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Neutron and photon activation analyses in geochemical characterization of Libyan Desert Glass

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Abstract

Geochemical characterization of nine samples of Libyan Desert Glass (LDG) based on assay of more than forty elements by instrumental neutron and photon activation analyses has pointed to quartz sand cemented by aluminosilicates and Fe, Ti oxides as LDG parent materials. Contamination by extraterrestrial material has not been evidenced in studied LDG samples, but depletion of volatile elements indicating their evaporation during the impact process was noticed. Authors support the common concept of LDG formation by an impact into Cretaceous Nubian sandstones, derived from Proterozoic crystalline basement and possibly weathered and redeposited from alluvial or shallow water marine environments.

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Acknowledgments

The study was supported by the grant 13-22351S of the Czech Science Foundation. Authors thank I. Kolaříková and V. Cílek for providing Libyan Desert Glass samples.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Nuclear Physics Institute, The Czech Academy of Sciences, Řež 130, 250 68, Husinec-Řež, Czech Republic

    Jiří Mizera, Zdeněk Řanda & Ivana Krausová

  2. Institute of Rock Structure and Mechanics, The Czech Academy of Sciences, V Holešovičkách 41, 182 09, Prague, Czech Republic

    Jiří Mizera

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  1. Jiří Mizera
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Correspondence to Jiří Mizera.

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Mizera, J., Řanda, Z. & Krausová, I. Neutron and photon activation analyses in geochemical characterization of Libyan Desert Glass. J Radioanal Nucl Chem 311, 1465–1471 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10967-016-5094-9

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