FULLERENES IN THE 1.85-BILLION-YEAR-OLD SUDBURY IMPACT STRUCTURE

Fullerenes (C-60 and C-70) have been identified by laser desorption, l aser desorption postionization, and high-resolution electron-impact ma ss spectrometry in shock-produced breccias (Onaping Formation) of the Sudbury impact structure in Ontario, Canada, The C-60 isotope is prese nt at a level of a few parts per million. The fullerenes were likely s ynthesized within the impact plume from the carbon contained in the bo lide. The oxidation of the fullerenes during the 1.85 billion years of exposure was apparently prevented by the presence of sulfur in the fo rm of sulfide-silicate complexes associated with the fullerenes.