USING MAGNETIC SUSCEPTIBILITY TO FIND PRECAMBRIAN IMPACT EJECTA: A PROPOSAL

Abstract

Layers with high magnetic susceptibility contain heavy minerals that are the most likely to preserve signatures of impact in metamorphosed Precambrian rocks. The following impact indicators are resistant to alteration and metamorphism and are likely to be found in heavy mineral layers: impact diamond, SiC, shocked zircon, high-pressure TiO2 phases, reidite, and high-pressure chromite. Coesite and stishovite could also be present but are not likely to be preserved in rocks metamorphosed above the greenschist facies. Looking for layers with high magnetic susceptibility will also identify layers that might contain concentrations of zircon for dating.