Dating Terrestrial Impact Structures

Hypervelocity impacts of asteroids and comets have played a key role in the evolution of the Solar System and planet Earth. Geochronology, the science that investigates the ages of rocks, has become a preponderant tool for dating impact events and for assessing whether they are related in time to mass extinctions on Earth. Impact events are instantaneous compared to other geological processes and, in theory, represent easy targets for multitechnique geochronology. Yet, only a few terrestrial impact events are accurately and precisely dated. A dating campaign is urgently needed if we are to fully understand the role of impacts in Earth history.

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December 2025 --The Variscan Orogeny in Europe – Understanding Supercontinent Formation

The Variscan orogen formed between 380 and 300 million years ago through several accretionary and collisional cycles, culminating with the construction of the Pangea supercontinent. This process occurred via sequential opening and closure of oceanic basins, synchronous detachment of Gondwana derived continental ribbons, and their outboard amalgamation onto the Laurussia margin. The Variscan orogen is rather unique compared with other orogenic belts on Earth: its overthickened and dominantly magmatic crust in the central belt, surprisingly minor mantle involvement in the magmatic and geodynamic processes, coherent and pulsed magmatism along the collision suture, and its complex accretionary history. Because its final product, Pangea, is the youngest and best-understood supercontinent on Earth, the Variscan orogeny offers clues for understanding the mechanisms of supercontinent formation.