Impact Cratering: Processes, Products and Effects

撞击坑是太阳系中普遍存在的基本地质过程。它被认为是月球、水星、小行星以及火星和金星等大部分地质活动更活跃的行星上最重要的表面过程。人们也越来越意识到，陨石撞击事件在整个地球历史上也发挥了重要作用，塑造了地质景观，影响了生命的进化，并产生了具有重大经济意义的矿物和碳氢化合物矿床。这项研究计划将进一步加深我们对陨石撞击事件及其有益的科学和经济影响的了解。这对加拿大来说尤其重要，因为加拿大从萨德伯里冲击构造（北美最富有的矿区）内的采矿中获得了如此巨大的财富。提出的研究的中心指导主题是陨石撞击-过程，产品和影响。我研究的总体目标和长期（5年以上）目标是调查和量化陨石撞击事件对地球的潜在有益影响，从产生新的、独特的生命栖息地到形成具有经济潜力的矿藏。为了了解这些有益的影响，建议研究的短期（15年）目标是调查涉及陨石撞击结构形成的三个关键过程，即：目标1)了解岩石在撞击事件中如何变质和融化；目标2)了解冲击弹射物是如何放置的；目标3)了解撞击坑内热液系统的发展和演化。本工作重点是对地球、月球和火星上的陨石坑进行对比研究，重点研究了不同类型目标岩石内、不同保存状态下直径~240 km的陨石坑。这将使我们能够区分特定陨石坑的局部影响和特征与撞击陨石坑的更一般特征。实地考察是本研究的基础，同时采用一系列尖端分析技术对样品进行调查。除了在Haughton、Mistastin湖、Ries、Rochechouart和West Clearwater湖的撞击结构进行实地考察外，这项研究还利用了加拿大地质调查局的撞击坑收集，该收集最近被转移到西部。该系列包括来自加拿大陨石坑的约8公里的岩心，以及来自加拿大和世界各地陨石坑的约8000个手工样本和约3100个薄片。实地和实验室观测将通过该研究项目进行综合，从撞击热液系统的发展，到随后的沉积填充和/或侵蚀，为陨石坑的改造开发一个通用模型。

Impact cratering is a fundamental and ubiquitous geological process in the Solar System. It is considered the most important surface process on the Moon, Mercury, asteroids, and over large parts of the more geologically active planets of Mars and Venus. There is also growing awareness that meteorite impact events have also played an important role throughout Earth's history, shaping the geological landscape, affecting the evolution of life, and producing mineral and hydrocarbon deposits of major economic significance. This research program will further our understanding of meteorite impact events and their beneficial scientific and economic effects. This is particularly important for Canada, which draws such a huge amount of wealth from the mining within the Sudbury impact structure the richest mining district in North America. The central guiding theme of the proposed research is Meteorite Impacts - Processes, Products, and Effects. The overarching goal and long-term (5+ years) objective of my research is to investigate and to quantify the potential beneficial effects of meteorite impact events on Earth, from the generation of new, unique habitats for life to the formation of mineral deposits of economic potential. To understand these beneficial effects, the short-term (years 15) Objectives of the proposed research is to investigate three key Processes involved in the formation of meteorite impact structures, namely:Objective 1) Understand how rocks are metamorphosed and melted during impact events;Objective 2) Understand how impact ejecta is emplaced;Objective 3) Understand how hydrothermal systems within impact craters develop and evolve.This work focuses on comparative study of impact craters on the Earth, Moon and Mars, with a focus on the study of craters ~240 km in diameter within different types of target rocks and in different states of preservation. This will enable the differentiation of local effects and features of specific craters from more general features of impact craters. Fieldwork forms the foundation for this research coupled with the investigation of samples with a series of cutting-edge analytical techniques. In addition to fieldwork at the Haughton, Mistastin Lake, Ries, Rochechouart, and West Clearwater Lake impact structures, this research also capitalizes on the transfer of the Impact Crater Collection of the Geological Survey of Canada, which has recently been transferred to Western. This collection comprises ~8 km of drill core from Canadian craters as well as ~8,000 hand samples and ~3,100 thin sections from craters in Canada and from around the world. Field and laboratory observations will be synthesized through this research program to develop a generic model for the modification of an impact crater, from the development of an impact hydrothermal system, followed by sedimentary infilling and/or erosion.