Impact ejecta eroded and transported by gravity flows, tsunamis, or glaciers have been reported from a number of impact structures on Earth. Impact ejecta reworked by fluvial processes, however, are sparsely mentioned in the literature. This suggests that shocked mineral grains and impact glasses are unstable when eroded and transported in a fluvial system. As a case study, we here present a report of impact ejecta affected by multiple fluvial reworking including rounded quartz grains with planar deformation features and diaplectic quartz and feldspar glass in pebbles of fluvial sandstones from the "Monheimer Hhensande" ~10 km east of the Ries crater in southern Germany.

Pallasites have long been thought to represent samples from the metallic core–silicate mantle boundary of a small asteroid-sized body, with as many as ten different parent bodies recognized recently. This report focuses on the description, classification, and petrogenetic history of pallasite Cumulus Ridge (CMS) 04071 using electron microscopy and laser ablation ICP-MS. Most olivines are angular in CMS 04071, but there are some minor occurrences of small rounded olivines, such as in the Eagle Station pallasite. Olivine, chromite, and metal compositions indicate that CMS 04071 can be classified as a Main Group pallasite. The kamacite/taenite partition coefficients (D) for highly siderophile elements (HSE) are all close to 1, but comparison with previous studies on iron meteorites and pallasites shows that variation of some D values is controlled by the Ni content oftaenite. D(HSE)metal/sulfide for Re, Cu, and Cr all are <1, indicating chalcophile behavior for these three elements, in agreement with experimental Dmetal/sulfide. D(HSE)metal/olivine are variable, which isperhaps due to small metallic inclusions in the olivine that are present to variable extents in different pallasites. All of these data, together with results from previous studies, indicate that the CMS pallasites were likely formed at the core-mantle boundary of a small asteroid, but not necessarily related to the core that produced the IIIAB irons. In addition, they share a similar volatile element depletion to HEDs that is distinct from other bodies such as Earth, Mars, Angrite Parent Body, and the parent body of the brachinites.

The recent Carancas meteorite impact event caused a worldwide sensation. An H4-5 chondrite struck the Earth south of Lake Titicaca in Peru on September 15, 2007, and formed a crater 14.2 m across. It is the smallest, youngest, and one of two eye-witnessed impact crater events on Earth. The impact violated the hitherto existing view that stony meteorites below a size of 100 m undergo major disruption and deceleration during their passage through the atmosphere and are not capable of producing craters. Fragmentation occurs if the strength of the meteoroid is less than the aerodynamic stresses that occur in flight. The small fragments that result from a breakup rain down at terminal velocity and are not capable of producing impact craters. The Carancas cratering event, however, demonstrates that meter-sized stony meteoroids indeed can survive the atmospheric passage under specific circumstances. We present results of a detailed geologic survey of the crater and its ejecta. To constrain the possible range of impact parameters we carried out numerical models of crater formation with the iSALE hydrocode in two and three dimensions. Depending on the strength properties of the target, the impact energies range between approximately 100-1000 MJ (0.024-0.24 t TNT). By modeling the atmospheric traverse we demonstrate that low cosmic velocities (12- 1-4 kms^(-1)) and shallow entry angles (<20 degrees) are prerequisites to keep aerodynamic stresses low (<10 MPa) and thus to prevent fragmentation of stony meteoroids with standard strength properties. This scenario results in a strong meteoroid deceleration, a deflection of the trajectory to a steeper impact angle (40-60 degrees), and an impact velocity of 350-600 ms^(-1), which is insufficient to produce a shock wave and significant shock effects in target minerals. Aerodynamic and crater modeling are consistent with field data and our microscopic inspection. However, these data are in conflict with trajectories inferred from the analysis of infrasound signals.

We report on the meteorite search campaign of April 2008, conducted by a joint Tunisian- Italian scientific expedition in southern Tunisia (Dahar region). Nine likely unpaired meteorites(seven H-class and two L-class chondrites) totalling ~1.3 kg were recovered by exploring an approximately 45 km^2 area, therefore demonstrating that southern Tunisia is a suitable terrain for systematic searches for meteorites.

A method for the precise and accurate determination of the tellurium (Te) isotope compositions of calcium-aluminum-rich inclusions (CAIs) has been developed. The technique utilizes multiple-collector inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (MC-ICPMS) with either Faraday detectors or a dual ion-counting system. The external reproducibility (2-sigma) for 126Te/125Te was ~15 per mil and ~2 per mil when 3 pg and 65 pg of Te were analyzed with the electron multipliers. Measurements performed on 200 pg of Te using Faraday detectors and time-resolved software displayed an external reproducibility of ~8 per mil for 126Te/124Te, whereas 3 ng Te could be measured to a precision of about 0.6 per mil. Analyses of five CAIs from the Allende chondrite yielded Te concentrations that range from 12 to 537 ppb and the inclusions are therefore depleted in Te relative to bulk Allende by factors of about 2 to 86. The Sn/Te ratios of the CAIs are also fractionated compared to bulk Allende (which displays 124Sn/128Te is approximately equal to 0.1) with 124Sn/128Te ratios of about 0.1 to 2.5. The Te isotope measurements for these refractory inclusions yielded no 126Te excesses from the decay of the short-lived radionuclide 126Sn (tau-1/2 = 234,500 years) and the most precise analysis provided a epsilon-126Te value of 1 +/- 6 (epsilon-126Te = 126Te/ 124Te normalized to 122Te/124Te = 0.53594 and reported relative to the JMC Te standard). Minor differences in the Te isotope composition of the CAIs relative to the terrestrial standard and bulk Allende hint at the presence of small deficits in r-process Te isotopes or excess of s-process Te, but these nucleosynthetic anomalies are barely resolvable given the analytical uncertainties. Hence, it is also conceivable that these effects reflect small unresolved analytical artifacts.