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Seismic attribute analysis of Chicxulub impact crater

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Abstract

Chicxulub crater formed ~ 66 Ma ago by an asteroid impact on the Yucatan platform in the southern Gulf of Mexico. The crater has a ~ 200 km rim diameter and has been covered by carbonate sediments up to ~ 1.1 km thick in the central zone. Previous studies have identified the structure and major crater units through geophysical models from seismic reflection and potential field data, classified as the central uplift, terrace zone, outer and inner ring fault zones and impactite deposits. Impact produced a deep excavation cavity, with fragmentation and ejection of large volumes of crustal target rocks. Understanding the pre-existing structures, impact-induced deformation and post-impact processes requires high-resolution images of the crater and target zone. For this study, we use complex trace attributes of instantaneous phase, frequency, envelope amplitude and similarity, in an E-W seismic reflection profile crossing the crater in the marine sector. Geophysical logs and borehole lithological columns from the on-land drilling projects are used to constrain the petrophysical analysis. Seismic attributes aid to characterize the radial fault zones and physical property contrasts, revealing asymmetries in the crater structure. The reflector packages in the post-impact sediments and target Cretaceous sequence are identified in the frequency and phase attributes. The bottom crater reflectors, with the basal sediments filling the crater floor topography, are enhanced with the envelope amplitude attribute. A set of high-amplitude reflectors is shown in the similarity attribute, in which the reflector geometry is delineated on the target carbonate sequence. The offsets in the high-amplitude reflectors between the eastern and western sectors are possibly associated to target pre-impact asymmetries, impact deformation and effects of central crater collapse.

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Fig. 1
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modified from Morgan et al. 2000; Collins et al. 2008; Gulick et al. 2013). b Seismic images of the Chicx_A and Chicx_A1 lines, showing crater features (see text for description)

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Acknowledgments

We acknowledge the useful comments by two anonymous journal reviewers, Dr. Francyne B d. Amarante and the editor Dr. R. Zuñiga, which have improved the paper. This study forms part of the Chicxulub Crater Research Program and UNAM Program for Continental and Ocean Drilling. We thank Miguel Angel Diaz and Rafael Venegas for technical assistance. Partial support for the study has been provided by CONACYT doctoral scholarship to ES-H and the UNAM Coordinacion de Plataformas Oceanograficas Chicxulub project.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Facultad de Ingeniería, Universidad Autónoma del Carmen, Ciudad del Carmen, 24180, Campeche, México

    E. Salguero-Hernández

  2. Programa Universitario de Perforaciones en Océanos y Continentes, Instituto de Geofísica, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Ciudad Universitaria, 04510, México, México

    L. Pérez-Cruz & J. Urrutia-Fucugauchi

  3. Coordinación de Plataformas Oceanográficas, Coordinación de la Investigación Científica, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Ciudad Universitaria, 04510, México, México

    L. Pérez-Cruz

  4. Instituto de Investigación Científica y Estudios Avanzados Chicxulub, Parque Científico y Tecnológico de Yucatán, Sierra Papacal, Mérida, 97302, Yucatán, México

    L. Pérez-Cruz & J. Urrutia-Fucugauchi

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  1. E. Salguero-Hernández
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Correspondence to E. Salguero-Hernández.

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Salguero-Hernández, E., Pérez-Cruz, L. & Urrutia-Fucugauchi, J. Seismic attribute analysis of Chicxulub impact crater. Acta Geophys. 68, 627–640 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11600-020-00442-z

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