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Astroblems in the Early Earth History: Precambrian Impact Structures of the Kola-Karelian Region (East Baltic Shield)

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Geological and Geo-Environmental Processes on Earth

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Abstract

Studying early Precambrian astroblems is complicated by their localization in structural and compositional complexes that underwent superimposed metamorphism and tectonic processing. Back in the 1980s, seven sites with occurrences of breccias and other rocks resembling impact structures were identified as potentially diamondiferous impact structures within the Karelian-Kola region. But at present, only two astroblems are known in the region: Janisjärvi of 725 ± 5 Ma and Suavjärvi of ~2400 Ma. In the Kola part, impact origin is assumed for two objects: the Javrozero circle structure in the Tanaelv belt and the Järva-varaka layered massif in the Monchegorsk ore area. The most promising structure to be an astrobleme with serious signs of impact origin is the Paleoproterozoic Järva-varaka massif. According to geological, petrochemical, and geochemical characteristics of rocks the Järva-varaka massif is most similar to the 1.85 Ga Sudbury structure (Canada), for which an impact origin was assumed. Shock metamorphism of the Järva-varaka massif was manifested in amorphization of zircon from the country rocks with formation of plagioclase and sillimanite glasses in inclusions, as well as planar deformations in quartz.

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Acknowledgements

Authors are grateful to Bocharov V. and Shilovsky V. for Raman and EBSD study of zircon, to for Rodionov N. and L’vov P. for SHRIMP-II zircon and baddeleyite dating, to Naumov M., Vinogradova N., Konstantinova L., and Sosnovskaya M. for their help during field trip and to the two anonymous reviewers for all the constructive comments they provided to improve this manuscript. The work was performed in the framework of the State Contract No. 0226-2019-0052 of GI KSC RAS and conducted using an equipment of the "Geomodel" and “X-rays diffraction methods” resource centers of the St. Petersburg State University Science Park.

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  1. Geological Institute of Kola Science Centre of Russian Academy of Sciences, Fersman Str. 14, Apatity, 184209, Russia

    Tatiana V. Kaulina, Lyudmila I. Nerovich, Vadim L. Il’chenko, Lyudmila M. Lialina, Evgeny L. Kunakkuzin, Maria A. Ganninbal, Sergey V. Mudruk, Dmitry V. Elizarov & Elena S. Borisenko

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  1. Tatiana V. Kaulina
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Correspondence to Tatiana V. Kaulina .

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  1. Department of Applied Geology, Dr. Hari Singh Gour Vishwavidyalaya, Saugor, India

    Arun Kumar Shandilya

  2. Department of Geology, Bundelkhand University, Jhansi, India

    Vinod Kumar Singh

  3. Department of Geology, Bundelkhand University, Jhansi, India

    Suresh Chandra Bhatt

  4. Professor Emeritus in Science Faculty, Sri Sri University, Cuttack, India

    Chandra Shekhar Dubey

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Kaulina, T.V. et al. (2021). Astroblems in the Early Earth History: Precambrian Impact Structures of the Kola-Karelian Region (East Baltic Shield). In: Shandilya, A.K., Singh, V.K., Bhatt, S.C., Dubey, C.S. (eds) Geological and Geo-Environmental Processes on Earth. Springer Natural Hazards. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-16-4122-0_3

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