Abstract
One of the most dramatic scientific theories of the past ten years has been that a collision between the earth and a large meteor or bolide about 10 km in diameter caused mass extinctions of most of the then-existing species (including dinosaurs) at the end of the Cretaceous, 65 million years ago. Controversy continues but, by and large, organic geochemists researching fossil fuels have not been active participants. Only recently has a relationship between kerogen and the all-important iridium anomaly been investigated (Schmitz et al., 1988). Sediment samples at the Cretaceous-Tertiary boundary contain anomalously high concentrations of iridium, an element whose abundance in the earth's crust is only one ten thousandth of that found in meteorites and presumably in other solar system debris. The purpose of this paper is to briefly raise some questions regarding the bolide impact theory as it affects coal and petroleum deposits. It may well be that organic geochemical evidence will be crucial in either supporting or refuting the impact hypothesis or one of its variations. Even if future research tends to favor widespread explosive volcanism, rather than bolide impacts, the significance of such catastrophic events to the formation and characteristics of fossil fuels needs to
More>>
Saxby, J D
[1]
- CSIRO Division of Coal Technology (Australia)
Citation Formats
Saxby, J D.
Bolide impacts and their significance in fossil fuel geochemistry.
United Kingdom: N. p.,
1989.
Web.
doi:10.1016/0146-6380(89)90036-3.
Saxby, J D.
Bolide impacts and their significance in fossil fuel geochemistry.
United Kingdom.
doi:10.1016/0146-6380(89)90036-3.
Saxby, J D.
1989.
"Bolide impacts and their significance in fossil fuel geochemistry."
United Kingdom.
doi:10.1016/0146-6380(89)90036-3.
https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/10.1016/0146-6380(89)90036-3.
@misc{etde_6845075,
title = {Bolide impacts and their significance in fossil fuel geochemistry}
author = {Saxby, J D}
abstractNote = {One of the most dramatic scientific theories of the past ten years has been that a collision between the earth and a large meteor or bolide about 10 km in diameter caused mass extinctions of most of the then-existing species (including dinosaurs) at the end of the Cretaceous, 65 million years ago. Controversy continues but, by and large, organic geochemists researching fossil fuels have not been active participants. Only recently has a relationship between kerogen and the all-important iridium anomaly been investigated (Schmitz et al., 1988). Sediment samples at the Cretaceous-Tertiary boundary contain anomalously high concentrations of iridium, an element whose abundance in the earth's crust is only one ten thousandth of that found in meteorites and presumably in other solar system debris. The purpose of this paper is to briefly raise some questions regarding the bolide impact theory as it affects coal and petroleum deposits. It may well be that organic geochemical evidence will be crucial in either supporting or refuting the impact hypothesis or one of its variations. Even if future research tends to favor widespread explosive volcanism, rather than bolide impacts, the significance of such catastrophic events to the formation and characteristics of fossil fuels needs to be assessed.}
doi = {10.1016/0146-6380(89)90036-3}
journal = {Organic Geochemistry; (UK)}
volume = {14:5}
journal type = {AC}
place = {United Kingdom}
year = {1989}
month = {Jan}
}
title = {Bolide impacts and their significance in fossil fuel geochemistry}
author = {Saxby, J D}
abstractNote = {One of the most dramatic scientific theories of the past ten years has been that a collision between the earth and a large meteor or bolide about 10 km in diameter caused mass extinctions of most of the then-existing species (including dinosaurs) at the end of the Cretaceous, 65 million years ago. Controversy continues but, by and large, organic geochemists researching fossil fuels have not been active participants. Only recently has a relationship between kerogen and the all-important iridium anomaly been investigated (Schmitz et al., 1988). Sediment samples at the Cretaceous-Tertiary boundary contain anomalously high concentrations of iridium, an element whose abundance in the earth's crust is only one ten thousandth of that found in meteorites and presumably in other solar system debris. The purpose of this paper is to briefly raise some questions regarding the bolide impact theory as it affects coal and petroleum deposits. It may well be that organic geochemical evidence will be crucial in either supporting or refuting the impact hypothesis or one of its variations. Even if future research tends to favor widespread explosive volcanism, rather than bolide impacts, the significance of such catastrophic events to the formation and characteristics of fossil fuels needs to be assessed.}
doi = {10.1016/0146-6380(89)90036-3}
journal = {Organic Geochemistry; (UK)}
volume = {14:5}
journal type = {AC}
place = {United Kingdom}
year = {1989}
month = {Jan}
}