Fingerprinting the Cretaceous-Paleogene boundary impact with Zn isotopes

Ryan Mathur; Brandon Mahan; Marissa Spencer; Linda Godfrey; Neil Landman; Matthew Garb; D. Graham Pearson; Sheng-Ao Liu; Francisca E. Oboh-Ikuenobe

doi:10.1038/s41467-021-24419-8

Nature Communications (Jul 2021)

Fingerprinting the Cretaceous-Paleogene boundary impact with Zn isotopes

Ryan Mathur,
Brandon Mahan,
Marissa Spencer,
Linda Godfrey,
Neil Landman,
Matthew Garb,
D. Graham Pearson,
Sheng-Ao Liu,
Francisca E. Oboh-Ikuenobe

Affiliations

Ryan Mathur: Geology Department, Juniata College
Brandon Mahan: Earth and Environmental Science, James Cook University
Marissa Spencer: Department of Geosciences and Geological and Petroleum Engineering, Missouri University of Science and Technology
Linda Godfrey: Department of Earth and Planetary Science, Rutgers University
Neil Landman: Division of Paleontology, American Museum of Natural History
Matthew Garb: Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, City University of New York, Brooklyn College
D. Graham Pearson: Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, University of Alberta
Sheng-Ao Liu: China University of Geosciences
Francisca E. Oboh-Ikuenobe: Department of Geosciences and Geological and Petroleum Engineering, Missouri University of Science and Technology

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-021-24419-8
Journal volume & issue: Vol. 12, no. 1
pp. 1 – 8

Abstract

Read online

Elevated Zn isotope compositions occur in K-Pg sedimentary layers of three different depositional environments across North America and the Caribbean. The data indicate a volatilization event, and act as a robust mechanistic indicator of the meteorite impact at the end of the Cretaceous.

Published in Nature Communications

ISSN: 2041-1723 (Online)
Publisher: Nature Portfolio
Country of publisher: United Kingdom
LCC subjects: Science
Website: https://www.nature.com/ncomms/

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