The Mjølnir impact structure was recognized in 1993 and included in the Earth Impact Database in 1996, based on the discoveries of unequivocal meteorite impact indicators such as shocked quartz, Ir-enrichments, possible glass remnants, fragments of nickel-rich iron oxides, in addition to the convincing complex crater shape of the structure. This book presents the geological and geophysical history of the Barents Sea region along with the discovery of the Mjølnir impact crater. We place the Mjølnir event into the geological framework of the region and present elaborative numerical models of its formation and associated tsunami generation. The book represents an update and synthesis as well as the complete compilation of the Mjølnir crater studies.
Author(s): Henning Dypvik, Morten Smelror, Atle Mørk (auth.), Filippos Tsikalas, Henning Dypvik, Morten Smelror (eds.)
Series: Impact Studies
Edition: 1
Publisher: Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg
Year: 2011
Language: English
Pages: 320
Tags: Geology; Geophysics/Geodesy; Paleontology
Front Matter....Pages i-xii
Introduction....Pages 1-22
Geological Framework....Pages 23-45
Impact Structure and Morphology....Pages 47-73
Impact Geophysics and Modelling....Pages 75-137
Impact Cratering and Post-impact Sedimentation....Pages 139-174
Ejecta Geology....Pages 175-194
The Impact Dynamics....Pages 195-209
Structural Analysis of Deformed Central Peak Sediments....Pages 211-228
Postimpact Deformation Due to Sediment Loading: The Mjølnir Paradigm....Pages 229-256
The Mjølnir Tsunami....Pages 257-271
Back Matter....Pages 273-318
