During the study of samples of late Eocene to early Oligocene strata at DSDP Site 573, microtektites were discovered in the layer of metalliferous claystone around the boundary between the late Eocene and the early Oligocene. The microtektites were more abundant at the bottom of the metalliferous claystone with a hole depth of 525.00-526.00 m than in any other part of the hole. At most, 12 microtektite grains were found in a 5-gram sample. The microtektites are black in color, and spherical, ellipsoid or droplet-like in shape. They vary mainly from 0.063 mm to 0.3 mm in size. The chemical composition of these microtektite was researched by EPMA. Their chemical composition has a large range which may be caused by the variable chemical composition of the impact rock. The research shows that the microtektite-strewn field was formed by meteorite impact, and the strewn field's trend may indicate the direction of the impact.

West: -133.1835 East: -133.1834 North: .2955 South: .2954

Expedition: 85

Site: 85-573

Provider: SEDIS Publication Catalogue

Data set link: http://sedis.iodp.org/pub-catalogue/index.php?id=2009-024629 (c.f. for more detailed metadata)

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