Yellow impact glass from the K/T boundary at Beloc (Haiti): XANES determination of the Fe oxidation state and implications for formation conditions

Abstract

Abstract— We determined the iron oxidation state and coordination number in five samples of yellow impact glass from the Cretaceous‐Tertiary (K/T) boundary section at Beloc, Haiti, which formed as the result of impact melting during the Chicxulub impact event. The samples were analyzed by Fe K‐edge XANES spectroscopy and the results were compared with published data on eight black impact glasses and one high Si‐K impact spherule from the same impact layer. The pre‐edge peak of our high‐resolution XANES spectra displays evident variations indicative of significant changes in the Fe oxidation state, spanning a wide range from about 75 to 100 mole% Fe3+. Yellow K/T glasses have significantly higher Fe3+/(Fe2+ + Fe3+) ratios compared to black K/T impact glasses (from 20 to 75 mole% Fe3+) and high Si‐K glass (20 mole% Fe3+). In particular, all the pre‐edge peak data on these three types of impact glasses plot between two mixing lines joining a point calculated as the mean of a group of tektites studied so far (consisting of [4]Fe2+ and [5]Fe2+) to [4]Fe3+ and [5]Fe3+, respectively. Thus, the XANES spectra of the yellow K/T glasses can be interpreted as a mixture of [4]Fe2+, [5]Fe2+, [4]Fe3+, and [5]Fe3+.Our observations can be explained by a very large range of oxygen fugacity conditions during melt formation. Furthermore, there is a clear positive relationship between the Fe3+/(Fe2+ + Fe3+) ratio and the Ca content of these glasses, suggesting that the Fe oxidation state was influenced by the relative contribution of Ca‐sulfate‐ and Ca‐carbonate‐bearing sedimentary rocks at the impact site.