Chicxulub and the exploration of large peak-ring impact craters through scientific drilling

Kring, D. A., Claeys, P., Gulick, S. P.S., Morgan, J. V., Collins, G. S. and IODP-ICDP Expedition 364 Science Party, (2017) Chicxulub and the exploration of large peak-ring impact craters through scientific drilling. GSA Today, 27(10), pp. 4-8. (doi: 10.1130/GSATG352A.1)

Abstract

The Chicxulub crater is the only well-preserved peak-ring crater on Earth and linked, famously, to the K-T or K-Pg mass extinction event. For the first time, geologists have drilled into the peak ring of that crater in the International Ocean Discovery Program and International Continental Scientific Drilling Program (IODP-ICDP) Expedition 364. The Chicxulub impact event, the environmental calamity it produced, and the paleobiological consequences are among the most captivating topics being discussed in the geologic community. Here we focus attention on the geological processes that shaped the ~200-km-wide impact crater responsible for that discussion and the expedition’s first year results.

• Item Type: Articles
• Status: Published
• Refereed: Yes
• Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID: Pickersgill, Dr Annemarie
• Authors: Kring, D. A., Claeys, P., Gulick, S. P.S., Morgan, J. V., Collins, G. S., and IODP-ICDP Expedition 364 Science Party,
• College/School: College of Science and Engineering > School of Geographical and Earth Sciences
• Journal Name: GSA Today
• Publisher: Geological Society of America
• ISSN: 1052-5173
• ISSN (Online): 1943-2690
• Published Online: 08 September 2017