The newly confirmed Luizi impact structure, Democratic Republic of Congo—Insights into central uplift formation and post-impact erosion

Research Article| September 01, 2011 The newly confirmed Luizi impact structure, Democratic Republic of Congo—Insights into central uplift formation and post-impact erosion Ludovic Ferrière; Ludovic Ferrière * 1Department of Earth Sciences, University of Western Ontario, 1151 Richmond Street, London, Ontario N6A 5B7, Canada *Current address: Natural History Museum, Burgring 7, A-1010 Vienna, Austria; E-mail: ludovic ludovic.ferriere@nhm-wien.ac.at. Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar François R.T. Lubala; François R.T. Lubala † 2Department of Geology, University of Lubumbashi, P.O. Box 1825, Lubumbashi, Democratic Republic of Congo †E-mails: lubala.toto@unilu.ac.cd; gosinski@uwo.ca. Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Gordon R. Osinski; Gordon R. Osinski † 1Department of Earth Sciences, University of Western Ontario, 1151 Richmond Street, London, Ontario N6A 5B7, Canada3Department of Physics & Astronomy, University of Western Ontario, 1151 Richmond Street, London, Ontario N6A 5B7, Canada †E-mails: lubala.toto@unilu.ac.cd; gosinski@uwo.ca. Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Pierre K. Kaseti Pierre K. Kaseti 2Department of Geology, University of Lubumbashi, P.O. Box 1825, Lubumbashi, Democratic Republic of Congo Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Author and Article Information Ludovic Ferrière * 1Department of Earth Sciences, University of Western Ontario, 1151 Richmond Street, London, Ontario N6A 5B7, Canada François R.T. Lubala † 2Department of Geology, University of Lubumbashi, P.O. Box 1825, Lubumbashi, Democratic Republic of Congo Gordon R. Osinski † 1Department of Earth Sciences, University of Western Ontario, 1151 Richmond Street, London, Ontario N6A 5B7, Canada3Department of Physics & Astronomy, University of Western Ontario, 1151 Richmond Street, London, Ontario N6A 5B7, Canada Pierre K. Kaseti 2Department of Geology, University of Lubumbashi, P.O. Box 1825, Lubumbashi, Democratic Republic of Congo *Current address: Natural History Museum, Burgring 7, A-1010 Vienna, Austria; E-mail: ludovic ludovic.ferriere@nhm-wien.ac.at. †E-mails: lubala.toto@unilu.ac.cd; gosinski@uwo.ca. Publisher: Geological Society of America Received: 11 Dec 2010 Revision Received: 12 Apr 2011 Accepted: 13 Apr 2011 First Online: 09 Mar 2017 Online ISSN: 1943-2682 Print ISSN: 0091-7613 © 2011 Geological Society of America Geology (2011) 39 (9): 851–854. https://doi.org/10.1130/G31990.1 Article history Received: 11 Dec 2010 Revision Received: 12 Apr 2011 Accepted: 13 Apr 2011 First Online: 09 Mar 2017 Cite View This Citation Add to Citation Manager Share Icon Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Permissions Search Site Citation Ludovic Ferrière, François R.T. Lubala, Gordon R. Osinski, Pierre K. Kaseti; The newly confirmed Luizi impact structure, Democratic Republic of Congo—Insights into central uplift formation and post-impact erosion. Geology 2011;; 39 (9): 851–854. doi: https://doi.org/10.1130/G31990.1 Download citation file: Ris (Zotero) Refmanager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex toolbar search Search Dropdown Menu toolbar search search input Search input auto suggest filter your search All ContentBy SocietyGeology Search Advanced Search Abstract Rocks exposed within the uplifted central part of meteorite impact structures come from significant stratigraphic depths, in some cases as much as several kilometers. On Earth, central uplifts are commonly the final and only feature of an impact crater that remains after the rest of the structure is lost to erosion. However, the crater-forming process that results in the formation of intricate features such as central peak and peak rings is poorly understood. Much of our knowledge is based on extraterrestrial observations; as on Earth, there are very few unequivocal examples of impact craters with well-preserved peak and ring morphologies, because of erosion. In this study we describe the ∼17-km-diameter Luizi structure (Katanga region, Democratic Republic of Congo), a moderate-sized complex crater, with an intermediate ring (∼5.2 km in diameter), and an ∼2-km-wide circular central ring around a central depression. For the first time, unique evidence of shock metamorphism, in the form of macroscopic shatter cones and multiple sets of microscopic planar deformation features in quartz and feldspar grains, is described, confirming the meteorite impact origin of the structure. Our observations at Luizi provide insights into the formation of mid-sized impact craters on Earth, adding to the evidence that, in the case of sedimentary target lithologies, structural ring structures within the central uplift may form by the collapse of an unstable central peak. Given the preservation state of the Luizi crater, it cannot be excluded that structural rings may be a common feature for mid-size craters developed in layered target rocks. You do not have access to this content, please speak to your institutional administrator if you feel you should have access.