Including Original "Paul H. Letters" Copyright © 1996-2025 Paul V. Heinrich / website © 1996-2025 Dirk Ross - All rights reserved.



Tuesday, 12 April 2022

Impacts that produce K-feldspar-rich ejecta blankets correspond to mass extinctions 12APR2022

Impacts that produce K-feldspar-rich ejecta blankets correspond to mass extinctions

New open access paper about mass extinctions.

Pankhurst, M.J., Stevenson, C.J. and Coldwell, B.C., 2021. Meteorites
that produce K-feldspar-rich ejecta blankets correspond to mass extinctions.
Journal of the Geological Society. 179, jgs2021-055, 1 December 2021,
https://doi.org/10.1144/jgs2021-055
https://jgs.lyellcollection.org/content/179/3/jgs2021-055

Yours,

Paul H.

Sunday, 6 March 2022

Distinguishing volcanic from impact glasses 06MAR2022

Distinguishing volcanic from impact glasses

Ferrière, L., Crósta, A.P., Wegner, W., Libowitzky, E.,
Iwashita, F. and Koeberl, C., 2021. Distinguishing
volcanic from impact glasses—The case of the Cali glass
(Colombia). Geology, 49(12), pp.1421-1425.
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/354386557_Distinguishing_volcanic_from_impact_glasses-The_case_of_the_Cali_glass_Colombia


More papers by Dr. Crosta at:
https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Alvaro-Crosta/research

Another paper about impact glasses is:

Schultz, P.H., Harris, R.S., Perroud, S., Blanco, N. and
Tomlinson, A.J., 2022. Widespread glasses generated
by cometary fireballs during the late Pleistocene in the
Atacama Desert, Chile. Geology, 50(2), pp.205-209.
https://pubs.geoscienceworld.org/gsa/geology/article/50/2/205/609354/Widespread-glasses-generated-by-cometary-fireballs


Yours,

Paul H.

Saturday, 5 March 2022

Geologic Names and Usage: A Guide to (North American) Stratigraphic Nomenclature 05MAR2022

Geologic Names and Usage: A Guide to (North American) Stratigraphic Nomenclature

Below is a recording of an interesting webinar about North American
Stratigraphic Nomenclature.

Geologic Names and Usage: A Guide to Stratigraphic Nomenclature
American Geosciences Institute, webinar, March 4, 2022
https://www.americangeosciences.org/webinars/geologic-names-usage-stratigraphic-nomenclature


Geologic Names and Usage: A Guide to Stratigraphic Nomenclature
Youtube version of above video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O47p8xLkHmA


More videos are available from American Geosciences Institute's YouTube
channel
https://www.youtube.com/user/AmericanGeosciences/videos


There is also:

Geolex — Stratigraphic Resources
https://ngmdb.usgs.gov/Geolex/stratres

North American Commission on Stratigraphic Nomenclature,
2005. North American stratigraphic code. AAPG Bulletin, 89(11),
pp.1547-1591.
https://ngmdb.usgs.gov/Geolex/resources/docs/NACSN_Code_2021.pdf


Yours,

Paul H.

Friday, 4 March 2022

Satellite Spots Massive Asteroid Impact Crater in China 04MAR2022

Satellite Spots Massive Asteroid Impact Crater in China


Satellite Spots Massive Asteroid Impact Crater in China
Though missing some of its rim, the recently discovered
impact site is clearly recognizable from above.
By Isaac Schultz, Gizmodo,
https://gizmodo.com/satellite-spots-massive-asteroid-impact-crater-in-china-1848602154

Young Impact Crater Uncovered in Yilan, China
By Sara E. Pratt, SciTechDaily, March 3, 022
https://scitechdaily.com/young-impact-crater-uncovered-in-yilan-china/

Chen, M., Xie, X., Xiao, W. and Tan, D., 2019. Yilan crater, a
newly identified impact structure in northeast China. Chinese
Science Bulletin, 65(10), pp.948-954.
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/340299662_Yilan_crater_a_newly_identified_impact_structure_in_northeast_China

Chen, M., Koeberl, C., Tan, D., Ding, P., Xiao, W., Wang, N.,
Chen, Y. and Xie, X., 2021. Yilan crater, China: Evidence for
an origin by meteorite impact. Meteoritics & Planetary Science,
56(7), pp.1274-1292.
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/353551842_Yilan_crater_China_Evidence_for_an_origin_by_meteorite_impact


More papers by Xie Xiande, Chinese Academy of Sciences
https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Xie-Xiande


Yours,

Paul H.

Tuesday, 21 December 2021

Australian impact cratering record: Updates and recent discoveries 21DEC2021

Australian impact cratering record: Updates and recent discoveries

Quintero, R.R., Cavosie, A.J., Cox, M.A., Miljković, K. and Dugdale, A., 2021. 
Australian impact cratering record: Updates and recent discoveries. 
Large Meteorite Impacts and Planetary Evolution VI, Geological Society of America
Special Paper 550, pp. 41-69
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/352849799_Australian_impact_cratering_record_Updates_and_recent_discoveries

Another paper:

Cavosie, A.J., Quintero, R.R., Radovan, H.A. and Moser, D.E., 2010. 
A record of ancient cataclysm in modern sand: Shock microstructures in detrital minerals from the Vaal
River, Vredefort Dome, South Africa. Bulletin, 122(11-12), pp.1968-1980.
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/249526675_A_record_of_ancient_cataclysm_in_modern_sand_Shock_microstructures_in_detrital_minerals_from_the_Vaal_River_Vredefort_Dome_South_Africa

https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Raiza-Quintero

Yours,

Paul H.

Sunday, 28 November 2021

Citing the Referees at the Journal that Rejected You 28NOV2021

Citing the Referees at the Journal that Rejected You

Citing the Referees at the Journal that Rejected You
By Justin Weinberg, Dailynous, May 7, 2020
https://dailynous.com/2020/05/07/citing-referees-journal-rejected/

You may not like it when your article is rejected from a journal, but at least sometimes you get something
good out of it: criticism.

Yours,

Paul H.

Wednesday, 22 September 2021

Prehistoric Tunguska-sized Airburst in Jordan Valley 22SEP2021

Prehistoric Tunguska-sized Airburst in Jordan Valley

Bunch, T.E., LeCompte, M.A., Adedeji, A.V. et al. 
A Tunguska sized airburst destroyed Tall el-Hammam a Middle Bronze Age city in the Jordan Valley near the Dead Sea. Sci Rep 11, 18632 (2021).
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-97778-3

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-021-97778-3

Yours,

Paul H.

Monday, 20 September 2021

OT: LIVE: Volcano erupts on La Palma in the Canary Islands 20SEP2021

OT: LIVE: Volcano erupts on La Palma in the Canary Islands

Not meteorites, but still cool geology, look at LIVE: Volcano erupts on La Palma in the Canary Islands:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CmQVquojJfo

I hope those are not urban lights in the foreground.
I do not know what the background chatter is about.

Stay Safe,

Paul

Sunday, 5 September 2021

Photogrammetric documentation of geologic features with a smartphone 05SEP2021

Photogrammetric documentation of geologic features with a smartphone

Below is an open access paper about photogrammetric documentation of geologic features in the field with a smartphone.

Corradetti, A., Seers, T.D., Billi, A. and Tavani, S., 2021.
Virtual Outcrops in a Pocket: The Smartphone as a Fully Equipped Photogrammetric Data Acquisition Tool. GSA Today, 31(9)
https://www.geosociety.org/GSA/Publications/GSA_Today/features/GSA/GSAToday/science/G506A/article.aspx

Related paper is:

Tavani, S., Corradetti, A., Granado, P., Snidero, M., Seers, T.D., and Mazzoli, S., 2019, 
Smartphone: An alternative to ground control points for orienting virtual outcrop models and assessing their quality: Geosphere, v. 15, p. 2043–2052,
https://doi.org/10.1130/GES02167.1

https://pubs.geoscienceworld.org/gsa/geosphere/article/15/6/2043/574968/Smartphone-An-alternative-to-ground-control-points

Yours,

Paul H.

Monday, 16 August 2021

Why don’t we see more meteorites after big asteroid belt collisions? 16AUG2021

Why don’t we see more meteorites after big asteroid belt collisions?

Why don’t we see more meteorites after big asteroid belt collisions?
Terrawatch Meteors, Kate Ravilious, The Guardian, August 3, 2021
https://www.theguardian.com/science/2021/aug/03/terrawatch-why-dont-we-seemore-meteorites-after-big-asteroid-belt-collisions

The paper is:

Terfelt, F. and Schmitz, B., 2021. Asteroid break-ups and meteorite delivery to Earth the past 500 million years. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 118(24) no. e2020977118.
https://www.pnas.org/content/118/24/e2020977118.short

Yours,

Paul H.

4.6 billion-year-old meteorite found in horseshoe footprint 16AUG2021

4.6 billion-year-old meteorite found in horseshoe footprint

4.6 billion-year-old meteorite found in horseshoe footprint
By Stephanie Pappas, Live Science
https://www.livescience.com/rare-carbonaceous-carbonate-meteorite-found.html

The meteorite is a rare carbonaceous chondrite

Yours,

Paul H.

Tuesday, 10 August 2021

A 4,565-My-old andesite from an extinct chondritic protoplanet 10AUG2021

A 4,565-My-old andesite from an extinct chondritic protoplanet

4.6-billion-year-old meteorite belongs to Earth’s long-lost baby cousin
By Mindy Weisberger, Live Science, March 8, 2021
A protoplanet in the early solar system spawned a unique type of meteorite
https://www.livescience.com/meteorite-asteroid-early-solar-system.html

Meteoritical Bulletin Database
Last update: 28 Mar 2021
Meteorite Bulletin 109
https://www.lpi.usra.edu/meteor/metbull.php?code=72475

Barrat, J.A., Chaussidon, M., Yamaguchi, A., Beck, P., Villeneuve, J., Byrne, D.J., Broadley, M.W. and Marty, B., 2021. 
A 4,565-My-old andesite from an extinct chondritic protoplanet. 
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 118(11).

Wednesday, 14 July 2021

Chicxulub impact tsunami megaripples in the subsurface of Louisiana 14JUL2021

Chicxulub impact tsunami megaripples in the subsurface of Louisiana

Giant tsunami from dino-killing asteroid impact revealed in fossilized ‘megaripples’
By Akila Raghavan, AAAS Science, Jul. 12, 2021
https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2021/07/giant-tsunami-dino-killing-asteroid-impact-revealed-fossilized-megaripples

The paper is:

Kinsland, G.L., Egedahl, K., Strong, M.A. and Ivy, R.,2021. 
Chicxulub impact tsunami megaripples in the subsurface of Louisiana: Imaged in petroleum industry
seismic data. Earth and Planetary Science Letters, 570, no.117063.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0012821X21003186

Yours,

Paul H.

Monday, 28 June 2021

Meteorites and impacts: research, cataloguing and geoethics 28JUN2021

Meteorites and impacts: research, cataloguing and geoethics

Martínez-Frías, J., Meteorites and impacts: research, cataloguing and geoethics.
Seminarios SEM 10:75–87. Deposito legal: CA-602-2004 / ISSN: 1698-5478
http://www.ehu.eus/sem/seminario_pdf/SeminSEMv10p75-87.pdf

Pratesi, G. and Franza, A., 2021. Mineralogical, petrological and planetological
heritage. The (Italian) story so far. Rendiconti Lincei. Scienze Fisiche e Naturali,
32(1), pp.95-116. Open access
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s12210-020-00970-2

Yours,

Paul H.

Monday, 7 June 2021

Two new publications about the Hiawatha impact crater, Greenland 07JUN2021

Two new publications about the Hiawatha impact crater, Greenland

Gustafsson, J., 2020. Impactites from the Hiawatha crater, North-West Greenland. unpublished MS thesis, Department of Geological Sciences, Stockholm University, Sweden. open access
Abstract
https://www.diva-portal.org/smash/record.jsf?pid=diva2%3A1512393&dswid=2029

PDF file
https://www.diva-portal.org/smash/get/diva2:1512393/FULLTEXT01.pdf


Silber, E.A., Johnson, B.C., Bjonnes, E., MacGregor, J.A., Larsen, N.K. and Wiggins, S.E., 2021. 

Sunday, 30 May 2021

The Shunga Event: Paleoproterozoic petroleum deposits, a possible mass extinction, and Vredefort impact 30MAY2021

The Shunga Event: Paleoproterozoic petroleum deposits, a possible mass extinction, and Vredefort impact

The Shunga Event; did a Precambrian mass extinction give rise to an ancient supergiant oil field?
https://www.geological-digressions.com/the-shunga-event-did-a-precambrian-mass-extinction-give-rise-to-an-ancient-supergiant-oil-field/

Geological Digressions, Earth science resources, SCICOMM
https://www.geological-digressions.com

Ancient Earth, Precambrian geology, origin of life, atmosphere, oceans
https://www.geological-digressions.com/ancient-earth/

Yours,

Paul H.

Sunday, 23 May 2021

Extraterrestrial Plutonium Found On Ocean Floor 23MAY2021

Extraterrestrial Plutonium Found On Ocean Floor

Freshly Made Plutonium From Outer Space Found On Ocean Floor
By Nell Greengrocer, NPR, May 13, 2021
https://www.wrkf.org/2021-05-13/freshly-made-plutonium-from-outer-space-found-on-ocean-floor

Scientists Find Plutonium Made in Outer Space on Ocean Floor Research suggests the rare, heavy element may have been created by the collision of two neutron stars, Smithsonian Magazine
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/scientists-find-plutonium-made-outer-space-deep-sea-crust-180977739/

The paper is:

Wallner, A., Froehlich, M.B., Hotchkis, M.A.C., Kinoshita, N., Paul, M., Martschini, M., Pavetich, S., Tims, S.G., Kivel, N., Schumann, D. and Honda, M., 2021. 
60Fe and 244Pu deposited on Earth constrain the r-process yields of recent nearby supernovae. 
Science, 372(6543), pp.742-745.
https://science.sciencemag.org/content/372/6543/742.abstract

Yours,

Paul H.

Friday, 21 May 2021

Dating Wolfe Creek Crater, Australia 21MAY2021

Dating Wolfe Creek Crater, Australia

Dating Craters: Wolfe Creek is younger Meteor Crater older, than previously thought
https://www.syfy.com/syfywire/dating-craters-wolfe-creek-is-younger-meteor-crater-older-than-previously-thought

Barrows, T.T., Magee, J., Miller, G. and Fifield, L.K., 2019.
The age of Wolfe Creek meteorite crater (Kandimalal),Western Australia. 
Meteoritics & Planetary Science, 54(11), pp.2686-2697.

Yours,

Paul H.

Saturday, 15 May 2021

Recent active volcanism on Mars 15MAY2021

Recent active volcanism on Mars

Bad Astronomy | Volcanism on Mars may still be active today
https://www.syfy.com/syfywire/more-evidence-that-mars-is-volcanically-active-right-now-today



Horvath, D.G., Moitra, P., Hamilton, C.W., Craddock, R.A. and Andrews-Hanna, J.C., 2021. 

Monday, 3 May 2021

An investigation of the Echo Cliff structure, Kansas 3MAY2021

An investigation of the Echo Cliff structure, Kansas

Lane, A.E., 2018. The Echo Cliff structure: identification and analysis of a possible Kansan impact structure. unpublished thesis, Kansas State University, Manhattan, Kansas.
https://krex.k-state.edu/dspace/handle/2097/38882
https://krex.k-state.edu/dspace/bitstream/handle/2097/38882/AdamLane2018.pdf

The abstract states:

"...variations in the topography of the Precambrian basement and
faulting from the Bolivar-Mansfield Tectonic Zone are responsible
for the geophysical anomalies..."

and

"Therefore, there is currently no evidence in support of the
claim that the Echo Cliff structure is an impact structure."

Yours,

Paul H.