M.L. Malinconico | Geology Reports

USGS2009

Supplemental materials for the ICDP-USGS Eyreville A, B, and C core holes, Chesapeake Bay impact structure: Core-box photographs, coring-run tables, and depth-conversion files

During 2005-2006, the International Continental Scientific Drilling Program and the U.S. Geological Survey drilled three continuous core holes into the Chesapeake Bay impact structure to a total depth of 1766.3 m. A collection of supplemental materials that presents a record of the core recovery and measurement data for the Eyreville cores is available on CD-ROM at the end of this volume and in the GSA Data Repository. The supplemental materials on the CD-ROM include digital photographs of each core box from the three core holes, tables of the three coring-run logs, as recorded on site, and a set of depth-conversion programs. In this chapter, the contents, purposes, and basic applications of the supplemental materials are briefly described. With this information, users can quickly decide if the materials will apply to their specific research needs.

Chesapeake Bay↗

USGS2009

Postimpact heat conduction and compaction-driven fluid flow in the Chesapeake Bay impact structure based on downhole vitrinite reflectance data, ICDP-USGS Eyreville deep core holes and Cape Charles test holes

Vitrinite reflectance data from the International Continental Scientific Drilling Program (ICDP)-U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Eyreville deep cores in the centralcrater moat of the Chesapeake Bay impact structure and the Cape Charles test holes on the central uplift show patterns of postimpact maximum-temperature distribution that result from a combination of conductive and advective heat flow. Within the crater-fill sediment-clast breccia sequence at Eyreville, an isoreflectance (-0.44% Ro) section (525-1096 m depth) is higher than modeled background coastal-plain maturity and shows a pattern typical of advective fluid flow. Below an intervening granite slab, a short interval of sediment-clast breccia (1371-1397 m) shows a sharp increase in reflectance (0.47%-0.91% Ro) caused by conductive heat from the underlying suevite (1397-1474 m). Refl ectance data in the uppermost suevite range from 1.2% to 2.1% Ro. However, heat conduction alone is not sufficient to affect the temperature of sediments more than 100 m above the suevite. Thermal modeling of the Eyreville suevite as a 390 ??C cooling sill-like hot rock layer supplemented by compaction- driven vertical fluid flow (0.046 m/a) of cooling suevitic fluids and deeper basement brines (120 ??C) upward through the sediment breccias closely reproduces the measured reflectance data. This scenario would also replace any marine water trapped in the crater fill with more saline brine, similar to that currently in the crater, and it would produce temperatures sufficient to kill microbes in sediment breccias within 450 m above the synimsuevite. A similar downhole maturity pattern is present in the sediment-clast breccia over the central uplift. High-reflectance (5%-9%) black shale and siltstone clasts in the suevite and sediment-clast breccia record a pre-impact (Paleozoic?) metamorphic event. Previously published maturity data in the annular trough indicate no thermal effect there from impact-related processes. ?? 2009 The Geological Society of America.

Special Paper of the Geological Society of America↗