Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Characterization Of Novel Ichnofossils In Meteorite Impact Glass From The Ries Impact Structure, Germany, Haley M. Sapers

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

The initial catastrophic biological effects of hypervelocity impacts are well established. However, a growing body of evidence suggests that meteorite impact events have beneficial effects for microbial life. This, in turn, has led many to suggest that impact craters may have been important habitats for life on early Earth. Any large meteorite impact into a water-rich target on a solid planetary body has the potential to generate hydrothermal systems. Impact-generated hydrothermal systems expand the potential environments for microbial colonization to environments without endogenous volcanic heat sources to drive hydrothermal activity. Examination of impact glass from the Ries impact structure, Germany, …