impact structure
| Dictionary: impact structure |
n.
A large geologic structure, such as a crater or astrobleme, created by the violent collision between a planet and a space projectile such as a comet or meteor.
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| Wikipedia: Impact structure |
The term impact structure is closely related to the terms impact crater or meteorite impact crater, and is used in cases where erosion or burial have destroyed or masked the original topographic feature with which we normally associate the term crater. This is the fate of almost all old impact craters on Earth, unlike the ancient pristine craters preserved on the Moon and most other rocky bodies in the Solar System. Impact structure is synonymous with the less commonly used term astrobleme meaning "star wound".[1]
In an impact structure, the typical visible and topographic expression of an impact crater are no longer obvious. Any meteorite fragments that may once have been present would be long since eroded away. Possible impact structures may be initially recognized by their anomalous geological character or geophysical expression. These may still be confirmed as impact structures by the presence of shocked minerals (particularly shocked quartz), shatter cones, geochemical evidence of extraterrestrial material or other methods.
See also
References
- ^ French, Bevan M (1998). Traces of Catastrophe: A Handbook of Shock-Metamorphic Effects in Terrestrial Meteorite Impact Structures. Houston, Texas: Lunar and Planetary Institute. pp. 120. LPI Contribution No. 954. http://www.lpi.usra.edu/publications/books/CB-954/CB-954.intro.html.
External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Impact craters on Earth |
- Terrestrial Impact Craters at the Lunar and Planetary Institute
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 | Dictionary. The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. Read more |
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