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Does the Bushveld-Vredefort system (South Africa) record the largest known terrestrial impact catastrophe?The unique 2.05-Ga Bushveld and Vredefort complexes cover 100,000 sq km (diameter 400 km) on the otherwise stable Kaapvaal craton. Since the 1920's, workers have recognized that they are bracketed by the same units and were probably formed by related processes. Modern field studies and radiometric dates have provided no compelling evidence for different ages. Previous researchers invoked magmatic upthrust. Daly later attributed Vredefort to impact, but never applied his concept to the Bushveld. Subsequently, Vredefort yielded shatter cones, coesite and stishovite, and planar features; pseudotachylite (indistinguishable from Sudbury) was long known to be present. Other research concluded that at least four simultaneous impacts caused the Bushveld-Vredefort system. Three impacts formed overlapping Bushveld basins; the fourth made the Vredefort dome. The nature of intra-Bushveld 'fragments' and the properties of Rooiberg Felsite offer clues.
Document ID
19930000946
Acquisition Source
Legacy CDMS
Document Type
Conference Paper
Authors
Elston, W. E.
(New Mexico Univ. Albuquerque, NM, United States)
Date Acquired
September 6, 2013
Publication Date
January 1, 1992
Publication Information
Publication: Lunar and Planetary Inst., International Conference on Large Meteorite Impacts and Planetary Evolution
Subject Category
Geophysics
Accession Number
93N10134
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Work of the US Gov. Public Use Permitted.
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