Nuussuaq spherule bed - Impact Deposit

Alternate Names N/A
Coordinates 70° 34' 48" N; 53° 4' 48" W
Notes
  1. Coordinates are approximate, based on 4 sampling sites in Robin et al., 1996
Country Greenland

Related Countries :
  1. Greenland
Region Greenland
Date Confirmed 1991
Notes
  1. Margolis et al., 1991
Age (Ma) 60.7 ±1.3
Notes :
  1. Swinburne and Swisher, 1992; Storey et al., 1998; Glass and Simonson, 2012

Method :
  1. 40Ar/39Ar dating (Swinburne and Swisher, 1992; Storey et al., 1998)
Impactor Type Unknown
Notes
  1. Impact origin of this layer is uncertain (Glass and Simonson, 2012; Jones et al., 2005)

Advanced Data Fields

Notes

Local Language
N/A
Spherules
Yes
Tektites
Unknown
Indivudual Glass Clasts
Unknown
Source Crater
Unknown
Geology
Spherules are found in the Abraham Member of the Agatdalen Formation (Robin et al., 1996)
  1. This layer was originally thought to be of volcanic origin, however they have certain features which are characteristic of impact ejecta (immiscible melt textures, distinctive Ni-spinel, and high Ir, PGE and siderophile element anomalies) (Jones et al., 2005)
Other Shock Metamorphism
Unknown
Shatter Cones
No
Planar Fractures
No
Planar Deformation Features
No
Diaplectic Glass
No
Coesite
No
Stisovite
No

References

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S V Margolis, N H M Swinburne, F Asaro, C C Swisher, M McWilliams, H J Hansen, A K Pedersen (1991) Possible impact ejecta in the Paleocene flood basalt province of West Greenland, Eos Trans. AGU 72, p. 278

N Swinburne, C Swisher (1992) Glass spheres, high iridium and flood basalts in West Greenland: A Paleocene impact site?, Geological Society of America 24, p. 333

E Robin, N H M Swinburne, L Froget, R Rocchia, J Gayraud (1996) Characteristics and origin of the glass spherules from the Paleocene flood basalt province of western Greenland, Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta 60(5), p. 815-830, Elsevier Ltd, url, doi:10.1016/0016-7037(95)00433-5

M Storey, R A Duncan, A K Pedersen, L M Larsen, H C Larsen (1998) 40Ar/39Ar geochronology of the West Greenland Tertiary volcanic province, Earth and Planetary Science Letters 160(3-4), p. 569-586, Elsevier, url, doi:10.1016/S0012-821X(98)00112-5

A P Jones, A T Kearsley, C R L Friend, E Robin, A D Beard, A Tamura, S Trickett, P Claeys (2005) Are there signs of a large Paleocene impact, preserved around Disko Bay, West Greenland? Nuussuaq spherule beds origin by impact instead of volcanic eruption?, Large Meteorite Impacts III: Special Paper 384, T Kenkmann, F Hörz, A Deutsch (ed.), p. 281-298, Geological Society of America, url

B P Glass, B M Simonson (2012) Distal impact ejecta layers: Spherules and more, Elements 8(1), p. 43-48, GeoScienceWorld, pdf, doi:10.2113/gselements.8.1.43