[meteorite-list] Impact Cratering and Flood Volcanism

From: Paul H. <oxytropidoceras_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Sat, 2 Jul 2011 11:13:42 -0500
Message-ID: <20110702121342.3CB70.962156.imail_at_eastrmwml48>

Any interesting paper about the relationship between impact
cratering and flood volcanism is:

Sherlock, S. C., S. P. Kelley, L. Glazovskaya, and I. U. Peate,
2009, The significance of the contemporaneous Logoisk impact
structure (Belarus) and Afro-Arabian flood volcanism.
Journal of the Geological Society. vol. 166, no. 1, pp. 5-8.
http://jgs.lyellcollection.org/content/166/1/5.abstract

They concluded:

"It is apparent that a 17 km diameter impact crater, peak
eruption in a large igneous province, and one of a series of
Oligocene sudden climate cooling events all occurred within
1 Ma and probably within less than 0.5 Ma."

Given the frequency of both events and length of periods
of flood volcanism, they concluded "...that contemporaneity
of impacts and flood volcanism was the norm..." during
Earth prehistory. They do not argue that there is any cause
and effect relationship between large extraterrestrial
impacts and flood volcanism. They are only concerned
with the environmental consequences of the occurrence
of a large extraterrestrial impact during a period of
flood volcanism.

Yours,

Paul H.
Received on Sat 02 Jul 2011 12:13:42 PM PDT