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Geological record and reconstruction of the late Pliocene impact of the Eltanin asteroid in the Southern Ocean

Nature volume 390, pages 357–363 (1997)Cite this article

Abstract

In 1995, an expedition on board the research vessel FS Polarstern explored the impact site of the Eltanin asteroid in the Southern Ocean, the only known asteroidimpact into a deep ocean basin. Analyses of the geological record of the impact region place the event in the late Pliocene (∼2.15 Myr) and constrain thesize of the asteroid to be >1 km. The explosive force inferred for this event places it at the threshold of impacts believed to have global consequences, and its studyshould therefore provide a baseline for the reconstruction and modelling of similar events, which are common on geological timescales.

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Figure 1: Schematic representation of the Bellingshausen Sea tectonic setting showing major fracture and subduction zones; the Pacific–Aluk portion of the Antarctic plate is shaded and shows magnetic lineations in accordance with ref. 8 (a).
Figure 2: Parasound echosounding of the sediments along the transect PSL-1 to the north of the seamounts (Fig. 1b).
Figure 3: Piston cores PS-27091-1, PS2708-1 and PS2704-1 provide a depth transect from the top of the San Martin seamounts to the abyssal floor in the north (Fig. 1b).
Figure 4: Age determination of the impact event and reworked impact deposits based on combined magnetostratigraphy and biostratigraphy of PS2704-1, PS2708-1 and PS2709-1.
Figure 5: Details of the three sedimentary units formed by the impact illustrated by X-ray radiographs (compare Fig. 3).
Figure 6: Core PS2708-1 carbonate content in impact-related sediment units, and grain size distribution in an expanded section of the laminated SU III and the ejecta-rich sediments of SU II (Fig. 3).

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Acknowledgements

This research was supported by Acciones Integradas grants to R.G. and J.A.F., and an NSF grant to F.T.K. and J.A.B. We thank the crew of RV Polarstern for their substantial support.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research, Postbox 120161, Bremerhaven, D-27515, Germany

    R. Gersonde, B Diekmann, G. Kuhn & A Abelmann

  2. Institute of Geophysics and Planetary Physics, UCLA, Los Angeles, 90095, California, USA

    F. T. Kyte & J. A. Bostwick

  3. Fachbereich Geowissenschaften, University Bremen, Postbox 330440, Bremen, D-28334, Germany

    U. Bleil, G. Grahl & D. Völker

  4. Department of Geology, University of Salamanca, Salamanca, S-37008, Spain

    J. A. Flores & F. J. Sierro

  5. Macquarie University, School of Earth Sciences, Sydney, 2109, NSW, Australia

    K. Gohl

  6. Naval Research Lab.-Code 7420, 4555 Overlook Ave., SW, Washington, 20375, DC, USA

    R. Hagen

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  1. R. Gersonde
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Correspondence to R. Gersonde.

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Gersonde, R., Kyte, F., Bleil, U. et al. Geological record and reconstruction of the late Pliocene impact of the Eltanin asteroid in the Southern Ocean. Nature 390, 357–363 (1997). https://doi.org/10.1038/37044

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