Magnetic Fe, Si, Al-Rich Impact Spherules from the P-T Boundary Layer at Graphite Peak, AntarcticaThe geological boundary between Triassic and Permian strata coincides with the greatest life extinction in the Earth's history. Although the cause of the extinction is still the subject of intense debates, recent discoveries in the P-T boundary layer of shocked quartz grains, fullerenes with the extraterrestrial noble gases, Fe metal nuggets, and chondritic meteorite fragments all point to a powerful collision of Earth with a celestial body in the late Permian. Here we report the discovery of magnetic Fe, Si, Al-rich impact spherules which accompany the chondritic meteorite fragments in some samples from the P-T boundary layer at Graphite Peak, Antarctica.
Document ID
20040068120
Acquisition Source
Johnson Space Center
Document Type
Conference Paper
Authors
Petaev, M. I. (Harvard Univ.)
Jacobsen, S. B. (Harvard Univ.)
Basu, A. R. (Rochester Univ. NY, United States)
Becker, L. (California Univ. Santa Barbara, CA, United States)
Date Acquired
August 21, 2013
Publication Date
January 1, 2004
Publication Information
Publication: Lunar and Planetary Science XXXV: Effects of Impact and Awe