Note to users. If you're seeing this message, it means that your browser cannot find this page's style/presentation instructions -- or possibly that you are using a browser that does not support current Web standards. Find out more about why this message is appearing, and what you can do to make your experience of our site the best it can be.

Science 12 June 1992:
Vol. 256. no. 5063, pp. 1547 - 1550
DOI: 10.1126/science.256.5063.1547
Prev | Table of Contents | Next

Articles

Glassy Microspherules (Microtektites) from an Upper Devonian Limestone

Kun Wang 1

1 Department of Geology, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Aiberta, Canada T6G 2E3

The properties of microspherules recovered from an Upper Devonian marine limestone immediately overlain by a geochemical anomaly of siderophile and chalcophile elements are similar to those of impact-derived microtektites. These microspherules are glass, have splash-form shapes, contain spherical vesicles and lechatelierite inclusions, and show oxide compositional variations similar to those in known microtektites. These characteristics suggest that these Upper Devonian microspherules have an impact origin. A bolide impact may have occurred about 365 million years ago on the South China Plate and caused a faunal extinction on eastern Gondwana.

Submitted on February 24, 1992
Accepted on April 20, 1992


THIS ARTICLE HAS BEEN CITED BY OTHER ARTICLES:
The history of tektites.
G. J. H. McCall (2006)
Geological Society, London, Special Publications 256, 471-493
   Abstract »    PDF »
Microtektites and Mass Extinctions: Evidence for a Late Devonian Asteroid Impact.
P. Claeys, P. Claeys, J.-G. Casier, and S. V. Margolis (1992)
Science 257, 1102-1104
   Abstract »    PDF »


To Advertise     Find Products

Science. ISSN 0036-8075 (print), 1095-9203 (online)