Title |
First known Terrestrial Impact of a Binary Asteroid from a Main Belt Breakup Event
|
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Published in |
Scientific Reports, October 2014
|
DOI | 10.1038/srep06724 |
Pubmed ID | |
Authors |
Jens Ormö, Erik Sturkell, Carl Alwmark, Jay Melosh |
Abstract |
Approximately 470 million years ago one of the largest cosmic catastrophes occurred in our solar system since the accretion of the planets. A 200-km large asteroid was disrupted by a collision in the Main Asteroid Belt, which spawned fragments into Earth crossing orbits. This had tremendous consequences for the meteorite production and cratering rate during several millions of years following the event. The 7.5-km wide Lockne crater, central Sweden, is known to be a member of this family. We here provide evidence that Lockne and its nearby companion, the 0.7-km diameter, contemporaneous, Målingen crater, formed by the impact of a binary, presumably 'rubble pile' asteroid. This newly discovered crater doublet provides a unique reference for impacts by combined, and poorly consolidated projectiles, as well as for the development of binary asteroids. |
X Demographics
Geographical breakdown
Country | Count | As % |
---|---|---|
United States | 4 | 21% |
Germany | 3 | 16% |
United Kingdom | 2 | 11% |
Argentina | 1 | 5% |
Spain | 1 | 5% |
Greece | 1 | 5% |
Puerto Rico | 1 | 5% |
Unknown | 6 | 32% |
Demographic breakdown
Type | Count | As % |
---|---|---|
Members of the public | 14 | 74% |
Scientists | 3 | 16% |
Practitioners (doctors, other healthcare professionals) | 2 | 11% |
Mendeley readers
Geographical breakdown
Country | Count | As % |
---|---|---|
Canada | 1 | 6% |
Unknown | 17 | 94% |
Demographic breakdown
Readers by professional status | Count | As % |
---|---|---|
Other | 5 | 28% |
Student > Ph. D. Student | 5 | 28% |
Student > Master | 2 | 11% |
Student > Bachelor | 1 | 6% |
Student > Doctoral Student | 1 | 6% |
Other | 2 | 11% |
Unknown | 2 | 11% |
Readers by discipline | Count | As % |
---|---|---|
Earth and Planetary Sciences | 8 | 44% |
Agricultural and Biological Sciences | 3 | 17% |
Physics and Astronomy | 1 | 6% |
Chemistry | 1 | 6% |
Unknown | 5 | 28% |