世界陨石坑研究

Research on meteorite craters in the world

本文综述了全球陨石坑研究的研究历史和最新成果、基本的概念、陨石坑的识别要点、世界著名的陨石坑、陨石撞击地球可能引起的岩浆活动、陨石撞击与生命演化等内容。确定一个陨石坑,要从有一定弧度的地貌开始,鉴别低平圆形地质体是陨石还是其他原因造成的,综合确定岩石的岩石学特征、岩石中是否有撞击变质矿物、残余陨石、重力异常。陨石撞击太阳系的所有行星。由于地球表面遭受严重的风化和侵蚀,地质学家很难发现陨石坑。截至2021年3月31日,全球陨石坑数据库中有190个经确认的陨石坑,但中国只有一个,中国地质学家在发现陨石坑方面应当积极努力。对一个陨石坑认识可能不很成熟,但往往能改变对一个地区的地质成因理论的认识,形成完整的陨石坑证据链可能需要几代科学家的不断努力。

This paper is a review article.It summarizes the research history and latest research achievements on meteorite craters in the world,including basic classification,key points of crater identification,world-famous craters,magmatic activities caused by meteorite impact on the earth,meteorite impact and life evolution,etc.To determine a crater,we should start with landforms with a certain radian,identify whether meteorites created craters or by other reasons,and comprehensively determine the petrological characteristics in the rock,whether there are impact metamorphic minerals,residual meteorite and gravity anomaly in the strata.Meteorites hit all the planets in the solar system,including the earth.Because of the severe weathering and erosion of the earth’s surface,it is difficult for geologists to find impact craters.As of March 15,2021,there are 190 certified craters in the global crater database,but there is only one in China.Chinese geologists still have a long way to go in discovering impact craters.It may not be very mature for recognizing a crater,but it can often change a strategy of the understanding of oil and gas exploration in an area and the theory of geological genesis in an area,and it may require the continuous efforts of several generations of scientists to form a complete evidence on a crater.