Impacts as Isotope Infernos?

During the last decade, a number of non-traditional isotope systems have been explored for terrestrial impact structures, with a particular focus to tektites, with the aim to unravel the nature of processes which have driven the chemical and isotope make-up of such violent natural forces. Experiments provided further pieces of the puzzle for the conditions which led to the extreme compositions recorded in impact-related glasses although at fortuitous situations, information about the nature of the impactor can also be derived. We will focus on tektites and other impact glasses as products of hyper-velocity impacts at Earth’s surface to manifest the range of physical conditions which have lent peculiar chemical and isotope systematics to these impact-formed materials.

Host: Kun Wang

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