Preprint Article Version 1 Preserved in Portico This version is not peer-reviewed

Microstructures in Shocked Quartz: Linking Nuclear Airbursts and Meteorite Impacts

Robert E. Hermes
,
Hans-Rudolf Wenk
ORCID logo ,
James P. Kennett
,
Ted E. Bunch
,
Christopher R. Moore
,
Malcolm A. LeCompte
,
Gunther Kletetschka
,
A. Victor Adedeji
,
Kurt Langworthy
,
Joshua J. Razink
,
Valerie Brogden
,
Brian Van Devener
,
Jesus Paulo Perez
,
Randy Polson
,
Matt Nowell
,
Allen West
*
Version 1 : Received: 1 August 2023 / Approved: 2 August 2023 / Online: 3 August 2023 (09:48:12 CEST)

A peer-reviewed article of this Preprint also exists.

Hermes, R.E.; Wenk, H.-R.; Kennett, J.P.; Bunch, T.E.; Moore, C.R.; LeCompte, M.A.; Kletetschka, G.; Adedeji, A.V.; Langworthy, K.; Razink, J.J.; et al. Microstructures in Shocked Quartz: Linking Nuclear Airbursts and Meteorite Impacts. Airbursts and Cratering Impacts 2023, 1, doi:10.14293/aci.2023.0001. Hermes, R.E.; Wenk, H.-R.; Kennett, J.P.; Bunch, T.E.; Moore, C.R.; LeCompte, M.A.; Kletetschka, G.; Adedeji, A.V.; Langworthy, K.; Razink, J.J.; et al. Microstructures in Shocked Quartz: Linking Nuclear Airbursts and Meteorite Impacts. Airbursts and Cratering Impacts 2023, 1, doi:10.14293/aci.2023.0001.

Abstract

Many studies of hypervelocity impact craters have described the characteristics of quartz grains shock-metamorphosed at high pressures of > 10 GPa. In contrast, few studies have investigated shock metamorphism at lower shock pressures. In this study, we test the hypothesis that low-pressure shock metamorphism occurs in near-surface nuclear airbursts and that this process shares essential characteristics with crater-forming impact events. To investigate low-grade shock microstructures, we compared quartz grains from Meteor Crater, a 1.2-km-wide impact crater, to those from near-surface nuclear airbursts at the Alamogordo Bombing Range, New Mexico in 1945 and Kazakhstan in 1949/1953. This investigation utilized a comprehensive analytical suite of high-resolution techniques, including transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD). Meteor Crater and the nuclear test sites all exhibit quartz grains with closely-spaced, sub-micron-wide fractures that appear to have formed at low shock pressures. Significantly, these micro-fractures are closely associated with Dauphiné twins and are filled with amorphous silica (glass), widely considered a classic indicator of shock metamorphism. Thus, this study confirms that glass-filled shock fractures in quartz form during near-surface nuclear airbursts, as well as crater-forming impact events, and by extension, it suggests that they may form in any near-surface cosmic airbursts in which the shockwave is coupled to Earth’s surface. The robust characterization of such events is crucial because of their potential catastrophic effects on the Earth’s environmental and biotic systems.

Keywords

nuclear/atomic detonations; impact craters; shocked quartz; shock fractures; planar deformation features; planar fractures; tectonic deformation lamellae; electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD); transmission electron microscopy (TEM); cathodoluminescence (CL)

Subject

Environmental and Earth Sciences, Space and Planetary Science

Copyright: This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Download PDF Download Supplementary

Comments (0)

We encourage comments and feedback from a broad range of readers. See criteria for comments and our Diversity statement.

Leave a public comment
Send a private comment to the author(s)
* All users must log in before leaving a comment
Views 0
Downloads 0
Comments 0
Metrics 0
Get PDF Supplementary Files Cite Share 0
Bookmark BibSonomy Mendeley Reddit Delicious
×
Alerts
Notify me about updates to this article or when a peer-reviewed version is published.
We use cookies on our website to ensure you get the best experience.
Read more about our cookies here.