Impact structures of northeastern Eurasia: The territories of Russia and adjacent countries

Abstract

More than 30 impact structures have been discovered in the last three decades in northeastern Eurasia, which includes Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Kazakhstan, and Mongolia. The largest impact events of the twentieth century also occurred here: the Tunguska and Sikhote Alin events in Siberia and Primorye, respectively. Many of these impact structures have been studied in detail. This is particularly the case for the largest examples: Popigai (100 km), Puchezh-Katunki (80 km), and Kara (65 km). Detailed data and descriptions of the geological characteristics, morphology, and the nature of the impact breccias and impactites (impact-melt rocks) are to be found in numerous publications published mostly in Russian. As these data and descriptions are not generally available to non-Russian scientists, this review summarizes the current state of knowledge on these impact structures. It also provides references to the principal publications detailing them.