Experimental Impacts into Feldspar Phenocrysts

Meteorite impact craters are the dominant surface feature on most terrestrial planetary bodies [1]. The extreme temperatures and pressures generated by hypervelocity impact events produce a variety of microscopic shock metamorphic effects in minerals, as well as non-exclusive shock-related features such as pervasive fracturing and brecciation.<p></p> Studies of shock effects in feldspar group minerals have been limited due to the the comparatively rapid rate at which feldspars weather, and the complexity of their microtextures which renders them difficult to study using conventional optical techniques. However, feldspars are becoming increasingly investigated for use as shock barometers due to their importance in planetary studies and meteoritics, where rocks often contain little or no quartz [e.g., 2]. This provides the motivation to examine more closely the effects of high-velocity impact of a projectile, in the method of [3], into a feldspathic target, in order to the resultant microstructural variation.<p></p&gt