On the origin of volcanic ash deposits on the territory of the Voronezh region

Abstract

Our studies of the material composition of rocks of Quaternary and Neogene ages in the Voronezh region over the past three years have revealed very high concentrations of compounds of rare and noble metals, including iridium, which most likely got into sedimentary deposits from space objects. Collisions of the Earth with bodies from outer space led to large-scale climatic transformations, mass extinctions of representatives of the organic world. At the same time, insufficient attention is paid to the study of traces of impact events and the consequences of their impact on the natural environment of our planet. In this regard, the authors carried out a study of rocks considered to be volcanic ashes and their host deposits, occurring in geological sections near two settlements of the Voronezh region, in order to determine the material composition and environments of their formation. Investigations of the mineral and elemental composition of the "ashes" and their host rocks were carried out by X-ray diffraction and electron microscopic analyzes using the ICDD PDF-2 Siroguant databases and software Sietronics Pty Ltd. As a result of investigations, significant contents of iridium, osmium, platinum, gold, and rhenium were revealed in the layers taken for volcanic ash in both sections. X-ray amorphous silica is the main mineral phase in the Gorenka "ashes", and quartz in the Duvankinsky ones with the complete absence of an X-ray amorphous component. Two kilometers north of the village of Aleksandrovka Donskaya (the former settlement of Duvanka) there are two craters with a diameter of about one kilometer each, which, in our opinion, formed on the basis of the results obtained, are formed due to explosive processes when the debris of the comet's nucleus falls to the Earth's surface. As a result of the ejection of material from the inner parts of the funnels, mixed with the material of the debris, two layers of "ash" were formed. On the basis of the obtained analytical results, with the involvement of literary sources, a conclusion was made about the impact events that took place in this territory. This interpretation of the research carried out in this area was carried out for the first time.