Haughton Impact Structure Research Articles

Microbial colonization in impact-generated hydrothermal sulphate deposits, Haughton impact structure, and implications for sulphates on Mars

Hydrothermal gypsum deposits in the Haughton impact structure, Devon Island, Canada, contain microbial communities in an endolithic habitat within individual gypsum crystals. Cyanobacterial colonies occur as masses along cleavage planes, up to 5 cm from crystal margins. The crystals are transparent, so allow transmission of light for photosynthesis, while affording protection from dehydration and wind. The colonies appear to have modified their mineral host to provide additional space as they expanded. The colonies are black due to UV-screening pigments. The relative ease with which microbial colonization may be detected and identified in impact-generated sulphate deposits at Haughton suggests that analogous settings on other planets might merit future searches for biosignatures. The proven occurrence of sulphates on the Martian surface suggests that sulphate minerals should be a priority target in the search for life on Mars.

Impact-shocked rocks – insights into archean and extraterrestrial microbial habitats (and sites for prebiotic chemistry?)

Impact-shocked gneiss shocked to greater than 10 GPa in the Haughton impact structure in the Canadian High Arctic has an approximately 25-times greater pore surface area than unshocked rocks. These pore spaces provide microhabitats for a diversity of heterotrophic microorganisms and in the near-surface environment of the rocks, where light levels are sufficient, cyanobacteria. Shocked rocks provide a moisture retaining, UV protected microenvironment. During the Archean, when impact fluxes were more than two orders of magnitude higher than today, the shocked-rock habitat was one of the most common terrestrial habitats and might have provided a UV-shielded refugium for primitive life. These potential habitats are in high abundance on Mars where impact crater habitats could have existed over geologic time periods of billions of years, suggesting that impact-shocked rocks are important sites to search for biomolecules in extraterrestrial life detection strategies. In addition to being favourable sites for life, during the prebiotic period of planetary history impact-shocked rocks might have acted as a site for the concentration of reactants for prebiotic syntheses.

Evidence for the shock melting of sulfates from the Haughton impact structure, Arctic Canada

Sulfate minerals can form an important component of the matrix to carbonate-rich impact melt breccias at the 24 km diameter, 23 Ma Haughton impact structure, Arctic Canada. The textural and chemical features of the matrix-forming sulfates indicate that these phases, in addition to co-existing carbonates and silicates, crystallized directly from an impact-generated melt. Evidence for this includes (1) the matrix-supported nature of the crater-fill lithologies, (2) sulfate–carbonate–silicate liquid immiscible textures, (3) possible quench textures in anhydrite, and (4) flow textures developed between anhydrite and silicate-rich glasses. Further supporting evidence includes the presence of Si, Al and Mg in the anhydrite structure, which were probably ‘trapped’ by quenching from a melt. Irregular blebs and globules of shock-melted carbonates within anhydrite also suggest a common origin for the two phases. Field studies reveal that clasts of anhydrite-bearing target material are also present in the crater-fill deposits. Several clasts of anhydrite–quartz lithologies exhibit evidence for incipient shock melting in both phases. Previous assumptions about the response of sulfates and carbonates to hypervelocity impact (i.e., lack of melting) may, therefore, be incorrect.

The impact crater as a habitat: effects of impact processing of target materials.

Impact structures are a rare habitat on Earth. However, where they do occur they can potentially have an important influence on the local ecology. Some of the types of habitat created in the immediate post-impact environment are not specific to the impact phenomenon, such as hydrothermal systems and crater lakes that can be found, for instance, in post-volcanic environments, albeit with different thermal characteristics than those associated with impact. However, some of the habitats created are specifically linked to processes of impact processing. Two examples of how impact processing of target materials has created novel habitats that improve the opportunities for colonization are found in the Haughton impact structure in the Canadian High Arctic. Impact-shocked rocks have become a habitat for endolithic microorganisms, and large, impact-shattered blocks of rock are used as resting sites by avifauna. However, some materials produced by an impact, such as melt sheet rocks, can make craters more biologically depauperate than the area surrounding them. Although there are no recent craters with which to study immediate post-impact colonization, these data yield insights into generalized mechanisms of how impact processing can influence post-impact succession. Because impact events are one of a number of processes that can bring localized destruction to ecosystems, understanding the manner in which impact structures are recolonized is of ecological interest. Impact craters are a universal phenomenon on solid planetary surfaces, and so they are of potential biological relevance on other planetary surfaces, particularly Mars.

Heterotrophic microbial colonization of the interior of impact-shocked rocks from Haughton impact structure, Devon Island, Nunavut, Canadian High Arctic

The polar desert is one of the most extreme environments on Earth. Endolithic organisms can escape or mitigate the hazards of the polar desert by using the resources available in the interior of rocks. We examined endolithic communities within crystalline rocks that have undergone shock metamorphism as a result of an asteroid or comet impact. Specifically, we present a characterization of the heterotrophic endolithic community and its environment in the interior of impact-shocked gneisses and their host polymict breccia from the Haughton impact structure on Devon Island, Nunavut, Canadian High Arctic. Microbiological colonization of impact-shocked rocks is facilitated by impact-induced fissures and cavities, which occur throughout the samples, the walls of which are lined with high abundances of biologically important elements owing to the partial volatilization of minerals within the rock during the impact. 27 heterotrophic bacteria were isolated from these shocked rocks and were identified by 16S rDNA sequencing. The isolates from the shocked gneiss and the host breccia are similar to each other, and to other heterotrophic communities isolated from polar environments, suggesting that the interiors of the rocks are colonized by microorganisms from the surrounding country rocks and soils. Inductively coupled plasma–atomic emission spectroscopy (ICP-AES), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) analysis were used to identify the chemical composition of the shocked materials and to document the in situ growth of microbes in their interiors. The identification of these heterotrophic communities within impact-shocked crystalline rocks extends our knowledge of the habitable biosphere on Earth. The colonization of the interiors of these samples has astrobiological applications both for considering terrestrial, microbiological contamination of meteorites from the Antarctic ice sheet and for investigating possible habitats for microbial organisms on the early Earth, and more speculatively, on Mars and other planetary bodies.

Impact‐induced microbial endolithic habitats

Abstract— Asteroid and comet impacts on Earth are commonly viewed as agents of ecosystem destruction, be it on local or global scales. However, for some microbial communities, impacts may represent an opportunity for habitat formation as some substrates are rendered more suitable for colonization when processed by impacts. We describe how heavily shocked gneissic crystalline basement rocks exposed at the Haughton impact structure, Devon Island, Nunavut, Arctic Canada, are hosts to endolithic photosynthetic microorganisms in significantly greater abundance than lesser‐shocked or unshocked gneisses. Two factors contribute to this enhancement: (a) increased porosity due to impact fracturing and differential mineral vaporization, and (b) increased translucence due to the selective vaporization of opaque mineral phases. Using biological ultraviolet radiation dosimetry, and by measuring the concentrations of photoprotective compounds, we demonstrate that a covering of 0.8 mm of shocked gneiss can provide substantial protection from ultraviolet radiation, reducing the inactivation of Bacillus subtilis spores by 2 orders of magnitude. The colonisation of the shocked habitat represents a potential mechanism for pioneer microorganisms to invade an impact structure in the earliest stages of post‐impact primary succession. The communities are analogous to the endolithic communities associated with sedimentary rocks in Antarctica, but because they occur in shocked crystalline rocks, they illustrate a mechanism for the creation of microbial habitats on planetary surfaces that do not have exposed sedimentary units. This might have been the case on early Earth. The data have implications for the microhabitats in which biological signatures might be sought on Mars.

Polar endoliths – an anti-correlation of climatic extremes and microbial biodiversity

We examined the environmental stresses experienced by cyanobacteria living in endolithic gneissic habitats in the Haughton impact structure, Devon Island, Canadian High Arctic (75° N) and compared them with the endolithic habitat at the opposite latitude in the Dry Valleys of Antarctica (76° S). In the Arctic during the summer, there is a period for growth of approximately 2.5 months when temperatures rise above freezing. During this period, freeze–thaw can occur during the diurnal cycle, but freeze–thaw excursions are rare within higher-frequency temperature changes on the scale of minutes, in contrast with the Antarctic Dry Valleys. In the Arctic location rainfall of approximately 3 mm can occur in a single day and provides moisture for endolithic organisms for several days afterwards. This rainfall is an order of magnitude higher than that received in the Dry Valleys over 1 year. In the Dry Valleys, endolithic communities may potentially receive higher levels of ultraviolet radiation than the Arctic location because ozone depletion is more extreme. The less extreme environmental stresses experienced in the Arctic are confirmed by the presence of substantial epilithic growth, in contrast to the Dry Valleys. Despite the more extreme conditions experienced in the Antarctic location, the diversity of organisms within the endolithic habitat, which includes lichen and eukaryotic algal components, is higher than observed at the Arctic location, where genera of cyanobacteria dominate. The lower biodiversity in the Arctic may reflect the higher water flow through the rocks caused by precipitation and the more heterogeneous physical structure of the substrate. The data illustrate an instance in which extreme climate is anti-correlated with microbial biological diversity.

The biology of impact craters--a review.

Impact craters contain ecosystems that are often very different from the ecosystems that surround them. On Earth over 150 impact craters have been identified in a wide diversity of biomes. All natural events that can cause localized disruption of ecosystems have quite distinct patterns of rccovery. Impact events are unique in that they are the only extraterrestrial mechanism capable of disrupting an ecosystem locally in space and time. Thus, elucidating the chronological sequence of change at the sites of impacts is of ecological interest. In this synthetic review we use the existing literature, coupled with our own observations at the Haughton impact structure, Devon Island, Nunavut, Canada to consider the patterns of biological recovery at the site of impact craters and the ecological characteristics of impact craters. Three phases of recovery are suggested. The Phase of Thermal Biology, a phase associated with the localized, ephemeral thermal anomaly generated by an impact event. The Phase of Impact Succession and Climax, a phase marked by multiple primary and secondary succession events both in the aquatic realm (impact crater-lakes) and terrestrial realm (colonization of paleolacustrine deposits and impact-generated substrata) that are followed by periods of climax ecology. In the case of large-scale impact events (> 10(4) Mt), this latter phase may also be influenced by successional changes in the global environment. Finally, during the Phase of Ecological Assimilation, the disappearance of the surface geological expression of an impact structure results in a concomitant loss of ecological distinctiveness. In extreme cases, the impact structure is buried. Impact succession displays similarities and differences to succession following other agents of ecological disturbance, particularly volcanism.

Human exposure to ultraviolet radiation at the Antipodes - a comparison between an Antarctic (67°S) and Arctic (75°N) location

We used ultraviolet radiation dosimeters to investigate human exposure at two polar latitudes with a 24-h photoperiod: at Rothera Station (UK) (67°S) and at a field camp in the Haughton impact structure in the Canadian High Arctic (75°N). Mean personal UV radiation exposure in the Antarctic location was 4.3 times greater than that in the Arctic location, even in the absence of ozone depletion. More than zenith angle accounted for the higher UV exposure. Widespread snow and ice covers, and probably less atmospheric pollution, caused higher personal exposures. Although the mean exposures were higher in the Antarctic location, the mean exposure ratio in the Antarctic (0.20±0.09) was similar to the value measured in the Arctic (0.27±0.09) on clear days. We use the Antarctic ratio to provide quantitative estimates of UV-radiation exposure for workers at the Geographical South Pole for the winter solstice under a constant 24-h photoperiod. Exposure ratios can be used to translate measurements of UV radiation by horizontally fixed spectroradiometers into estimates of the mean exposures expected in populations at polar latitudes, although variations between individuals are large. The data have implications for determining the UV exposures of indigenous high-latitude populations.

Impact-generated carbonate melts: evidence from the Haughton structure, Canada

Evidence is presented for the melting of dolomite-rich target rocks during formation of the 24 km diameter, 23 Ma Haughton impact structure on Devon Island in the Canadian high Arctic. Field studies and analytical scanning electron microscopy reveal that the >200 m thick crater-fill deposit, which currently covers an ∼60 km2 area in the center of the structure, comprises fragmented target rocks set within a carbonate–silicate matrix. The silicate component of the matrix consists of Si–Al–Mg-rich glass. The carbonate component is microcrystalline calcite, containing up to a few wt% Si and Al. The calcite also forms spherules and globules within the silicate glass, with which it develops microtextures indicative of liquid immiscibility. Dolomite clasts exhibit evidence of assimilation and may show calcite and rare dolomite overgrowths. Some clasts are penetrated by calcite and silicate injections. Along with the carbonate–silicate glass textures, the presence of pigeonite and spinifex-textured diopside suggests that the matrix to the crater-fill deposit was originally molten and was rapidly cooled. This indicates that the impact event that generated Haughton caused fusion of the predominantly dolomitic target rocks. It appears that the Ca–Mg component of the dolomite may have dissociated, with Mg entering the silicate melt phase, while the Ca component formed a CaCO3-dominant melt. The silicates were derived by the fusion of Lower Paleozoic sandstones, siltstones, shales and impure dolomites. Evidence for melting is corroborated by a review of theoretical and experimental work, which shows that CaCO3 melts at >10 GPa and >2000 K, instead of dissociating to release CO2. This work indicates that carbonate-rich sedimentary targets may also undergo impact melting and that the volume of CO2 released into the atmosphere during such events may be considerably less than previously estimated.

The post‐impact environment at the Haughton impact structure: A warm and wet oasis

The post‐impact environment at the Haughton impact structure: A warm and wet oasis

Impact‐induced hydrothermal activity within the Haughton impact structure, arctic Canada: Generation of a transient, warm, wet oasis

Abstract— Field studies and analytical scanning electron microscopy indicate that a hydrothermal system was created by the interaction of water with hot, impact‐generated rocks following formation of the 24 km diameter, 23 Ma Haughton impact structure. Hydrothermal alteration is recognized in two settings: within polymict impact breccias overlying the central portion of the structure, and within localized pipes in impact‐generated concentric fault systems. The intra‐breccia alteration comprises three varieties of cavity and fracture filling: (a) sulfide with carbonate, (b) sulfate, and (c) carbonate. These are accompanied by subordinate celestite, barite, fluorite, quartz and marcasite. Selenite is also developed, particularly in the lower levels of the impact breccia sheet. The fault‐related hydrothermal alteration occurs in 1–7 m diameter subvertical pipes that are exposed for lengths of up 20 m. The pipes are defined by a monomict quartz‐carbonate breccia showing pronounced Fe‐hydroxide alteration. Associated sulfides include marcasite, pyrite and chalcopyrite. We propose three distinct stages in the evolution of the hydrothermal system: (1) Early Stage (>200 °C), with the precipitation of quartz (vapor phase dominated); (2) Main Stage (200‐100 °C), with the development of a two‐phase (vapor plus liquid) zone, leading to calcite, celestite, barite, marcasite and fluorite precipitation; and (3) Late Stage (<100 °C), with selenite and fibroferrite development through liquid phase‐dominated precipitation. We estimate that it took several tens of thousands of years to cool below 50 °C following impact. During this time, Haughton supported a 14 km diameter crater lake and subsurface water system, providing a warmer, wetter niche relative to the surrounding terrain. The results reveal how understanding the internal structure of impact craters is necessary in order to determine their plumbing and cooling systems.

Isotope systematics and shock-wave metamorphism: III. K-Ar in experimentally and naturally shocked rocks; the Haughton impact structure, Canada

This is a report on the first comparative study of the effects of experimental and natural shock on the K-Ar system. First, mineral separates from a 451 ± 1 Ma old gneiss, experimentally shocked up to 60 GPa, were investigated by stepwise heating 40Ar- 39Ar technique. Compared with an unshocked sample, the shocked samples have lower 40Ar- 39Ar ages, and the diffusion properties have changed depending on peak shock pressure and mineralogic composition. Total resetting of the K-Ar clock did not occur. Secondly, to compare these results with the effects of natural shock, samples from the ~23 Ma old Haughton impact crater, Devon Island, Canada, with different shock stages were investigated. Up to shock stage III, no total resetting of the K-Ar clock was observed, but severe argon losses, depending on shock pressure, result in 40Ar- 39Ar plateau ages which are incorrect in terms of the true crater age, yet they provide an upper limit to the time of the cratering event.

Isotope systematics and shock-wave metamorphism: II. U-Pb and Rb-Sr in naturally shocked rocks; the Haughton Impact Structure, Canada

Minerals and whole rocks from crystalline fragments collected in the allochthonous polymict breccia of the 23-Ma-old Haughton impact crater on Devon Island (Arctic Canada) were analysed for U-Pb, K and Rb-Sr in order to constrain degrees of shock-wave induced perturbations in these systems. The results show that shock-wave metamorphism at ≥50 GPa with onset of total melting does not significantly affect the U-Pb chronometers in monazite and zircon. Monazite preserved its age of crystallization during high-grade metamorphism at 1928.2 (+2.1/−2.0) Ma (2 σ-errors) as dated by the upper intercept of 2–9% discordant monazites. The same analyses yield a lower intercept age of 277.5 (+35.1/ −35.0) Ma in the concordia diagram, demonstrating that discordancy is not a direct effect of shock-wave metamorphism but a product of time integrated Pb-diffusion prior to the impact event, which occurred 23 Ma ago. This constrains maximal shock-induced Pb-loss to less than 3% including possible alteration related Pb diffusion from the shock damaged grains. In 1903.1 (+1.4/−1.1) Ma old monazite from an unshocked reference gneiss, recent Pb-loss also reaches 3% corroborating the occurrence of weak alteration-related U Pb fractionation. The data substantiate that U-Pb discordancy patterns are not a reliable chronometer to date impact events. Small rock fragments and a coherent block of shock-stage I to III/VI consist of heterogeneous, unequilibrated Rb-Sr sub-systems on the 10 μm-scale, with drastically varying I Sr. Shock-related Rb Sr fractionation is very limited, and, in the large block (stage III), three biotite fractions yield an Rb-Sr isochron age of 1791 ± 34 Ma (2 σ), which is undistinguishable from the 1814 ± 8 Ma age of biotite in the unshocked basement gneiss. In contrast to this m 3-sized fragment, Rb-Sr systematics in a fist-size sample of shock stage III do not yield any reliable age information due to small-scale (< 1 cm 3) isotopic disequilibrium. It appears that such small-scale disequilibrium is essentially due to a take-up of radiogenic 87Sr in feldspar-glass from biotite during shock-wave passage. This prevents dating of the impact events by the Rb-Sr “internal-isochron” method, and it can be concluded that total rock melting is the first condition necessary to reset the Rb-Sr chronometer in shocked crystalline rocks.

Gravity and Magnetic Investigations in the Haughton Impact Structure, Devon Island, Canada

Abstract— The results of a new gravity survey show that the Haughton impact structure is associated with a 24 km diameter negative Bouguer gravity anomaly with a maximum amplitude of −12 mgal. A local minimum with a half‐width of 2 km and an amplitude of −4 mgal is located at the center of the structure. A positive magnetic total field anomaly with a half‐width of 0.6 km and an amplitude of 700 nT coincides with the local central gravity anomaly. The overall negative gravity anomaly is explained by lowered rock densities due to impact‐related fracturing in the crater area. The central gravity and magnetic anomalies are believed to be due to highly shocked and heated sedimentary and crystalline basement rocks forming the unexposed peak of the central uplift in the Haughton impact structure.

The Haughton Impact Structure: Summary and Synthesis of the Results of the HISS Project*

Abstract— Surface and subsurface structural studies undertaken under the Haughton impact structure study (HISS) project indicate that the 23 Ma‐old Haughton impact structure, (Devon Island, Canadian Arctic) consists of a central basin of uplifted strata, an inner zone of uplifted megablocks at 3.5–5.5 km radius, a complex, faulted annulus of megablocks at 5.5–7.0 km radius and an outer zone of downfaulted blocks. No evidence of a previously suggested structural multi‐ring form was found. The geophysical studies suggest an original diameter of 24 km, slightly larger than previous estimates and the seismic data indicate considerably more faulting in the western portion than has been mapped from surface exposures. Detailed studies of the allochthonous breccia deposits found no major radial variations in lithology and shock levels. The only anomaly is the concentration of highly shocked, cobble‐sized clasts in the central area coincident with the maximum gravity and magnetic anomalies. It is suggested that this local component is related to the highly shocked rocks of the central uplift and may have been shed from the uplift during late stage adjustments. There is no visible central topographic peak of uplifted bedrock at Haughton but studies of the post‐impact Haughton Formation suggest that the center of the structure subsided 300–350 m soon after formation. Breccia studies also indicate the occurrence of shock‐melted sediments, including shales, but no evidence of shock melted carbonates, the most common target lithology. This may be ascribed to the ease with which carbonates are volatilized by relatively moderate shock levels. The large amount of volatiles released on impact helped disperse the highly shocked products leading to the formation of a relatively cool clastic and polymict breccia deposit in the interior, as opposed to a coherent melt sheet. In this regard, the breccia deposit is somewhat analogous to the suevite deposits within the Ries crater. Sedimentological studies indicate that the Cretaceous‐age Eureka Sound Formation was present at the time of impact and that the Haughton area has undergone as much as 200 m of erosion since the time of impact.

40Ar‐39Ar Dating of the Haughton Impact Structure

Abstract— 40Ar‐39Ar dating of a strongly shocked, vesiculated gneiss clast in a breccia from the Haughton impact structure yields an isochron age of 23.4 ± 1.0 Ma. The sample contains excess 40Ar.

The Haughton Impact Structure, Devon Island, Canada: Setting and History of Investigations

Abstract— Although mapped initially as a piercement dome, subsequent discovery of shock metamorphism in clasts of an impact breccia, shatter cones in outcrops of uplifted target rocks and morphological and geophysical characteristics consistent with a complex crater, confirmed a meteorite impact origin for the Haughton structure, Devon Island.Results of three field investigations carried out prior to 1984 defined a complex crater, 20 km in diameter, formed in a lower Paleozoic sedimentary sequence overlying gneisses of the Precambrian basement. The distribution of allochthonous breccia overlying the disturbed target rocks and of the sediments deposited in the crater‐filling lake were mapped. A Miocene or possibly Holocene age for the crater was based on paleo‐flora and fauna assemblages from the lake sediments. Gravity and magnetic surveys revealed anomalies coincident with the crater, but not interpretable from surface lithologies.Some of the early investigations were of a reconnaissance nature and results and interpretation can only be considered preliminary. Other studies that were carried out in some detail, petrographic investigations in particular, require complementary work for a fuller understanding of their significance. As a result, in 1984 the HISS (Haughton Impact Structure Studies) group carried out a program of detailed geological mapping and sampling, and seismic, gravity, and magnetic surveys in an attempt to improve the definition of the surface and subsurface nature of Haughton, and to formulate a more complete understanding of its formation and subsequent history. Results of these various studies are presented in the eight succeeding papers of this volume.

The Allochthonous Polymict Breccia Layer of the Haughton Impact Crater, Devon Island, Canada

Abstract— The central allochthonous polymict breccia of the Haughton impact structure is up to about 90 m thick and as much as 7.3 km in radial extent. It has been analyzed with respect to modal composition, grain‐size characteristics, and degree of shock metamorphism for the grain‐size ranges 10–∼ 50, 1–10, 0.03–1, and &lt;0.03 mm. The mineralogy of the breccia matrix is dominated by dolomite and calcite, with minor amounts of quartz, other silicate minerals, and rare melt particles. The following lithic clasts have been identified in the 1–10 mm size fraction (averages of vol.% given in parentheses): dolomitic rocks (51), limestones (29), crystalline rocks (10), sandstones and siltstones (3.7), chert (0.7), melt particles (1.9). The mineral clasts (1–0.03 mm) comprise (with decreasing frequency) dolomite, quartz, calcite, feldspar, biotite, amphibole, garnet, opaques, rounded quartz derived from sandstones and accessory minerals. Lithic and mineral clasts display various degrees of shock. Fragments of crystalline rocks are shocked in the 0–60 GPa range; whole rock melts from the crystalline basement are lacking and unshocked rocks are very rare. In contrast, shock‐melted sandstones, shales, and chert were found in most samples. Large clasts of these melt rocks are highly concentrated near the center of the crater. Otherwise, no distinct change of the modal composition with radial range has been observed except that the frequency of limestone clasts increases slightly with radial range. The breccia near the center is more fine‐grained than that beyond about 1 km radius and the sorting parameter increases somewhat with radial range. Except for the high concentration of shock‐melted sedimentary rocks and highly shocked crystalline rocks near the center of the crater, the distribution of shock stages within the lithic clast population is quite uniform throughout the breccia formation. We conclude that the breccia constituents are derived from the lower part of the target stratigraphy (deeper than about 800 m) and that the total depth of excavation at Haughton is in the order of 2000 m. The mixing of sedimentary rocks of the Eleanor River Formation, Lower Ordovician, and Cambrian (∼850 m thickness) with crystalline basement rocks is quite thorough and homogeneous throughout the breccia lens, at least for the analyzed part. This may require an air‐borne mode of emplacement for the upper section of the breccia in analogy to the fall‐back suevite in the Ries crater. A calculation of the excavation (Z‐model) and of the shock pressure attenuation based on reasonable estimates of the energy and crater geometry of the Haughton impact confirms the observed maximum depth of excavation of about 2 km. Shock‐melted crystalline basement rocks, if present at all, must be confined to the very center of the structure below the excavation cavity.

Seismic Signature of the Haughton Structure

Abstract— The western flank of the Haughton impact structure was imaged with a reflection profile generating 9.8 km of subsurface information. Ten reflecting horizons were recognized and have been correlated via a sonic log with the Paleozoic limestone/dolomite rock sequences. The seismic section is dominated by a dense and complex compound fault system with variable attitudes. These steeply dipping faults penetrated the sedimentary rocks but showed no recognizable extension into the crystalline basement. According to the seismically recognized fracture zones of the western margin, the structure is significantly larger than previously estimated. Reconstruction of the crater on the basis of the seismic information and existing scaling relationships reveals a structure with an apparent diameter of 23.9 km, and an excavated cavity of 10.3 km width and 1.97 km depth. The estimated diameters of the transient crater and the central uplift are 12 km and 11 km respectively. The morphologically distinct ring zones do not have seismically recognizable subsurface signatures. The underlying crystalline basement rocks did not exhibit seismically mappable impact‐related zones of disturbance. In the central interior region, coherent reflection signals are virtually absent. Valuable information for this area was provided by a 10.26 km long refraction profile that indicated nearly uniform velocities (∼5000 m/s) to a considerable depth. Major lateral variations in the velocity field across the structure were not detected.