Ortega-Huertas, M. et al. (2002): Review of the mineralogy of the Cretaceous-Tertiary boundary clay; evidence supporting a major extraterrestrial catastrophic event

Leg/Site/Hole:
Identifier:
2003-060391
georefid

Creator:
Ortega-Huertas, M.
Universidad de Granada, Departamento de Mineralogia y Petrologia, Granada, Spain
author

Martinez-Ruiz, F.
Universite de Lille, France
author

Palomo, I.
author

Chamley, H.
author

Identification:
Review of the mineralogy of the Cretaceous-Tertiary boundary clay; evidence supporting a major extraterrestrial catastrophic event
2002
Clay Minerals
Mineralogical Society, London, United Kingdom
37
3
395-411
The proposed impact event at the end of the Cretaceous resulted in mass extinctions and subsequently significant variations in the geochemical and mineralogical composition of the sediments marking the K/T boundary. The impact-generated material derived from target rocks produced the ejecta layer deposits around Chicxulub crater, which were subsequently diagenetically altered to mainly smectite in marine sections and to kaolinite in continental sections. The fireball layer represents the cosmic dust dispersed and deposited globally and contains smectite derived from the alteration of microkrystites and the finest fraction. The lowermost Danian clay layer, recognized in marine sections, resulted from the sudden decrease in ocean productivity and represents a reduced sedimentation deposit. Its clay mineral associations depend on local environmental conditions and diagenetic processes. Overall, the diagenetic alteration of the boundary materials resulted in a significant modification of original signatures. The composition of the clay mineral phases can, however, still be evidence of the nature of the precursor materials providing evidence for an extraterrestrial impact event.
English
Serial
Coverage:Geographic coordinates:
North:30.3000
West:-77.0000East: -76.0000
South:29.3000

Sedimentary petrology; Stratigraphy; alteration; Atlantic Ocean; Blake Nose; Blake Plateau; catastrophism; Cenozoic; chemical composition; Chicxulub Crater; clay mineralogy; clay minerals; cosmic dust; Cretaceous; crystal chemistry; Deep Sea Drilling Project; diagenesis; ejecta; fireballs; formula; glass materials; impact features; K-T boundary; lower Paleocene; Mesozoic; metals; North Atlantic; Ocean Drilling Program; Paleocene; Paleogene; paleogeography; rare earths; SEM data; sheet silicates; silicates; smectite; stratigraphic boundary; Tertiary; Upper Cretaceous;

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