¹A.P.Crósta,^2,3W.U.Reimold,⁴M.A.R.Vasconcelos,²N.Hauser,¹G.J.G.Oliveira,¹M.V.Maziviero,⁵A.M.Góes
Chemie der Erde (in Press) Link to Article [https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chemer.2018.09.002]
¹State University of Campinas, Brazil
²University of Brasília, Brazil
³Natural History Museum – Leibniz Institute for Evolution and Biodiversity Science, Berlin, Germany
⁴Federal University of Bahia, Brazil
⁵University of São Paulo, Brazil
Copyright Elsevier

In the first part of this review of the impact record of South America, we have presented an up-to-date introduction to impact processes and to the criteria to identify/confirm an impact structure and related deposits, as well as a comprehensive examination of Brazilian impact structures. The current paper complements the previous one, by reviewing the impact record of other countries of South America and providing current information on a number of proposed impact structures. Here, we also review those structures that have already been discarded as not being formed by meteorite impact. In addition, current information on impact-related deposits is presented, focusing on impact glasses and tektites known from this continent, as well as on the rare K–Pg boundary occurrences revealed to date and on reports of possible large airbursts. We expect that this article will not only provide systematic and up-to-date information on the subject, but also encourage members of the South American geoscientific community to be aware of the importance of impact cratering and make use of the criteria and tools to identify impact structures and impact deposits, thus potentially contributing to expansion and improvement of the South American impact record.

¹A.P.Crósta,^2,3W.U.Reimold,⁴M.A.R.Vasconcelos,²N.Hauser,¹G.J.G.Oliveira,¹M.V.Maziviero,⁵A.M.Góes
Chemie der Erde (in Press) Link to Article [https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chemer.2018.06.001]
¹State University of Campinas, Brazil
²University of Brasília, Brazil
³Natural History Museum – Leibniz Institute for Evolution and Biodiversity Science, Berlin, Germany
⁴Federal University of Bahia, Brazil
⁵University of São Paulo, Brazil
Copyright Elsevier

The Earth’s impact record is known to be rather limited in both time and space. There are ca. 190 impact structures currently known on Earth, representing a minor fraction of all the impact events that contributed to the initial formation of our protoplanet, and then to formation and modification of the surface of the planet. Moreover, the distribution of impact structures on Earth is manifestly uneven. One continent that stands out for its relatively small number of confirmed impact structures and impact ejecta occurrences is South America. The limited impact record for this large continent makes a robust case that there is a significant potential for further discoveries. Significant information on the impact record of South America is dispersed in different types of publications (journal articles, books, conferences abstracts, etc.), and in several languages, making it difficult to access and disseminate it among the geoscientific community. We aim to present a summary of the current knowledge of the impact record of this continent, encompassing the existing literature on the subject. It is published in two parts, with the first one covering an up-to-date introduction to impact cratering processes and to the criteria to identify/confirm an impact structure and related deposits. This is followed by a comprehensive analysis of the Brazilian impact structures. The Brazilian impact record accounts for the totality of the large structures of this kind currently confirmed in South America. The second part will examine the impact record of other countries in South America, provide information about a number of proposed impact structures, and review those that already have been discarded as not being formed by impact.