A rock magnetic profile through the ejecta flap of the Lockne impact crater (central Sweden) and implications for the impact excavation process

The well-documented, well-preserved, and well-exposed Lockne crater is a reference crater for marine-target impacts on Earth. The large amount of data allows detailed analysis of the cratering and modification processes. A unique feature of Lockne as compared with other similar craters is its pristine ejecta layer. Here, we provide the first complete lithological description coupled with an analysis of the rock magnetic properties of the Lockne-9 core drilled through the ejecta flap. Low-field bulk magnetic susceptibility, magnetic hysteresis, isothermal remanent magnetization curves (IRM), and the corresponding model of the coercivity spectra, backfield IRM, and thermomagnetic curves are used to fully characterize the magnetic mineralogy (i.e., pseudo-single domain (PSD) magnetite and pyrite). Variation of the magnetic properties with depth reveals a characteristic maximum in the magnetic susceptibility and magnetization within the crystalline ejecta. The magnetic properties of rocks affected by the impact show a slight weakening in the coercivity of magnetic minerals in comparison with rocks not affected by the impact Altogether, this suggests to us that the high magnetization zone already existed before the impact event took place. Therefore, it can be inferred that during the cratering process, the Lockne ejecta was repositioned en masse from the central part of the crater in the form of an ejecta flap. This stands in contrast to the standard ballistic emplacement model wherein individual particles move in an ejecta curtain

Shocked quartz grains from the Malingen structure, Sweden-Evidence for a twin crater of the Lockne impact structure

The Malingen structure in Sweden has for a long time been suspected to be the result of an impact; however, no hard evidence, i.e., shock metamorphic features or traces of the impactor, has so far been presented. Here we show that quartz grains displaying planar deformation features (PDFs) oriented along crystallographic planes typical for shock metamorphism are present in drill core samples from the structure. The shocked material was recovered from basement breccias, below the sediment infill, and the distribution of the orientation of the shock-produced PDFs indicates that the studied material experienced low shock pressures. Based on our findings, we can exclude that the material is transported from the nearby Lockne impact structure, which means that the Malingen structure is a separate impact structure, the seventh confirmed impact structure in Sweden. Furthermore, sedimentological and biostratigraphic aspects of the deposits that fill the depression at Malingen are very similar to features at the Lockne impact structure. This implies a coeval formation age and thus also the confirmation of the first known marine target doublet impact craters on Earth (i.e., the Lockne-Malingen pair)

First known Terrestrial Impact of a Binary Asteroid from a Main Belt Breakup Event

Approximately 470 million years ago one of the largest cosmic catastrophes occurred in our solar system since the accretion of the planets. A 200-km large asteroid was disrupted by a collision in the Main Asteroid Belt, which spawned fragments into Earth crossing orbits. This had tremendous consequences for the meteorite production and cratering rate during several millions of years following the event. The 7.5-km wide Lockne crater, central Sweden, is known to be a member of this family. We here provide evidence that Lockne and its nearby companion, the 0.7-km diameter, contemporaneous, Malingen crater, formed by the impact of a binary, presumably 'rubble pile' asteroid. This newly discovered crater doublet provides a unique reference for impacts by combined, and poorly consolidated projectiles, as well as for the development of binary asteroids

Impact origin for the Hummeln structure (Sweden) and its link to the Ordovician disruption of the L chondrite parent body

Several studies of meteorites show that a large disruption of an asteroid occurred ca. 470 Ma in our solar system's asteroid belt. As a consequence, a large number of meteorite impacts occurred on Earth during the following few million years. The finding and characterization, for the first time, of planar deformation features in quartz grains from rocks collected at the Middle Ordovician Hummeln structure (Sweden) prove the hypervelocity impact origin of the structure. The unambiguous shock features allow us to close an similar to 200-yr-old discussion about its origin, and further the hypothesis of enhanced asteroid bombardment during the Middle Ordovician, adding an impact crater to the increasing number confirmed and properly dated from this period. Despite its relatively small size (similar to 1.2 km in diameter), similar to the young Meteor Crater (Arizona, USA), and its old age, the Hummeln structure is remarkably well preserved, contradicting the general assumption that small craters are not preserved on Earth for more than a few tens of thousands to a couple of million years

Updating the Evidence for Oceans on Early Mars

Different-sized bodies of water have been proposed to have occurred episodically in the lowlands of Mars throughout the planet's history, largely related to major stages of development of Tharsis and/or orbital obliquity. These water bodies range from large oceans in the Noachian-Early Hesperian, to a minor sea in the Late Hesperian, and dispersed lakes during the Amazonian. To evaluate the more recent discoveries regarding the oceanic possibility, here we perform a comprehensive analysis of the evolution of water on Mars, including: 1. Geological assessment of proposed shorelines; 2. A volumetric approximation to the plains-filing proposed oceans; 3. Geochemistry of the oceans and derived mineralogies; 4. Post-oceanic (i.e., Amazonian) evolution of the shorelines; and 5. Ultimate water evolution on Mars