"Shocked into life: Some beneficial effects of impacts"
Gordon "Oz" Osinski
Ever since the discovery of the Chicxulub impact structure and its link to the Cretaceous-Tertiary mass extinction event, the deleterious effects of impact events have received much attention. Impact craters definitely deserve their reputations as scenes of devastation; however, as they cool, they provide ideal sites for life to re-emerge. Could it be that impacts even triggered life in the first place? This talk discusses some of the beneficial effects of impact events (e.g., hydrothermal systems), based on studies of the Haughton impact structure, Arctic Canada.
Useful Links: Haughton-Mars Project - New Earth Impact Database