The meteorites that bombarded the Earth's surface could be responsible not only for the formation of craters - they could also stimulate volcanic activity, which had a great impact on the surface of our planet and its climate. These findings were made by a team of geochemists from Trinity College (Dublin, Ireland), which discovered that large meteorites hit the surface of our planet were accompanied by powerful, prolonged and explosive volcanic eruptions.
In their work, the team studied the rocks that fill one of the largest surviving impact craters on our planet, located in Saberi, Canada. The meteorite responsible for the formation of this funnel crashed into the surface of our planet 1.85 billion years ago.
A key finding of this study was the discovery that the composition of the material filling this crater changed over time. In the immediate aftermath of the collision, volcanism was directly related to the melting of the Earth's crust. However, over time, volcanic activity began to be supported by magma coming to the surface from deeper layers of the Earth.
Balz Kamber, professor of geology and mineralogy at Trinity College, said: “These are very important findings because it means that the source of magma for volcanoes has changed over time. The significance of this discovery lies in the fact that large asteroid collisions with the early Earth could have a much greater impact on our planet than previously thought."
The study was published in the Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets.