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Planetary geoscience

marsian meteorite
Martian meteorite on its way into the electron microscope (Photo: J. Martell)

Within research area planetary geoscience we want to place planet Earth in a broader context – how has our planet interacted with its neighbors in the Solar System throughout its history? Over the past years the main research interest of the group has been impact cratering. Impact cratering has played a major role in shaping planetary surfaces and environments since the formation of our Solar System, and still continues to do so today. Constraining Earth’s collisional history is the only way we can learn about how Earth has been affected by impact cratering. We perform research within two main fields of planetary geoscience – impact cratering and shock metamorphism, and studies of the geologic evolution of planet Mars. To increase understanding of the process of impact crater formation, how the process has affected, and still does affect, Earth, to find new ways to identify impact structures, and to improve knowledge on the processes that acted during the early stages of the Solar System we analyze rocks that come from terrestrial impact structures, meteorites, and analyze remote sensing data from Mars. In the group we are very interested in finding new methods for answering outstanding questions within planetary geoscience, and we employ modern techniques such as scanning electron microscopy with electron backscatter diffraction and neutron tomography.

Selected recent publications (group members at the Department of Geology in Lund in bold)

Martell, J., Alwmark, C., Daly, L., Hall, S., Alwmark, S., Woracek, R., Hektor, J., Helfen, L., Tengattini, A., and Lee, M, 2022: The scale of a Martian hydrothermal system explored using combined neutron and X-ray tomography. Science Advances 8:eabn3044, DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.abn3044.

Holm-Alwmark, S., Erickson, T.M., and Cavosie, A.J., 2022: Empirical constraints on progressive shock metamorphism of magnetite from the Siljan impact structure, Sweden. Geology 50:377–382. DOI: 10.1130/G49498.1.

Holm-Alwmark, S., Kinch, K.M., Hansen, M.D., Shahrzad, S., Svennevig, K., Abbey, W.J., Anderson, R.B., Calef III, F.J., Gupta, S., Hauber, E., Horgan, B.H.N., Kah, L.C., Knade, J., Miklusicak, N., Stack, K.M., Sun, V.Z., Tarnas, J.D., and Quantin-Nataf, C., 2021: Stratigraphic relationships in Jezero crater, Mars – Constraints on the timing of fluvial-lacustrine activity from orbital observations. Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets 126:e2021JE006840. DOI: 10.1029/2021JE006840.

Holm-Alwmark, S., Jourdan, F., Ferrière, L., Alwmark, C., and Koeberl, C., 2021: Resolving the age of the Puchezh-Katunki impact structure (Russia) against alteration and inherited 40Ar* – No link with extinctions. Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta 301:116–140. DOI: 10.1016/j.gca.2021.03.001.

Plan, A., Kenny, G.G., Erickson, T.M., Lindgren, P., Alwmark, C., Holm-Alwmark, S., Lambert, P., Scherstén, A., and Söderlund, U., 2021: Exceptional preservation of reidite in the Rochechouart impact structure, France: new insights into shock deformation and phase transition of zircon. Meteoritics & Planetary Science 56:1795–1828. DOI: 10.1111/maps.13723.

Martell, J., Alwmark C., Holm-Alwmark, S., and Lindgren, P., 2021: Shock deformation in zircon grains from the Mien impact structure, Sweden. Meteoritics & Planetary Science 56:362–378. DOI: 10.1111/maps.13625.

Holm-Alwmark, S., Alwmark, C., Ferrière, L., Meier, M. M. M., Lindström, S., Kenny, G. G., Sheldon, E., Schweigert, G., Spötl, C., Whitehouse, M. J., and Hofmann, B. A., 2021: Shocked quartz in distal ejecta from the Ries impact event (Germany) found at ~  180 km distance, near Bernhardzell, eastern Switzerland. Scientific Reports 11:7438. DOI:  10.1038/s41598-021-86685-2.

Herrmann, M., Alwmark, C., and Storey, M., 2021: 40Ar-39Ar age evidence for an impactgenerated hydrothermal system in the Devonian Siljan crater, Sweden, in Reimold, W.U., and Koeberl, C., eds., Large Meteorite Impacts and Planetary Evolution VI: Geological Society of America Special Paper 550, DOI: 10.1130/2021.2550(26).