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

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

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