Provenance of altered carbon phases and impact history of the Stac Fada Member, NW Scotland

Abstract

The Stac Fada Member (Stoer Group) is a ~1.2 Ga melt‐rich impact breccia preserved and intermittently exposed along the NW coast of Scotland. Using a combination of x‐ray diffraction and micro‐Raman spectroscopy, we identify potential coesite that is spatially associated with micron‐sized diamonds, as well as disordered carbon phases. Comparing the graphite G‐band of disordered carbon phases in the impact breccia to samples from underlying units indicates that most of the carbon in the Stoer Group was ultimately derived from the underlying Lewisian basement. Disordered carbon phases within the Stac Fada Member have been modified by mild heating within a hot ejecta blanket rather than shock pressure. We also report the first evidence for impact diamonds discovered within the Stac Fada Member. These diamonds have an average Raman shift of 1328.5 cm−1 and are present within both the impact breccia and the shocked gneiss clasts that are present in sandstones directly underlying the Stac Fada Member contact, and within sandstone rafts entrapped in the unit. These findings have implications for the timing of deposition of the Stac Fada Member, which must have occurred after ballistic ejection of Lewisian basement clasts during the impact event.