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| Titel |
The Cretaceous-Paleogene boundary in the shallow northeastern Mexican foreland basins: Evidence for paleoseismic liquefaction, tsunami deposition, and Chicxulub ejecta |
| VerfasserIn |
Peter Schulte, Jan Smit, Alex Deutsch, Andrea Friese, Kilian Beichel |
| Konferenz |
EGU General Assembly 2010
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| Medientyp |
Artikel
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| Sprache |
Englisch
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| Digitales Dokument |
PDF |
| Erschienen |
In: GRA - Volume 12 (2010) |
| Datensatznummer |
250043573
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| Zusammenfassung |
| Understanding the depositional sequence and composition of impact ejecta is critical for the interpretation of timing and effects of the Chicxulub impact regarding the mass extinction at the Cretaceous-Paleogene (K-Pg) boundary. Preliminary investigations have shown that the shallow La Popa and Parras foreland basins in northeastern Mexico both feature outstanding and continuous 3D exposures of the Chicxulub ejecta-rich, K-Pg boundary event deposit (Lawton et al., 2005).
The m-thick sand-siltstone interval directly underlying the ejecta-rich mass flows shows evidence of slumping and liquefaction, locally leading to complete disorganization and disruption of the pre-impact late Cretaceous sedimentary sequence. The subsequent ejecta-rich sequence consists of an up to one m-thick basal carbonate-rich bed that discontinuously fills a valley-like topography. Besides abundant silicic and carbonate ejecta spherules (up to 50%) that are excellently preserved, this bed includes abundant mollusks and gastropod shells, as well as vertebrate bones and teeth. The conglomeratic bed is overlain by a series of alternating fine- to medium grained calcareous sandstones with shell debris and ejecta that were deposited by repeated currents / mass flow events incorporating varying source areas. Hummocky-cross-stratified strata that mark the return to a normal out-shelf depositional regime conformably overly these sandstones.
We interpret this sequence as evidence for presumably seismic-induced sediment liquefaction followed by a series of impact-related tsunami deposits. The specific depositional sequence and Fe-Mg-rich ejecta composition as well as the petrography of the sandstones all closely link the K-Pg boundary sequence in the La Popa and Parras basin to the well-known deep-water K-Pg sites in the Gulf of Mexico (e.g. El Mimbral; Smit et al., 1996; Schulte and Kontny, 2005).
Lawton, T.F., et al., 2005, Geology, v. 33, p. 81-84.
Smit, J. et al., 1996, GSA Special Paper v. 307, p. 151-182.
Schulte, P. and Kontny, A., GSA Special Paper v. 384, p. 191-221. |
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