Album 4 - High-Pressure Shock Metamorphism
Comet Impact Inquiry
"Science Related" not "Scientifically Related"
Additional photos for section 4, covering impact structure criteria 5, high-pressure shock
metamorphism evidence.
Group of quartz blocks found in and around the impact structures.
Group of fractured quartz blocks showing planar deformation features.
Multiple sets of planar deformation features in quartz.
Closely doubled parallel lines on quartz.
Intersecting lines show shock metamorphic effects on quartz block.
Microscopic view of four of the mineral grains, ranging in sizes from 1 to 1 1/2 mm, from the group shown on the far right. With no ability to view thin
sections or etch the grains, I viewed the larger and more transparent grains using the 300x option.
Quartz blocks with intrusive black magnetic mineral.
Blocks ranges in size from 2 1/2 to 3 1/2 mm. Although the photos are macro mode photo shots, multiple sets of
intersecting lines or shock lamellae, the shock-induced micro twinning along with strong rhombohedral planar
deformation features (PDFs) can be seen without the aid of a magnifier. In photos 5 & 6, the blocks appearance is
much like quartz. Quartz conglomerate with shock-induced fractured quartz pebbles (photo 7). Small magnetic
breccia consisting of quartz and other minerals held together by impact melt substances (photo 8).
Sets of planar deformation features and fractures in quartz.
Multiple sets of PDFs in quartz block.
Planar fractures and planar deformation features in quartz.
Rhombohedral cleavage planar features and multiple sets of planar deformation features in quartz block.
Multiple sets of PDFs
Quartz block showing rhombohedral cleavages, PDF and fractures.
Multiple sets of PDFs along with fractures.
Rhombohedral cleavage along with multiple sets of planar deformation features.
Multiple sets of planar deformation features along with rhombohedral cleavage resembling omega features.
Close-ups of quartz blocks showing rhombohedral
features, multiples sets of planar deformation features
or shock lamellae and planar fractures (photos 1 - 9).
Micro-twinning in the smaller nondescript quart block
shown in photo 7 at top of page.
Planar fractures created by high pressure shock in mineral grain.
Mineral grain showing at least 2 sets of PDFs and PFs
High pressure fractures within mineral grain.
Shock fracture within the grain.
Photo 1
Photo 9
Photo 8
Photo 7
Photo 6
Photo 5
Photo 4
Photo 3
Photo 2
Photo 1
Photo 6
Photo 4
Photo 3
Photo 5
Photo 2
Mineral grains and glasses ranging in sizes from 0.5mm to 2mm.
Micro-twinning on smaller quartz block seen in photo 7 above.
Photo 10
Quartz fractured from impact shock.
Quartz fractured from the impact.
Impact shocked quartz
Impact shocked quartz
Shocked Quartz from the impact.
Quartz conglomerate with shock fractured milky and transparent quartz crystals. Bright points show within each crystals held together by a fine-grain
yellowish-white matrix (photos 1 - 3). Fractured quartz within magnetic impact breccia consisting of quartz and other minerals held together by
impact melt substance (photos 4 & 5).
Consist fo quartz and other minerals held together by melt from the comet's impact. Magnetic.
Photo 8
Photo 1
Photo 5
Photo 4
Photo 3
Photo 2
Glassy grain with micro twinning in quartz .
Polymorphs and thetomorphs of quarts.
Quartz polymorphs and thetomorphs
Minerals polymorphs from quartz
Quartz polymorphs
Photo 5
Photo 4
Photo 3
Photo 2
Photo 1
Planar deformation features on quartz grain transform to glass (diaplectic glass or thetomorph of quartz - photo 1). Polymorphs and thetomorphs of
quartz (photos 2 - 5).  
Quartz crystals converted to glass.
Portion of the quartz converted to glass.
Conversion of quartz crystal to glass
Close-up of the larger of 3 crystals found at the exact point of impact.
Shock induced fracture on crystals from point of impact.
Shock-induced fracture on crystals from the point of impact.
Crystals from impact structure
Perhaps shock metamorphose crystals - pick up from the point of impact.
Crystal from mid-center of impact structure. Not sure what to make of the odd lines in the foreground.
Transparent crystal from impact point.
Few of the many faces on crystal from the point of impact.
Crystals from the point of impact showing shock-induced fracture within.
Crystals from the point of impact
Shock-induced quartz crystals converted to glass.
Transparent to semi-transparent crystals found at the point of impact or the exact center of one of the small impact structures. Due to the many faces
and different shapes and sizes of those faces, it is difficult to discern the shape of the crystals structure. The faces do have similarities in shape and
being unfinished in form to the layers seen on the glass-like carbon.
Milky quartz pebble conglomerate with fractured pebbles.
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Photo 7