
shocked apatite
shocked titanite
shocked quartz
shock-induced diamond
ringwoodite
reidite
lechatelierite
coesite
stishovite
maskelynite
granular textures
planar deformation features
feather features
diaplectic glass
planar fractures
mosaicism
impact glass
tectites
impact melt
impactites
target rocks
suevite
impact breccia
impact craters
cubic zirconia

Published Papers (6 papers)

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Research

Jump to: Review

16 pages, 5566 KiB

Open AccessFeature PaperArticle

Silica Polymorphs Formation in the Jänisjärvi Impact Structure: Tridymite, Cristobalite, Quartz, Trace Stishovite and Coesite

by Daria A. Zamiatina, Dmitry A. Zamyatin, Georgii B. Mikhalevskii and Nikolai S. Chebikin

Minerals 2023, 13(5), 686; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/min13050686 - 17 May 2023

Viewed by 1406

Abstract

The study of silica polymorphs in impactites is important for determining the pressure and temperature of impact rock formation. Silica modifications in impact melt rocks of the Janisjärvi impact structure (Karelia, Russia) are presented by tridymite, cristobalite, quartz, trace stishovite and coesite. Silica modifications were characterized and studied by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), electron probe microanalysis (EPMA), and Raman and cathodoluminescent spectroscopy. Investigations were carried out in order to clarify polymorphs formation mechanisms and search for signs of the transition of certain structural modifications to others. For the first time, a description of tridymite with a ballen-like texture from impact melt rock is given. A sequence of silica modification and textural transformation in impact rocks after the impact event is suggested. We conclude that the pressure of 40 GPa and a temperature of more than 900 °C were achieved in the impact structure. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Geochronology, Crystallography and Phase Transition in Shocked Minerals)

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13 pages, 8976 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Ballen Quartz in Jänisjärvi Impact Melt Rock with High Concentrations of Fe, Mg, and Al: EPMA, EDS, EBSD, CL, and Raman Spectroscopy

by Daria A. Zamiatina, Dmitry A. Zamyatin and Georgii B. Mikhalevskii

Minerals 2022, 12(7), 886; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/min12070886 - 14 Jul 2022

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1644

Abstract

Ballen quartz is a spherical aggregate that is typical for impactites. Previous studies of ballen quartz in different impact structures have revealed the presence of Fe, K, Al, Mg, and Ca in the contact zone between individual ballen only. In the present study, we describe ballen quartz found in a sample from a Jänisjärvi impact structure with a high concentration of Al₂O₃ (up to 4.56 wt.%), FeO (6.43 wt.%), and MgO (2.12 wt.%) in individual ballen. Microbeam methods: EPMA (Electron Probe Microanalysis), EDS (Energy-Dispersive Spectroscopy), BSE (Back-scattered Electrons), EBSD (Electron Backscatter Diffraction), CL (Cathodoluminescence), and Raman spectroscopy were used to understand the atypical compositions of ballen quartz and its formation processes. Ballen quartz in our sample consists of unaltered quartz (domain A), which was formed as a result of shock heating, and hydrothermally altered quartz (domain B). The abundance of Fe, Mg, and Al in domain B is associated with submicron-sized inclusions of chlorite or other Fe-Mg minerals. Misorientations in subgrains in ballen quartz type A and B reach 1° and 7°, respectively. The micrometer-sized orientational inhomogeneity in ballen quartz type B is comparable in size to the micrometer-sized blocks separated by the grid of microfractures. The new data obtained expand the diversity of the ballen quartz studied and could be used for an understanding the mechanisms of their formation. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Geochronology, Crystallography and Phase Transition in Shocked Minerals)

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22 pages, 13438 KiB

Open AccessFeature PaperArticle

Properties of Impact-Related Pseudotachylite and Associated Shocked Zircon and Monazite in the Upper Levels of a Large Impact Basin: a Case Study From the Vredefort Impact Structure

by Elizaveta Kovaleva and Roger Dixon

Minerals 2020, 10(12), 1053; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/min10121053 - 25 Nov 2020

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2349

Abstract

The Vredefort impact structure in South Africa is deeply eroded to its lowermost levels. However, granophyre (impact melt) dykes in such structures preserve clasts of supracrustal rocks, transported down from the uppermost levels of the initial structure. Studying these clasts is the only way to understand the properties of already eroded impactites. One such lithic clast from the Vredefort impact structure contains a thin pseudotachylite vein and is shown to be derived from the near-surface environment of the impact crater. Traditionally, impact pseudotachylites are referred to as in situ melt rocks with the same chemical and isotopic composition as their host rocks. The composition of the sampled pseudotachylite vein is not identical to its host rock, as shown by the micro-X-ray fluorescence (µXRF) and energy-dispersive X-ray (EDX) spectrometry mapping. Mapping shows that the melt transfer and material mixing within pseudotachylites may have commonly occurred at the upper levels of the structure. The vein is spatially related to shocked zircon and monazite crystals in the sample. Granular zircons with small granules are concentrated within and around the vein (not farther than 6–7 mm from the vein). Zircons with planar fractures and shock microtwins occur farther from the vein (6–12 mm). Zircons with microtwins (65°/{112}) are also found inside the vein, and twinned monazite (180°/[¹⁰¹]) is found very close to the vein. These spatial relationships point to elevated shock pressure and shear stress, concentrated along the vein’s plane during impact. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Geochronology, Crystallography and Phase Transition in Shocked Minerals)

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14 pages, 3940 KiB

Open AccessFeature PaperArticle

Graphite-Based Geothermometry on Almahata Sitta Ureilitic Meteorites

by Anna Barbaro, M. Chiara Domeneghetti, Cyrena A. Goodrich, Moreno Meneghetti, Lucio Litti, Anna Maria Fioretti, Peter Jenniskens, Muawia H. Shaddad and Fabrizio Nestola

Minerals 2020, 10(11), 1005; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/min10111005 - 12 Nov 2020

Cited by 12 | Viewed by 3293

Abstract

The thermal history of carbon phases, including graphite and diamond, in the ureilite meteorites has implications for the formation, igneous evolution, and impact disruption of their parent body early in the history of the Solar System. Geothermometry data were obtained by micro-Raman spectroscopy on graphite in Almahata Sitta (AhS) ureilites AhS 72, AhS 209b and AhS A135A from the University of Khartoum collection. In these samples, graphite shows G-band peak centers between 1578 and 1585 cm⁻¹ and the full width at half maximum values correspond to a crystallization temperature of 1266 °C for graphite for AhS 209b, 1242 °C for AhS 72, and 1332 °C for AhS A135A. Recent work on AhS 72 and AhS 209b has shown graphite associated with nanodiamonds and argued that this assemblage formed due to an impact-event. Our samples show disordered graphite with a crystalline domain size ranging between about 70 and 140 nm. The nanometric grain-size of the recrystallized graphite indicates that it records a shock event and thus argues that the temperatures we obtained are related to such an event, rather than the primary igneous processing of the ureilite parent body. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Geochronology, Crystallography and Phase Transition in Shocked Minerals)

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23 pages, 23758 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Textural Identification of Polycrystalline Magmatic, Tectonically-Deformed, and Shock-Related Zircon Aggregates

by Elizaveta Kovaleva

Minerals 2020, 10(5), 469; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/min10050469 - 21 May 2020

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2967

Abstract

Zircon with polycrystalline or polygranular appearance is either produced in the magmatic environment through crystallization, or due to deformation in metamorphic settings (including regional metamorphism and ductile shear zones), or as a result of shock-induced recrystallization. All three types can be easily confused and potentially lead to incorrect interpretations, especially if the crystallographic orientation analyses of zircon are not conducted. It is particularly important to establish the difference between tectonically-deformed polygranular zircon and shock-induced polygranular zircon because the latter serves as an indicator of shock event and is often used for dating asteroid impacts. In this paper, a series of polycrystalline zircon grains from ductile shear zones and metamorphic rocks are analyzed using a combination of techniques (BSE, CL, orientation contrast, EBSD, and microprobe mapping), and their properties are compared to reported polycrystalline zircons from magmatic and impact settings. This work shows how appearance, crystallographic orientation, and CL signature of “granules” differ between the different types of deformed zircon. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Geochronology, Crystallography and Phase Transition in Shocked Minerals)

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Review

Jump to: Research

23 pages, 2489 KiB

Open AccessEditor’s ChoiceReview

Application of Raman Spectroscopy for Studying Shocked Zircon from Terrestrial and Lunar Impactites: A Systematic Review

by Dmitry A. Zamyatin

Minerals 2022, 12(8), 969; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/min12080969 - 29 Jul 2022

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2160

Abstract

A highly resistant mineral, zircon is capable of preserving information about impact processes. The present review paper is aimed at determining the extent to which Raman spectroscopy can be applied to studying shocked zircons from impactites to identify issues and gaps in the usage of Raman spectroscopy, both in order to highlight recent achievements, and to identify the most effective applications. Method: Following PRISMA guidelines, the review is based on peer-reviewed papers indexed in Google Scholar, Scopus and Web of Science databases up to 5 April 2022. Inclusion criteria: application of Raman spectroscopy to the study of shocked zircon from terrestrial and lunar impactites. Results: A total of 25 research papers were selected. Of these, 18 publications studied terrestrial impact craters, while 7 publications focused on lunar breccia samples. Nineteen of the studies were focused on the acquisition of new data on geological structures, while six examined zircon microstructures, their textural and spectroscopic features. Conclusions: The application of Raman spectroscopy to impactite zircons is linked with its application to zircon grains of various terrestrial rocks and the progress of the electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) technique in the early 2000s. Raman spectroscopy was concluded to be most effective when applied to examining the degree of damage, as well as identifying phases and misorientation in zircon. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Geochronology, Crystallography and Phase Transition in Shocked Minerals)

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