Planetary Science 9604

This is a 7-day intensive field school that will take place in and around Sudbury, Ontario, from November 01 to 08 2025. Some reading assignments and watching of pre-recorded lectures will also be required prior to the in-person field school.

Impact cratering is one of the most fundamental, yet poorly understood, geological processes in the Solar System. On many planets, impact craters are the dominant geological landform. On Earth, erosion, plate tectonics and volcanic resurfacing continually destroy the impact cratering record, but even here, the geological, biological, and environmental effects of impact cratering are apparent. Impact events are destructive and have been linked to at least one of the "big five" mass extinctions over the past 540 Ma. In recent years, it has also become apparent that impact craters can also have beneficial effects: many impact craters are associated with economic metalliferous ore deposits and hydrocarbon reservoirs. Impact events can also deliver organize molecules and life-essential elements and create environments suitable for the emergence and subsequent evolution of life on early Earth and potentially on other planets such as Mars.

This course will introduce students to the processes and products of impact cratering on Earth and throughout the Solar System. This course will be based in Sudbury, Ontario, the site of an ~200 km diameter impact structure formed 1.85 billion years ago. The course will feature a mix of lectures, hands-on laboratory sessions, field excursions, and a group field research project. The Sudbury structure offers an exceptional opportunity to study impact melt rocks, various types of impact breccias, shatter cones, impact-induced hydrothermal alteration, and much more.