Trace element mobility during sub-seafloor alteration of basaltic glass from Ocean Drilling Program site 953 (off Gran Canaria)

Abstract-Petrographic descriptions of three dike breccia lithologies from drill core Yaxcopoil-1 (Yax-1) are presented. They occur within allochthonous units of displaced sedimentary megablocks of the Chicxulub impact structure. The suevitic dike breccias are the uppermost dike lithology. They contain melt rock particles and melt injections into the dike groundmass. Shock features occur ubiquitously and indicate a strong thermal annealing. Flow textures suggest a highly energetic emplacement process, possibly during the excavation stage as a ground-surge related deposit. The impact melt rock dikes are present in a strongly brecciated megablock interval as flow textured, anastomozing veinlets of impact melt rock that were altered to clay minerals. The melt impregnated a dolomitic host rock, indicating a low viscosity and, thus, high initial temperatures. Brecciation of the impact melt rock dikes occurred while they were still below the glass transition temperature, suggesting that dynamic conditions prevailed shortly after the emplacement process. Major element data indicates that the impact melt rock dikes differ in composition from the homogenized impact melt rock of Chicxulub. This could point to an emplacement during the late compression or early excavation stages of cratering. The clastic polymict dike breccias are coeval with pervasive brittle fracturing of the host rocks. They bear clasts including some crystalline basement and possible melt rock particles in a fine-grained dolomite matrix with turbulent flow textures. Fabric and texture indicate a granular flow at ambient pressures. Such conditions could be envisaged for the excavation phase while the transient cavity grew and fractures opened.

Section: Geochemical Implications For the Genesis Of Dike Brecciasmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Geochemical Implications For the Genesis Of Dike Brecciasmentioning

confidence: 99%

Impact‐related dike breccia lithologies in the ICDP drill core Yaxcopoil‐1, Chicxulub impact structure, Mexico

Wittmann

Kenkmann

Schmitt

et al. 2004

“…This may occur through the preferential microbially mediated oxidation of dissolved Ce 3+ to the insoluble form Ce 4+ in seawater. The anomaly is believed to originate from the enrichment of insoluble Ce 4+ in residual authigenic minerals, i.e., clay minerals and Ca phosphates (e.g., Guy et al 1999;Utzmann et al 2002). Even if the major element abundances are recalculated on a LOI-free basis, the resultant composition does not equate to that of the UCC, having relatively lower SiO 2 (58.05 wt%) and higher CaO (5.74 wt%) contents.…”

Section: Siliceous End-membermentioning

confidence: 99%

Geochemical and petrographic characteristics of impactites and Cretaceous target rocks from the Yaxcopoil‐1 borehole, Chicxulub impact structure, Mexico: Implications for target composition

Tuchscherer

Reimold

Koeberl

et al. 2005

All tables for this article are available online at http://meteoritics.org.Abstract-We present major and trace element data as well as petrographic observations for impactites (suevitic groundmass, bulk suevite, and melt rock particles) and target lithologies, including Cretaceous anhydrite, dolomite, argillaceous limestone, and oil shale, from the Yaxcopoil-1 borehole, Chixculub impact structure. The suevitic groundmass and bulk suevite have similar compositions, largely representing mixtures of carbonate and silicate components. The latter are dominated by melt rock particles. Trace element data indicate that dolomitic rocks represented a significant target component that became incorporated into the suevites; in contrast, major elements indicate a strong calcitic component in the impactites. The siliceous end-member requires a mafic component in order to explain the low SiO 2 content. Multicomponent mixing of various target rocks, the high alteration state, and dilution by carbonate complicate the determination of primary melt particle compositions. However, two overlapping compositional groups can be discerned-a high-Ba, low-Ta group and a high-Fe, high-Zn, and high-Hf group. Cretaceous dolomitic rocks, argillaceous limestone, and shale are typically enriched in U, As, Br, and Sb, whereas anhydrite contains high Sr contents. The oil shale samples have abundances that are similar to the North American Shale Composite (NASC), but with a comparatively high U content. Clastic sedimentary rocks are characterized by relatively high Th, Hf, Zr, As, and Sb abundances. Petrographic observations indicate that the Cretaceous rocks in the Yaxcopoil-1 drill core likely register a multistage deformation history that spans the period from preto post-impact. Contrary to previous studies that claimed evidence for the presence of impact melt breccia injection veins, we have found no evidence in our samples from a depth of 1347-1348 m for the presence of melt breccia. We favor that clastic veinlets occur in a sheared and altered zone that underwent intense diagenetic overprint prior to the impact event.

“…The composition is almost identical to analyses of Mg-rich saponites compiled by Newman (1987). Saponite is known as a typical void-filling smectite in altered basaltic glasses (e.g., Allen et al 1982;Utzmann et al 2002;Hagerty and Newsom 2003, and references therein).…”

Section: Clay Mineralsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Composition of impact melt particles and the effects of post‐impact alteration in suevitic rocks at the Yaxcopoil‐1 drill core, Chicxulub crater, Mexico

Hecht

Wittmann

Schmitt

et al. 2004

Abstract-Petrographical and chemical analysis of melt particles and alteration minerals of the about 100 m-thick suevitic sequence at the Chicxulub Yax-1 drill core was performed. The aim of this study is to determine the composition of the impact melt, the variation between different types of melt particles, and the effects of post-impact hydrothermal alteration. We demonstrate that the compositional variation between melt particles of the suevitic rocks is the result of both incomplete homogenization of the target lithologies during impact and subsequent post-impact hydrothermal alteration. Most melt particles are andesitic in composition. Clinopyroxene-rich melt particles possess lower SiO 2 and higher CaO contents. These are interpreted by mixing of melts from the silicate basement with overlying carbonate rocks. Multi-stage post-impact hydrothermal alteration involved significant mass transfer of most major elements and caused further compositional heterogeneity between melt particles. Following backwash of seawater into the crater, palagonitization of glassy melt particles likely caused depletion of SiO 2 , Al 2 O 3 , CaO, Na 2 O, and enrichment of K 2 O and FeO tot during an early alteration stage. Since glass is very susceptible to fluid-rock interaction, the state of primary crystallization of the melt particles had a significant influence on the intensity of the postimpact hydrothermal mass transfer and was more pronounced in glassy melt particles than in wellcrystallized particles. In contrast to other occurrences of Chicxulub impactites, the Yax-1 suevitic rocks show strong potassium metasomatism with hydrothermal K-feldspar formation and whole rock K 2 0 enrichment, especially in the lower unit of the suevitic sequence. A late stage of hydrothermal alteration is characterized by precipitation of silica, analcime, and Na-bearing Mg-rich smectite, among other minerals. This indicates a general evolution from a silica-undersaturated fluid at relatively high potassium activities at an early stage toward a silica-oversaturated fluid at relatively high sodium activities at later stages in the course of fluid rock interaction.