Impact Deposits Research
Aberdeen scientists provide direct evidence of major ancient asteroid collision
Summary of Main Points:
- The first British impact deposit
- Only the second sedimentary record of a global-scale impact in the Mesozoic
- Discovered within late Triassic (pre- Rhaetian) sediments in SW England
- Spherules (formerly glass microtektites) and shocked quartz prove the case
- Bright green spherules in a layer up to 150mm thick
- Impact linked to the giant (100km) Manicouagan Crater in Canada
- Evidence for more than one impact at the time suggests a multiple event
- No evidence for a related extinction or biotic collapse
- Discovery and description by Gordon Walkden
- Shocked quartz characterised by Julian Parker reveals high energy blast
- Argon-Argon dating by Simon Kelley at the Open University gives c.214Ma Manicouagan Crater
Click image for information on other impact craters
More details online
- Download a copy of the paper from the journal Science
- BBC news online article
Displays of impact materials
- Natural History Museum, South Kensington, London
- Near Earth Objects information centre, Leicester
- National Museum of Scotland, Chambers Street, Edinburgh
- Department of Geology and Petroleum Geology, University of Aberdeen. How to get here..
Ongoing work
Dr Walkden has been awarded a £30,000 grant from the Natural Environment Research Council to study and report on the timing, correlation and environmental effects of the impact.
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Geology & Petroleum Geology, School of Geosciences,
College of Physical Sciences,
Meston Building, King's College, Aberdeen, AB24 3UE, Scotland, U.K.
Tel: +44-(0)1224 273433 Fax: +44-(0)1224 272785 Email: