Further geochronological constraints on the Xiuyan impact crater in northeast China

Abstract

The Xiuyan impact crater is the only officially recognized impact crater in China, and its formation time remains unclear. In this study, we investigated the ages of Xiuyan impact crater lake sediments from a 99-m composite borehole using luminescence and radiocarbon dating. The results showed that all the radiocarbon ages were saturated and that the surface sediments in the crater lake were dated to ~331–334 ka. Furthermore, the luminescence ages of lake sediments at depths below approximately 37 m also appear to be saturated. The evolutionary history of the Xiuyan impact crater lake was reconstructed by incorporating sedimentological, geomorphological, and geochronological analyses. Based on the age-depth model results of luminescence ages above a depth of 37 m, it is suggested that the crater lake underwent several stages: initial formation at approximately 1201 ± 133 ka, subsequent filling with water and sediment, overflow, and eventual disappearance at ~331–334 ka.

Graphical abstract

Keywords

Xiuyan impact crater / luminescence dating / age saturation / impact age / northeast China

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Acknowledgments

We thank Mr. Chunxin Wang from the University of Science and Technology of China for his assistance in analyzing the luminescence data. We acknowledge the use of refrigeratory facility at the Beijing National Observatory of Space Environment, Institute of Geology and Geophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences. This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 41972190, 42302344).

Author contributions

Zeyang Zhu and Jiaqi Liu organized the research. Zeyang Zhu, Jing Wu, Yawei Li, Zhihao Sun, Bin Zhang, and Jiaqi Liu investigated and collected the samples. Zeyang Zhu, Chang Huang, and Sheng-Hua Li designed and performed the experiments and conceptualized the results. Chang Huang analyzed the data. Zeyang Zhu and Chang Huang wrote the paper. Jiaqi Liu and Sheng-Hua Li reviewed the paper. All authors contributed to the discussion.

Supplementary material

is available in the online version of this article at http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s11707-024-1133-y and is accessible for authorized users.

Conflict of interest

The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest.

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