PSEUDOTACHYLITES GENERATED IN SHOCK EXPERIMENTS - IMPLICATIONS FOR IMPACT CRATERING PRODUCTS AND PROCESSES

Laboratory hypervelocity impact experiments in which quartz was shock- loaded from 42 to 56 gigapascals imply that type A pseudotachylites fo rm by strain heating and contribute to the loss of strength of rocks i n the central uplift of large impact structures. Shock impedance-match ed aluminum sample containers, in contrast to steel containers, produc ed nearly single-wave pressure loading, and enhanced deformation, of s ilicate samples, Strain heating may act with shock heating to devolati lize planetary materials and destroy extraterrestrial organic material in an impact.