Universities Space Research Association | Lunar and Planetary Institute | 2016 Oct 20
[c][attachment=0]img-lg.jpg[/attachment][/c][hr][/hr]A team of scientists led by Universities Space Research Association’s David Kring at the Lunar and Planetary Institute is using observations of the Moon to further understand the impact on Earth that is linked to the extinction of the dinosaurs. The team concludes that the mountain-sized rings that form in the Moon’s largest impact craters were produced by the collapse of central uplifts that rose tens of kilometers above the surface as a result of impact. Those findings, based on observations of the Moon’s Schrödinger basin, with implications for Earth’s Chicxulub crater, are published in the current edition of Nature Communications.
The Chicxulub crater is the best-preserved example of a peak-ring basin on Earth, but it is buried beneath approximately 1 kilometer of sediments. By comparison, the Schrödinger impact basin is the best-preserved basin of its size on the Moon; however, unlike the Chicxulub crater, it is exquisitely exposed on the lunar surface and accessible to study using remote sensing techniques.
The lead author, David Kring, says “the features seen in the Schrödinger basin also paint an amazing picture of Earth’s Chicxulub crater. Observations of the lunar basin suggest the rock in the Chicxulub basin’s peak ring flowed, in part, because it was dissected into a large number of rocky blocks with reduced cohesion and possibly offset by kilometer-scale fault motions. The Chicxulub peak ring, now buried, would have been composed of rocks from deep in the Earth’s crust and, when emplaced, would have produced a jagged mountain range that rose from the crater floor. If one wants to imagine how the Chicxulub crater looked soon after impact, one only needs to peer at the Schrödinger basin on the Moon. ”
Kring further states “this is an excellent example of how studies of the Moon can help us better understand our own planet Earth.” He adds that “future missions to the Schrödinger basin will be laced with discoveries that catalyze our understanding of planet-building processes and the impact bombardment that reshapes planetary surfaces. Studies identify the Schrödinger basin as one of the highest priority destinations for future explorers.” ...
Peak-ring structure and kinematics from a multi-disciplinary study of the Schrödinger impact basin - David A. Kring et al
- Nature Communications 7:13161 (20 Oct 2016) DOI: 10.1038/ncomms13161