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GeoTalk: Drilling into the crater whichcontributed to the demise of dinosaurs

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Laura Roberts-Artal · October 28, 2016 · Earth Magnetism and Rock Physics, Geochemistry, Mineralogy, Petrology & Volcanology,Geodynamics, Geomorphology, Geoscientific Methods, GeoTalk, Natural Hazards, Regular Features, Space and Planetary Sciences · NoComments

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Six months ago, somewhere in the tropical waters off the coast of Mexico, scientists began drilling into one of the

most iconic geological features on Earth: the Chicxulub crater; the 66 million year old remnants of a deadly asteroid

impact, thought to have contributed to the demise of dinosaurs and most other forms of life which inhabited the

Earth at the time.

Today we speak to Sonia Tikoo, Assistant Professor of Planetary Sciences, Department of Earth and Planetary Sci-

ences, Rutgers University, and one of the researchers part of an international team which is currently trying to de-

cipher the secrets held by the rocks of the Chicxulub crater at a core repository in Bremen.

First, could you introduce yourself and tell our readers a little more about your career path so far?

In general, my work involves using the magnetism recorded within rocks to understand problems in the planetary

sciences. I started doing research in palaeomagnetism during college but I really wanted to work in something in-

volving space so I transitioned into planetary science during graduate school. During my PhD at MIT, I worked on

studying the palaeomagnetism of lunar rocks from the Apollo missions to understand the history of the now-extinct

lunar dynamo magnetic field. It was really cool to explore the different ways that small planetary bodies could also

generate long-lived magnetic fields lasting a billion years or more. I subsequently started studying how shock and

impact cratering events affect magnetic records within rocks during my postdoc at UC Berkeley, and that experience

eventually led me to the work on Chicxulub that I’m doing right now!

For those readers who may not be so familiar with the project, could you give us a whistle-stop tour of aims

The Onshore Science Party for Expedition 364. Image courtesy of Volker Diekamp@ECORD_IODP

Meet Sonia, pictured with fellow palaeomgnetist William Zylberman, holding up some samples collected from the IODP cores.

AGU

http://www.nature.com/news/geologists-to-drill-into-heart-of-dinosaur-killing-impact-1.19643https://soniatikoo.com/http://www.ecord.org/expedition364/http://blogs.egu.eu/geolog/files/2016/10/Sonia_2.jpg

of the research and why it’s important?

In addition to being the crater linked to the demise of the dinosaurs (cool in and of itself!), Chicxulub is also the

best-preserved impact structure on Earth and it is the only crater with an intact and well-defined peak ring (a ring of

elevated topography within the crater that forms during the collapse stage of crater modification). As part of

IODP/ICDP Expedition 364, we are planning to address a lot of questions regarding this crater, including: (1) how

peak rings (stay tuned for our paper on that which is coming out very soon!), (2) how rocks are damaged or

weakened by impact shock, (3) how much hydrothermal circulation occurs after the impact, and how long it lasts,

and (4) how life recovered within and above the crater following the impact and Cretaceous-Paleogene extinction?

In terms of my specific job…studying the palaeomagnetism of rocks from the crater can be used as a powerful tool

to answer some of the aforementioned questions because the magnetizations within rocks can be modified by high

temperatures and pressures, and new magnetic minerals can form via hydrothermal activity. All of these things

happen during large impacts on Earth and on other bodies as well, and we see these effects in the crustal magnet-

ism of planetary surfaces. The entire Science Party is going to be quite busy working on these problems over the

next couple years. What we learn here is not only going to tell us about Chicxulub but also about peak-ring basins

across the solar system, and as a planetary scientist I find that angle to be particularly exciting.

What is your role specific role in the project?

I’m serving as a palaeomagnetist on the expedition. There are two

groups of scientists associated with Expedition 364 – the Offshore Sci-

ence Party (the team that recovered the core at sea) and the Onshore Sci-

ence Party (the team that conducts sampling and preliminary analyses

here in Bremen). There wasn’t a magnetometer on the drilling vessel, so I

became a member of the Onshore Science Party. My job here is to collect samples and develop a first-pass dataset

of measurements that characterizes the magnetization of the various rock units in the core, spanning both the post-

impact sediments and the underlying impactite rocks. The sediment data will eventually be used for magnetostrati-

graphy and to develop an age model for the post-impact period, and the impactite data gives us a sneak peek at

what we will be working with in much greater detail during our post-expedition research as we try to understand

the different types of magnetization present in the crater’s peak ring.

So, the experiments are taking place right as we speak?! Can you tell us more about what it is like working

at the core repository?

Yes, they are running right now! Working on an IODP/ICDP expedition is a totally intense, totally rewarding experi-

ence! The Onshore Science Party here in Bremen involves around 45 members of the Onshore Science Party and a

team of IODP scientists and technicians working together continuously for a month.

First, one team splits the large drill core into halves. The core halves then get passed onto teams that do detailed

visual descriptions of the cores and some physical properties measurements.

Then the core goes to the sampling room, where we collect specimens for both the immediate measurements we

are conducting here in Bremen as well as for the post-expedition research that the Science Party members will be

conducting at their home institutions.

Sonia is pictured drilling into cores from theIODP 364 Expedition, to collect smallersamples for palaeomagnetic experiments.

http://blogs.egu.eu/geolog/files/2016/10/sonia_4.jpg

Starting bright and early at 7:30 every morning, I drill and prepare sample plugs for moisture and density, P-wave,

and paleomagnetic analyses. In the afternoons, I usually shift over to processing magnetic data and writing reports

while another paleomagnetist, William Zylberman, conducts measurements in the lab.

Of course, every other team like physical properties, petrology, biostratigraphy, or geochemistry is doing the same

kind of fast-paced work in their own way and we’re always comparing notes and taking advantage of our built-in

collaborations. Some scientists have been working on Chicxulub or the K-Pg boundary for decades and others of us

(like me!) are first-timers.

There is a fantastic energy associated with having so many talented scientists with all these different avenues of ex-

pertise working closely together (and trying to get everything done before our month here is over)!

If you want to learn more about the IODP Expedition and associated research, you’ll find some resources here:

IODP Expedition 364 blog: https://esoexpedition364chicxulubimpactcrater.wordpress.com/

IODP Expedition 364 website (inc. downloadable prospectus): http://www.ecord.org/expedition364/

Chicxulub ‘dinosaur crater’ investigation begins in earnest (October, 2016, BBC Science News)

Scientists hit pay dirt in drilling of dinosaur-killing impact crater (May, 2016, Science Magazine)

Geotalk is a regular feature highlighting early career researchers and their work.

The final IODP report writing team. (Credit: Sonia Tikoo)

Chicxulub crater Cretaceous-Paleogene extinction IODP/ICDP Expedition 364

By Laura Roberts-Artal

Laura Roberts Artal is the Communications Officer at the European Geosciences Union. She is

responsible for the management of the Union's social media presence and the EGU blogs, where

she writes regularly for the EGU's official blog, GeoLog. She is also the point of contact for early

career scientists (ECS) at the EGU Office. Laura has a PhD in palaeomagnetism from the University

of Liverpool. Laura tweets at @LauRob85.

http://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-37625348http://www.sciencemag.org/news/2016/05/scientists-hit-pay-dirt-drilling-dinosaur-killing-impact-craterhttp://blogs.egu.eu/geolog/files/2016/10/Sonia_3.jpghttp://blogs.egu.eu/geolog/tag/chicxulub-crater/http://blogs.egu.eu/geolog/tag/cretaceous-paleogene-extinction/http://blogs.egu.eu/geolog/tag/iodpicdp-expedition-364/http://blogs.egu.eu/geolog/author/roberts/https://twitter.com/laurob85

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