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- BERMÚDEZ,, Hermann Darío, et al.
(author)
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The Cretaceous/Paleogene boundary deposits on Gorgonilla Island
- 2018
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In: The Geology of Colombia: Volume 3 Paleogene – Neogene. - Bogota : Servicio Geológico Colombiano. ; , s. 1-34
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Book chapter (peer-reviewed)abstract
- A ~20 mm thick spherule bed representing Chicxulub impact ejecta deposits and marking the Cretaceous/Paleogene (K/Pg) boundary was recently discovered on Gorgonilla Island (Gorgona National Natural Park, Pacific of Colombia). This discovery represents the first confirmed record of the K/Pg event in Colombia, South America and the eastern Pacific Ocean. The deposit consists of extraordinarily well–preserved glass spherules (microtektites and microkrystites) reaching 1.1 mm in diameter. Importantly, the Gorgonilla spherule bed is unique relative to other K/Pg boundary sites in that up to 90% of the spherules are intact and not devitrified, and the bed is virtually devoid of lithic fragments and microfossils. The spherules were deposited in a deep marine environment, possibly below the calcite compensation depth. The preservation, normal size–gradation, presence of fine textures within the spherules, and absence of bioturbation or traction transport indicate that the Gorgonilla spherules settled within a water column with minimal disturbance. Thus, the spherule bed may represent one of the first parautochthonous primary deposits of the Chicxulub impact known to date. 40Ar/39Ar dating and micropaleontological analysis reveal that the Gorgonilla spherule bed resulted from the Chicxulub impact. Intense soft–sediment deformation and bed disruption in Maastrichtian sediments of the Gorgonilla Island K/Pg section provide evidence for seismic activity triggered by the Chicxulub bolide impact, 66 million years ago. It is also notable that the basal deposits of the Danian in the Colombian locality present the first evidence of a recovery vegetation, characterized by ferns from a tropical habitat, shortly following the end–Cretaceous event.
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| 2. |
- Bermúdez, Hermann, et al.
(author)
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The Cretaceous/Paleogene Boundary Deposits on Gorgonilla Island
- 2019. - 1
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In: <em>The Geology of Colombia, Volume 3 Paleogene – Neogene </em><em></em>. - Bogota : Servicio Geológico Colombiano. ; , s. 1-19
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Book chapter (peer-reviewed)abstract
- A ca. 20 mm thick spherule bed representing Chicxulub impact ejecta deposits and marking the Cretaceous/Paleogene (K/Pg) boundary was recently discovered on Gorgonilla Island (Gorgona National Natural Park, Pacific of Colombia). This discovery represents the first confirmed record of the K/Pg event in Colombia, South America and the eastern Pacific Ocean. The deposit consists of extraordinarily well–preserved glass spherules (microtektites and microkrystites) reaching 1.1 mm in diameter. Importantly, the Gorgonilla spherule bed is unique relative to other K/Pg boundary sites in that up to 90% of the spherules are intact and not devitrified, and the bed is virtually devoid of lithic fragments and microfossils. The spherules were deposited in a deep marine environment, possibly below the calcite compensation depth. The preservation, normal size–gradation, presence of fine textures within the spherules, and absence of bioturbation or traction transport indicate that the Gorgonilla spherules settled within a water column with minimal disturbance. The spherule bed may represent one of the first parautochthonous primary deposits of the Chicxulub impact known to date. 40Ar/39Ar dating and micropaleontological analysis reveal that the Gorgonilla spherule bed resulted from the Chicxulub impact. Intense soft–sediment deformation and bed disruption in Maastrichtian sediments of the Gorgonilla Island K/Pg section provide evidence for seismic activity triggered by the Chicxulub bolide impact, 66 million years ago. It is also notable that the basal deposits of the Danian in the Colombian locality present the first evidence of a recovery vegetation, characterized by ferns from a tropical habitat, shortly following the end–Cretaceous event.
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| 4. |
- Marzoli, Andrea, et al.
(author)
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The Central Atlantic Magmatic Province (CAMP) in Morocco
- 2019
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In: Journal of Petrology. - : Oxford University Press (OUP). - 0022-3530 .- 1460-2415. ; 60:5, s. 945-996
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The Central Atlantic Magmatic Province (CAMP) is a large igneous province (LIP) composed of basic dykes, sills, layered intrusions and lava flows emplaced before Pangea break-up and currently distributed on the four continents surrounding the Atlantic Ocean. One of the oldest, best preserved and most complete sub-provinces of the CAMP is located in Morocco. Geochemical, geochronologic, petrographic and magnetostratigraphic data obtained in previous studies allowed identification of four strato-chemical magmatic units, i.e. the Lower, Intermediate, Upper and Recurrent units. For this study, we completed a detailed sampling of the CAMP in Morocco, from the Anti Atlas in the south to the Meseta in the north. We provide a complete mineralogical, petrologic (major and trace elements on whole-rocks and minerals), geochronologic (40Ar/39Ar and U–Pb ages) and geochemical set of data (including Sr–Nd–Pb–Os isotope systematics) for basaltic and basaltic–andesitic lava flow piles and for their presumed feeder dykes and sills. Combined with field observations, these data suggest a very rapid (<0·3 Ma) emplacement of over 95% of the preserved magmatic rocks. In particular, new and previously published data for the Lower to Upper unit samples yielded indistinguishable 40Ar/39Ar (mean age = 201·2 ± 0·8 Ma) and U–Pb ages (201·57 ± 0·04 Ma), suggesting emplacement coincident with the main phase of the end-Triassic biotic turnover (c.201·5 to 201·3 Ma). Eruptions are suggested to have been pulsed with rates in excess of 10 km3/year during five main volcanic pulses, each pulse possibly lasting only a few centuries. Such high eruption rates reinforce the likelihood that CAMP magmatism triggered the end-Triassic climate change and mass extinction. Only the Recurrent unit may have been younger but by no more than 1 Ma. Whole-rock and mineral geochemistry constrain the petrogenesis of the CAMP basalts. The Moroccan magmas evolved in mid-crustal reservoirs (7–20 km deep) where most of the differentiation occurred. However, a previous stage of crystallization probably occurred at even greater depths. The four units cannot be linked by closed-system fractional crystallization processes, but require distinct parental magmas and/or distinct crustal assimilation processes. EC-AFC modeling shows that limited crustal assimilation (maximum c.5–8% assimilation of e.g. Eburnean or Pan-African granites) could explain some, but not all the observed geochemical variations. Intermediate unit magmas are apparently the most contaminated and may have been derived from parental magmas similar to the Upper basalts (as attested by indistinguishable trace element contents in the augites analysed for these units). Chemical differences between Central High Atlas and Middle Atlas samples in the Intermediate unit could be explained by distinct crustal contaminants (lower crustal rocks or Pan-African granites for the former and Eburnean granites for the latter). The CAMP units in Morocco are likely derived from 5–10% melting of enriched peridotite sources. The differences observed in REE ratios for the four units are attributed to variations in both source mineralogy and melting degree. In particular, the Lower basalts require a garnet peridotite source, while the Upper basalts were probably formed from a shallower melting region straddling the garnet–spinel transition. Recurrent basalts instead are relatively shallow-level melts generated mainly from spinel peridotites. Sr–Nd–Pb–Os isotopic ratios in the CAMP units from Morocco are similar to those of other CAMP sub-provinces and suggest a significant enrichment of the mantle-source regions by subducted crustal components. The enriched signature is attributed to involvement of about 5–10% recycled crustal materials introduced into an ambient depleted or PREMA-type mantle, while involvement of mantle-plume components like those sampled by present-day Central Atlantic Ocean Island Basalts (OIB, e.g. Cape Verde and Canary Islands) is not supported by the observed compositions. Only Recurrent basalts may possibly reflect a Central Atlantic plume-like signature similar to the Common or FOZO components.
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| 5. |
- Merle, Renaud, et al.
(author)
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Evidence of multi-phase Cretaceous to Quaternary alkaline magmatism on Tore–Madeira Rise and neighbouring seamounts from 40Ar/39Ar ages
- 2009
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In: Journal of the Geological Society. - : Geological Society of London. - 0016-7649 .- 2041-479X. ; 166:5, s. 879-894
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The Tore-Madeira Rise is a seamount chain located 300 kin off the Portugal and Morocco coasts attributed to hotspot activity. U-Pb ages of lavas from the northern and central Tore-Madeira Rise range between 103 and 80.5 Ma whereas Ar-40/Ar-39 ages from the central and southern Tore-Madeira Rise yield ages ranging from 94.5 to 0.5 Ma. We performed new Ar-40/Ar-39 measurements to better understand the geodynamic history of the Tore-Madeira Rise. Plagioclase ages from the Bikini Bottom and Torillon seamounts suggest ages of >90 Ma and >= 60 Ma, respectively. Amphiboles from the Seine seamount yield an age of 24.0 +/- 0.8 Ma. Biotites from lavas of the Ashton seamount give ages of 97.4 +/- 1.1 Ma and 97.8 +/- 1.1 Ma. The geochronological database available on the Tore-Madeira Rise has been filtered on statistical criteria to eliminate unreliable ages. The resulting database reveals three pulses of alkaline magmatism on the Tore-Madeira Rise at 103-80.5 Ma, at c. 68 Ma and between 30 Ma and the present. The magmatism was continuous from 103 Ma until c. 68 Ma and from c. 30 Ma until the present on the Tore-Madeira Rise, the surrounding seamounts and the Portugal coast. We suggest that the space-time distribution of this magmatism results from the interaction between a wide thermal anomaly emitting magmatic pulses and the complex motion of the Iberian plate.
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| 6. |
- Renne, Paul R, et al.
(author)
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Multi-proxy record of the Chicxulub impact at the Cretaceous-Paleogene boundary from Gorgonilla Island, Colombia
- 2018
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In: Geology. - Denver : Geological Society of America. - 0091-7613 .- 1943-2682. ; 46, s. 547-550
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- A 40 m stratigraphic section at Gorgonilla Island, Colombia, provides a unique deepmarine, low-latitude, Southern Hemisphere record of events related to the end-Cretaceous Chicxulub impact and the global Cretaceous/Paleogene boundary (KPB). The KPB is marked by a 20-mm-thick, densely packed spherule bed as defined by planktic foraminifera, in contrast to complex relationships found in high-energy, impact-proximal sites in the Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean basins. The absence of basal Danian foraminiferal Zone P0 may indicate a possible hiatus of <10 ka immediately above the spherule bed, but is most probably an artifact of deposition below the calcite compensation depth as suggested by the nearly complete absence of calcareous fossils for 20 m below the Zone Pα. A weighted mean 40Ar/39Ar age of 66.051 ± 0.031 Ma for 25 fresh glassy spherules unequivocally establishes both their derivation from Chicxulub, and the association between the impact and the KPB. The spherule bed, and Maastrichtian strata below it, display soft-sediment deformation features consistent with strong seismic motion, suggesting that seismic activity in the immediate aftermath of the Chicxulub impact continued for weeks. We discovered a fern-spike immediately above the spherule bed, representing the first record of this pioneer vegetation from the South American continent, and from a low-latitude (tropical) environment.
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