Vredefort Granophyre dykes are generally considered to be a part of impact melt, which intruded downward from the melt sheet of the Vredefort impact structure (South Africa). This work reports enigmatic textural inhomogeneities found within the Daskop and southeast Holfontein granophyre dykes located in the core of the Vredefort impact structure, and in the Kopjeskraal core-collar granophyre dyke. The heterogeneities attributed to the clast-rich dykes (up to 70 vol% of clasts), however, do not occur within the portions of high clast abundance in these dykes. Instead, they are found within dyke portions with 5 to 10 vol% of clasts. They were not observed in the clast-poor northwest Holfontein dyke. The reported heterogeneities are veins with macroscopically straight and sharp boundaries that are parallel to the strike of the host dyke. The veins are usually from 4 to 20 cm wide and are often differentially eroded with respect to the host rock. Microscopic analyses demonstrate that the veins are coarser-grained than the host granophyre, with the increase in grain size of at least four times. Portable μ-XRF, whole rock WD-XRF and microprobe analyses indicate practically identical composition of the veins to the host granophyre. Slightly higher Ab and K mole % values of plagioclase and Fe-enriched rims of orthopyroxene within the veins suggest lower crystallization temperatures of the veins and/or crystallization over a longer period of time. We interpret the coarse-grained veins as either pegmatitic, typical for felsic intrusive rocks, or being similar to coarse-grained segregation veins reported from basaltic flows, both of which would normally involve late, volatile-enriched residual melts. In either case, the veins probably formed with comparatively small volatile component (≤1 wt% of water) derived from the wall rocks and from the incorporated lithic clasts. The main implication of our study is that the granophyre dykes are inhomogeneous and complicated formations, which contrasts with previous reports. Additionally, we report for the first time that the composition of the granophyre is corresponding to dacite.

Granophyre dykes in the central part of the Vredefort impact structure are believed to be the remnants of the impact melt sheet, which intruded downwards along the fractures in the crater floor. Little is known about their original penetration depth, dip, structural relationships with the host rocks, and their general geophysical characteristics. This information is critical to understand the emplacement history of the granophyre dykes, as it relates to the formation and modification of large impact structures. We conducted magnetic and resistivity surveys across the Daskop granophyre dyke (DGD), one of the impact melt dykes in the structure's core. The magnetic survey revealed that the DGD gives a strong magnetic response at positions where the dyke outcrop exceeds the surface topography, but a very weak response where the outcrop is nearly at the same elevation as the surrounding topography. The magnetic anomaly is thus predominantly due to the outcrop protruding above ground level, suggesting a limited volume of dyke material in the subsurface and a small penetration depth. The resistivity survey performed on two profiles, set perpendicularly across the DGD, indicated a shallow penetration depth (<3 m), consistent with the magnetic interpretation. Thus, our geophysical study demonstrates that the DGD is currently at the very bottom of its original emplacement. This may either be an erosional coincidence, or it may be controlled by a fundamental process of impact cratering. Further studies are warranted to determine if other granophyre dykes at Vredefort are similarly at their lowermost terminations.

The Vredefort impact structure, South Africa, is a 2.02 Ga deeply eroded meteorite scar that provides an opportunity to study large impact craters at their lower stratigraphic levels. A series of anomalous granophyre dikes in the core of the structure are believed to be composed of an impact melt, which intruded downwards from the crater floor, exploiting fractures in basement rocks. However, the melt emplacement mechanisms and timing are not constrained. The granophyre dikes contain supracrustal xenoliths captured at higher levels, presently eroded. By studying these clasts and shocked minerals within, we can better understand the nature of dikes, magnitude of impact melt movement, conditions that affected target rocks near the impacted surface, and erosional rates. We report “former reidite in granular neoblastic” (FRIGN) zircon within a granite clast enclosed in the granophyre. High-pressure zircon transformation to reidite (ZrSiO4) and reversion to zircon resulted in zircon grains composed of fine neoblasts (∼0.5–3 µm) with two or three orthogonal orientations. Our finding provides new independent constraints on the emplacement history of Vredefort granophyre dikes. Based on the environment, where other FRIGN zircons are found (impact glasses and melts), the clast was possibly captured near the top of the impact melt sheet and transported to the lowermost levels of the structure, traveling some 8–10 km. Our finding not only provides the highest-pressure shock estimates thus far discovered in the Vredefort structure (≥30 GPa), but also shows that microscopic evidence of high shock pressures can be found within large eroded craters at their lowest stratigraphic levels.

The Vredefort impact structure, South Africa, is comparable to the Sudbury impact structure, Canada, in size, age, and target rock composition. Both impact structures feature impact melt dikes. The melt sheet of the Sudbury impact (Sudbury Igneous Complex; SIC) is genetically linked to the Sudbury offset dikes in the underlying target rock. At Vredefort, the melt sheet was eroded so that only the granophyre dikes retain compositional melt sheet characteristics. XRF analyses of 43 samples from four granophyre dikes are similar to previous studies, but identify an anomalous mafic phase within one of the dikes. The results from the Vredefort granophyre dikes are compared to the Sudbury offset dikes and shown to follow similar geochemical trends, controlled by crystallization of feldspar and pyroxene. The mafic granophyre phase is compositionally remarkably similar to the offset dike compositions. The program Rhyolite-MELTS was used to test possible melt sheet compositions. Modeling results are broadly consistent with the overall chemical and mineral composition of the dikes. Modeling is consistent with offset dikes being derived from the basal mafic layer of the SIC, and the granophyre dikes being derived from alkalidepleted bulk continental crust. For all modeled compositions, crystallization primarily occurred at temperatures between 1150°C and 1000°C. The emplacement of the felsic granophyre dikes from a homogenized crustal melt suggests emplacement within tens of years after the impact event. The presence of the mafic phase in one of the granophyre dikes is explained by its emplacement following some differentiation of the Vredefort melt sheet.

Pseudotachylytes resulted from frictional melts associated with ultramylonites in high-grade metapelitic rocks from the Ivrea-Verbano zone in the Southern Alps (Northern Italy) were studied with focus on the deformation microstructures in zircon. The aims were to investigate the characteristics of zircon deformation in seismic zones, and to recognize specific microstructures generated in zircon during earthquakes, which could be useful for mineral dating of paleo-seismic events; helps to understand how seismic energy is released at depth and interacts with metamorphic processes.The interior of polished zircon grains ranging from 30 to 150 mm in length were investigated with optical microscope and scanning electron microscope (SEM) techniques, including secondary electron (SE), backscattered electron (BSE), forward scattered electron (FSE), cathodoluminescence (CL) imaging, and crystallographic orientation mapping by electron backscatter diffraction analysis (EBSD). Grains were studied in situ and as separated fractions embedded in epoxy disks. Among different cataclastic and crystal-plastic deformation microstructures in zircon we identified characteristic planar deformation bands (PDBs), planar fractures (PFs), and curviplanar fractures (CFs).Planar deformation bands in zircon are crystallographically controlled planar lattice volumes with misorientation from the host grain, which varies from 0.4° to 2.7°. PDBs are usually parallel to {100} crystallographic planes, have width from 0.3 to 1 mm and average spacing of 5 mm in 2D sections. Planar deformation bands appear as contrast lamellae in orientation contrast images and in EBSD maps, and in rare cases can be observed with the optical microscope. PDBs form in specifically oriented grains due to high differential stresses, high temperatures, and high strain rates generated in seismically active environment and/or due to shearing in the vicinity of frictional melts. Discovered structures represent a result of crystal-plastic deformation of zircon grains with operating dislocations having <100>{010} glide system and <001> misorientation axis, therefore, they can be classified as a new type 4 lattice distortion pattern, according to the existing classification for zircon (Piazolo et al. 2012;Kovaleva et al. 2014).We have demonstrated that formation of planar fractures in zircon takes place not only during impacts, but also in seismically active zones. We observe at least two cases of formation of PFs with {100} orientation: (1) as a result of evolution of PDBs and (2) as micro-cleavage.This study demonstrates that planar microstructures in terrestrial zircon do not exclusively form during impact events, but also as a result of seismic events at depth due to unusually high differential stress, strain rate, and temperature. According to the new findings, PDBs in zircon from the deep-crust are supposed to represent newly recognized evidence of seismicity.

Abstract. This study examines finite deformation patterns of zircon grains from high-temperature natural shear zones. Various zircon-bearing rocks were collected in the Western Tauern Window, Eastern Alps, where they were deformed under amphibolite facies conditions, and in the Ivrea-Verbano Zone (IVZ), Southern Alps, where deformation is related with granulite-facies metamorphism. Among the sampled rocks are: granitic orthogneisses, meta-lamprophyres and paragneisses, all of which are highly deformed. The investigated zircon grains ranging from 10 to 50 microns were studied in situ using a combination of scanning electron microscope (SEM) techniques, including secondary electron (SE), backscattered electron (BSE), forward scattered electron (FSE), cathodoluminescence (CL) imaging, and crystallographic orientation mapping by electron backscatter diffraction analysis (EBSD), as well as micro-Raman spectroscopy. Energy-dispersive X-ray spectrometry (EDS) was applied to host phases. Microstructural analysis of crystal-plastically deformed zircon grains was based on high-resolution EBSD maps. Three general types of finite lattice distortion patterns were detected: Type (I) is defined by gradual bending of the zircon lattice with orientation changes of about 0.6° to 1.4° per μm without subgrain boundary formation. Type (II) represents local gradual bending of the crystal lattice coupled with the formation of subgrain boundaries that have concentric semicircular shapes in 2-D sections. Cumulative grain-internal orientation variations range from 7° to 40° within single grains. Type (III) is characterized by formation of subgrains separated by a well-defined subgrain boundary network, where subgrain boundaries show a characteristic angular closed contour in 2-D sections. The cumulative orientation variation within a single grain ranges from 3° to 10°. Types (I) and (II) predominate in granulite facies rocks, whereas type (III) is restricted to the amphibolite facies rocks. Investigated microstructures demonstrate that misorientation axes are usually parallel to the ⟨ 001 ⟩ and ⟨ 100 ⟩ crystallographic directions; dominant slip systems operating along tilt boundaries are ⟨ 010 ⟩{001}, ⟨ 010 ⟩{100} and ⟨ 001 ⟩{010}. In case of twist boundaries the slip systems ⟨ 010 ⟩{001} and ⟨ 100 ⟩ {001} are active, whereas in some grains cross-slip takes place. This study demonstrates that activation of energetically preferable slip systems is mostly controlled by the degree of coupling with the host phase and by the viscosity ratio between inclusion and host, and defined by crystallographic and elastic anisotropy of the zircon lattice.

The timescale of the modification stage of basin-sized impact structures is not well understood. Owing to ca. 10 km of erosion since its formation, the Vredefort impact structure, South Africa, is an ideal testing ground for deciphering post-impact modification. Here, we present geophysical and geochemical evidence from the Vredefort Granophyre Dikes, which were derived from the -now eroded -Vredefort impact melt sheet. The dikes have been studied mostly in terms of their composition, while the timing and duration of their emplacement remain controversial. We examined the modern depth extent of five dikes, with three from the inner crystalline core of the central uplift, and two from the boundary between the core and the supracrustal collar of the central uplift, using two-dimensional electrical resistivity tomography. We found that the core dikes terminate near the present erosion surface (i.e., <5 m depth). In contrast, the dikes at the core-collar boundary extend to a depth ≥ 9 m. These observations suggest that the core dikes are exposed near their lowermost terminus. In addition, we obtained bulk geochemical composition of the dikes, finding that the andesitic composition phase is present in the core-collar dikes that is not found in the core dikes. The presence of this phase indicates the episodic emplacement of impact melt into subvertical crater floor fractures.We conclude that the dike formation was protracted and occurred over a time span of at least 10 4 years. The sequential formation of the Vredefort Granophyre Dikes points to horizontal extension of crust below the impact melt sheet above a kinematic velocity discontinuity, a crustal instability resulting from the dynamic collapse of the transient cavity.

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