The Arkenu structures, also known as the Arkenu craters, are a pair of prominent circular geological structures in eastern

Libya Libya (; ar, ليبيا, Lībiyā), officially the State of Libya ( ar, دولة ليبيا, Dawlat Lībiyā), is a country in the Maghreb region in North Africa. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to the east, Suda ...

. The structures are approximately and in diameter, and lie about west of Jabal Arkanu on the eastern margin of the al-Kufrah Basin.Paillou P., A. Rosenqvist A., J.M. Malezieux, B. Reynard, T. Farr, and E. Heggy (2003) ''Discovery of a double impact crater in Libya: The astrobleme of Arkenu.'' Comptes Rendus Geoscience. vol. 335, no. 15, pp. 1059–1069.Cigolini, C, C Laiolo, and M Rossetti (2012) ''Endogenous and nonimpact origin of the Arkenu circular structures (al-Kufrah basin-SE Libya)'' Meteoritics & Planetary Science. 47(11):1772–1788. It has been argued that both structures were formed by simultaneous

meteorite impact An impact event is a collision between astronomical objects causing measurable effects. Impact events have physical consequences and have been found to regularly occur in planetary systems, though the most frequent involve asteroids, comets or m ...

s. Field investigations by Dr. P. Paillou, Dr. A. Rosenqvist, and others reported the presence of impact

breccia Breccia () is a rock composed of large angular broken fragments of minerals or rocks cemented together by a fine-grained matrix. The word has its origins in the Italian language, in which it means "rubble". A breccia may have a variety of ...

s at the structures’ bottoms,

shatter cone Shatter cones are rare geological features that are only known to form in the bedrock beneath meteorite impact craters or underground nuclear explosions. They are evidence that the rock has been subjected to a shock with pressures in the rang ...

s pointing toward the center of the structures, and microscopic

planar deformation features Planar deformation features, or PDFs, are optically recognizable microscopic features in grains of silicate minerals (usually quartz or feldspar), consisting of very narrow planes of glassy material arranged in parallel sets that have distinct orie ...

(PDFs) found in

quartz Quartz is a hard, crystalline mineral composed of silica ( silicon dioxide). The atoms are linked in a continuous framework of SiO4 silicon-oxygen tetrahedra, with each oxygen being shared between two tetrahedra, giving an overall chemical ...

grains of

sandstone Sandstone is a clastic sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized (0.0625 to 2 mm) silicate grains. Sandstones comprise about 20–25% of all sedimentary rocks. Most sandstone is composed of quartz or feldspar (both silicates ...

s outcropping in the structures. Based on these reports and other observations, it was proposed that both structures are extraterrestrial

impact crater An impact crater is a circular depression in the surface of a solid astronomical object formed by the hypervelocity impact of a smaller object. In contrast to volcanic craters, which result from explosion or internal collapse, impact crater ...

s that were formed simultaneously as a double impact event less than 140 million years ago (

Jurassic The Jurassic ( ) is a geologic period and stratigraphic system that spanned from the end of the Triassic Period million years ago (Mya) to the beginning of the Cretaceous Period, approximately Mya. The Jurassic constitutes the middle period of ...

or younger). More recently, on the basis of field,

petrographic Petrography is a branch of petrology that focuses on detailed descriptions of rocks. Someone who studies petrography is called a petrographer. The mineral content and the textural relationships within the rock are described in detail. The class ...

, and textural observations, it has been argued that the Arkenu structures are not in fact extraterrestrial impact craters. Field studies found a lack of identifiable shatter cones at both structures. Instead, the striations which were previously reported as shatter cones were identified as

ventifact A ventifact (also wind-faceted stone, windkanter) is a rock that has been abraded, pitted, etched, grooved, or polished by wind-driven sand or ice crystals. These geomorphic features are most typically found in arid environments where there is li ...

s created by wind erosion in sandstones. These striations are surficial features that are unrelated to fracturing of the sandstone; are consistently oriented with the prevailing

Holocene The Holocene ( ) is the current geological epoch. It began approximately 11,650 cal years Before Present (), after the Last Glacial Period, which concluded with the Holocene glacial retreat. The Holocene and the preceding Pleistocene togeth ...

wind patterns; and occur within and outside of, even distal to, both of the Arkenu structures. In addition, detailed petrographic analyses of rock samples from both of the Arkenu structures found a lack of any microscopic effect of

shock metamorphism Shock metamorphism or impact metamorphism describes the effects of shock-wave related deformation and heating during impact events. The formation of similar features during explosive volcanism is generally discounted due to the lack of metamorp ...

including a lack of planar deformation features (PDFs) in quartz grains and evidence of impact melting, or presence of glass. A lack of any apparent differences between the

sedimentary rock Sedimentary rocks are types of rock that are formed by the accumulation or deposition of mineral or organic particles at Earth's surface, followed by cementation. Sedimentation is the collective name for processes that cause these particles ...

s outcropping inside and outside these circular structures was found. Finally, field observations found silicified sandstone

dikes Dyke (UK) or dike (US) may refer to: General uses * Dyke (slang), a slang word meaning "lesbian" * Dike (geology), a subvertical sheet-like intrusion of magma or sediment * Dike (mythology), ''Dikē'', the Greek goddess of moral justice * Dikes ...

and

igneous rock Igneous rock (derived from the Latin word ''ignis'' meaning fire), or magmatic rock, is one of the three main rock types, the others being sedimentary and metamorphic. Igneous rock is formed through the cooling and solidification of magma o ...

s, such as syenite, porphyries,

tephrite Tephrite is an igneous, volcanic (extrusive) rock, with aphanitic to porphyritic texture. Mineral content is usually abundant feldspathoids (leucite or nepheline), plagioclase, and lesser alkali feldspar. Pyroxenes (clinopyroxenes) are common ...

s and phonolites, and

lamprophyre Lamprophyres () are uncommon, small-volume ultrapotassic igneous rocks primarily occurring as dikes, lopoliths, laccoliths, stocks, and small intrusions. They are alkaline silica- undersaturated mafic or ultramafic rocks with high magnesium ...

s (

monchiquite Lamprophyres () are uncommon, small-volume ultrapotassic igneous rocks primarily occurring as dikes, lopoliths, laccoliths, stocks, and small intrusions. They are alkaline silica- undersaturated mafic or ultramafic rocks with high magnesium ...

s) directly associated with each circular feature. Based on these and other observations, it was concluded that the Arkenu structures are stocks of porphyritic syenitic that have intruded the Nubia Formation to form rather simple and eroded ring dike complexes.

Hydrothermal activity Hydrothermal circulation in its most general sense is the circulation of hot water (Ancient Greek ὕδωρ, ''water'',Liddell, H.G. & Scott, R. (1940). ''A Greek-English Lexicon. revised and augmented throughout by Sir Henry Stuart Jones. with th ...

that followed the intrusion of these ring dike complexes resulted in the formation of massive

magnetite Magnetite is a mineral and one of the main iron ores, with the chemical formula Fe2+Fe3+2O4. It is one of the oxides of iron, and is ferrimagnetic; it is attracted to a magnet and can be magnetized to become a permanent magnet itself. With th ...

– hematite deposits and dikes of silicified sandstone.Di Martino, M, C Cigolini, and L. Orti (2008) ''Non-impact origin of the Arkenu craters (Libya)'' Large Meteorite Impacts and Planetary Evolution IV, 17–21 August, Vredefort Dome South Africa. abstract no. 3012, Lunar and Planetary Institute, Houston, Texas. As a result of this research, the Arkenu structures were removed from and are currently not listed in the

Earth Impact Database The Earth Impact Database is a database of confirmed impact structures or craters on Earth. It was initiated in 1955 by the Dominion Observatory, Ottawa, under the direction of Carlyle S. Beals. Since 2001, it has been maintained as a not-for-pr ...

.Anonymous (nd
''Africa'' (Impact Craters)

Planetary and Space Science Centre

University of New Brunswick The University of New Brunswick (UNB) is a public university with two primary campuses in Fredericton and Saint John, New Brunswick. It is the oldest English-language university in Canada, and among the oldest public universities in North Ameri ...

, New Brunswick, Canada.

References

External links

*Brügge, N. (2012
''Remarks to the origin of the craters around Gilf Kebir and Djebel Uweinat (Egypt)and the supposed impact craters of Libya''
*Di Martino, M. (2010
''Impact and non-impact craters in eastern Sahara''
INAF – Osservatorio Astronomico di Torino Talk of the "International Workshop on Paolo Farinella (1953-2000): the Scientists, the man", Pisa, 14–16 June 2010 *Willis, K. J. (2008
''Arkenu Craters, Libya : Image of the Day.''
Earth Observatory, EOS Project Science Office, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland. {{Impact cratering on Earth Impact craters of Libya Sahara