International E-publication: Publish Projects, Dissertation, Theses, Books, Souvenir, Conference Proceeding with ISBN.  International E-Bulletin: Information/News regarding: Academics and Research

Study of Cavity filling Quartz Grains from the Ejecta Blanket at Lonar, Buldhana District, Maharashtra, India : An Evidence of Meteoric Impact

Author Affiliations

  • 1Department of Geology, Fergusson College, Pune, MH, INDIA
  • 2 Department of Petroleum Engineering, MIT College, Paud Road, Pune, MH, INDIA
  • 3 Asha Co-operative Society, A03, Plot 15, Sector 16, New Panvel, Navi Mumbai, MH, INDIA

Int. Res. J. Earth Sci., Volume 2, Issue (10), Pages 1-7, November,25 (2014)

Abstract

Lonar Crater in Buldhana district, Maharashtra, India, is one of the youngest and the only preserved impact craters in Deccan Trap basalts. It has attracted attention of several geoscientists and environmentologists not only from India, but all over the world. Quartz is a durable and resistant mineral; however, when subjected to a shock compression develops fractures and planar microstructures called planar deformational features or PDFs. Planar deformation features, or PDFs , especially in quartz grains are narrow planes of glassy material arranged in plane parallel sets having a specific orientation and are easily recognized under a petrological microscope or Scanning Electron Microscope. On these lines, it is observed that the microphotographs and the Scanning Electron Microscopic images of the cavity filled quartz grains now present in the Lonar ejecta exhibit both straight as well as bent planar deformation features (PDFs). Thus, the development of planar deformational features on the quartz grains can be utilized as a supplementary evidence for a meteorite impact at Lonar.

References

  1. Maloof A.C., Stewart S.T., Weiss B.P., Soule S.A., Karin S.H., Louzanda L., Ian G-B, and Poussart P.M., Geology of Lonar Crater, GSA Volume, 122, 109-126 (2010)
  2. Orlebar A., Account of the Lake Lonar : Transactions of the Bombay Geographical Society, , 9–43 (1839)
  3. LaTouche T., The geology of Lonar Lake: Records of the Geological Survey of India, 41, 266–275 (1912)
  4. Blanford W., Notes on route from Poona to Nagpur, via Ahmednuggur, Jalna, Loonar, Yeotmahal, Mangali and Hingunghat : Records of the Geological Survey of India, , 60–65 (1870)
  5. Medlicott H.B., and Blandford W.T., Geology of India, 379 (1879)
  6. Nandy N.C. and Deo V.B., Origin of Lonar Lake and alkalinity, TISCO (Technical Journal of the Tata Iron and steel company Ltd. India), July, 1961, 144-155 (1961)
  7. Beals C., Innes M., and Rottenberg J., The search for fossil meteorite craters: Current Science, 29, 205–245 (1960)
  8. Lafound E.C. and Diez R.S., Lonar Crater, India, a meteorite crater? Meteoritics, 2(2), 111-116 (1964)
  9. Venkatesh V., The Lonar crater- some geochemical data, Jour. Geol.Soc. India, , 19-37 (1967)
  10. Nayak V.V., Glassy objects (impactite glasses?) A possible new evidence for meteoritic origin of the Lonar Crater, Maharashtra State, India : Earth and Planetary Science Letters, 14, 1–6 (1972)
  11. Fredriksson K, Dube W., Milton D.J. and Balasundaram M.S., Lonar Lake India : An impact crater in basalt. Science, 180, 862-864 (1973)
  12. Fundali R.R., Milton D.J., Fredriksoon K. and Dube, Morphology of Lonar Crater India : Comparisons and implications, The Moon and Planets, D. Riedel Publishing Co., Holland, 493-515 (1980)
  13. Nayak V.K., Maskelinite from the Indian impact crater at Lonar, Jour. Geol. Soc. India, 41, 307-312 (1993)
  14. Sengupta D, Bhandari N. and Watanabe S, Formation age of Lonar Meteor Crater, India, Revista de Fisica Aplicadae Instrumentaçao, 12(1), 1-7 (1997)
  15. Poornachandra Rao G.V.S. and Bhalla M.S., On the separation of shock component at Lonar impact crater India- a study of multi-component NRM, Symposium : Fennoscandian Impact Structures,abstract volume, 28. (1999)
  16. Haggerty J.J. and Newsom H.E., New evidence for impact-induced hydrothermal alteration at the Lonar crater, India, Implications for the effect of small craters on the mineralogical and chemical composition of the Martian regolith, Lunar and Platenary Sci.,abstract volume, No. 1131 (2001)
  17. Ghosh S. and Bhaduri S.K., Petrography and petrochemistry of impact melt from Lonar crater, Buldhana district, Maharashtra, India, Indian Min., 57, 1-26 (2003)
  18. Engelhardt W.V. and Bertsch W., Shock indused planar deformation structures in quartz from the Ries Crater, Germany, Cont. Mineral. And Petrol., 20 , 203-234(1969)
  19. French B.M., Cordua W.S. and Plescia J.B., The Rock Elm meteorite impact structure, Wisconsin: Geology and shock-metamorphic effects in quartz,Boamah D., Petrographic studies of fallout suevite from outside the Bosumtwi impact structure, Ghana, Meteoritics and Planetary Science, 11, (2006)
  20. Jourdan F., Moynier F. and Koeberl C., First40ar/39ar Age of the Lonar Crater : A ~0.65 Ma impact event?, 41st Lunar and Planetary Science Conference, 1661 (2010)
  21. Kumar P.S.,Structural effects of meteorite impact on basalt : Evidence from Lonar crater, India, J. Geophys. Res, 110, B12402, doi:10.1029/2005JB003662(2005)
  22. French B.M. and Short N.M. (eds.), Shock metamorphism of natural materials: Baltimore, Mono Book Corp, 644 (1968)
  23. Alexopoulos J.S. Grieve R.A.F. and Robertson P.B., Microscopic lamellar deformational features in quartz: Discriminative characteristics of shock-generated varieties, Geology,16, 796-799 (1988)
  24. Stöffler D. and Langenhorst F., Shock metamorphism of quartz in nature and experiment: I. Basic observations and theory: Meteoritics,29, 155-18 (1994)
  25. Grieve R.A.F., Langenhorst F. and Stöffler D., Shock metamorphism in nature and experiment: II. Significance in geoscience: Meteoritics and Planetary Science,31, 6-35 (1996)
  26. French B.M., Traces of catastrophe: A handbook of shock metamorphism effects in terrestrial meteorite impact structures, LPI Contribution: 954, Huston Texas Lunar and Planetary Institute, 120 (1988)
  27. Koeberl C., Milkereit B., Peck J., Scholz C., King J. and Overpeck J., The Lake Boumtwi drilling program, DOSECC Newsletter, 2 (3), 2-5 (2004)
  28. Misra S. and Newsom H., Geochemistry and petrology of Maskelynite in nwa1195 shergottites and its comparison with maskelynite from Lonar crater, India, 41st Lunar and Planetary Science Conference, 1806, (2010)
  29. Jaret S., Woerner W., Phillips B., Wright S. and Glotch T., Maskelynite: How isotropic is it?, 45th Lunar and Planetary Science Conference, 2151 (2014)
  30. Acharyya S.K., District Resource Map, Buldhana district, Maharashtra, Geological Survey of India, 1st Edition (Ed. G.P. Reddy),(2000)
  31. Cavosie A.J., Quintero-Mendez R.R., Radovan H.A., Moser D.E. and Valley J.W., Evidence of ancient cataclysm in modern sand: Shock microstructures in detrital quartz, zircon, and monazite from the Vall River, Vredefort Dome, South Africa, Am. Geophy. Union, Fall Meeting, abstract, 13C-2039 (2009)
  32. Erickson T.M., Cavosie A.J., Radovan H.A., Moser D.E. and Wooden J., Microstructural and isotropic constrains on impact basin provenance of detrital shocked materials in the Vall River South Africa, Lunar and Platenary Sci.,abstract volume (2011)
  33. Roig C.I., Cavosie A.J., McDougal D.J., Cordua W.S., and Mattson C., Detrital shocked quartz in modern sediments eroded from the rock Elm impact structure, Wisconsis, U.S.A., 44th Lunar and Planetary Science Conference, 1685, (2013)