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www.solid-earth-discuss.net/2/69/2010/
doi:10.5194/sed-2-69-2010
© Author(s) 2010. This work is distributed
under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.
Candidates for multiple impact craters: popigai and chicxulub as seen by EGM08, a global 5'×5' gravitational model
1Astronomical Institute, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Czech Republic
2Research Institute for Geodesy, Topography and Cartography, Czech Republic
3Department of Advanced Geodesy, Czech Technical University, Czech Republic
4Department of Math, Faculty of Applied Sciences, University of West Bohemia, Czech Republic
5Laboratory for Satellite Altimetry, NOAA, USA
Abstract. In 2008 the new Earth Gravitational Model (EGM08) was released. It contains a complete set of spherical harmonic coefficients of the Earth's gravitational potential (Stokes parameters) to degree 2190 and order 2159 that can be used for evaluation of various potential quantities with both the unprecedented accuracy and high spatial resolution. Two such quantities, the gravity anomaly and second-order radial derivative of the disturbing potential, were computed over selected areas with known impact craters. The displays of these derivatives for two such sites clearly show not only the strong circular-like features known to be associated with them but also other symmetrical structures which appear to make them multiple impact sites. At Popigai, Siberia, the secondary circular features fall in a line from the primary in the SE direction. At Chicxulub, Yucatán, there appears to be one secondary crater close to the primary in the NE direction, as well as possibly others in the vicinity of the main crater. Gravity information alone is not proof of the impact craters but it is useful in identifying candidate sites for further study, for future examination by geologists and geophysicists.
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Citation: Klokočník, J., Kostelecký, J., Pešek, I., Novák, P., Wagner, C. A., and Sebera, J.: Candidates for multiple impact craters: popigai and chicxulub as seen by EGM08, a global 5'×5' gravitational model, Solid Earth Discuss., 2, 69-103, doi:10.5194/sed-2-69-2010, 2010. Bibtex EndNote Reference Manager XML
