Dr. Axel Wittmann

Postdoctoral Fellow
E-mail:wittmann@lpi.usra.edu

My research concentrates on impact melts and impact breccias as recorders of hyper-velocity collisional events on terrestrial planets. In addition to physical boundary conditions of the formation processes like pressures, temperatures and time scales, these rocks can be used to date their formation and may contain the chemical fingerprints of the impacting projectiles.  This information can further resolve the collisional history of the inner solar system, including the likelihood of a lunar cataclysm about 4 billion years ago. The research is focused on samples from the Moon and selected meteorites but for comparison, the terrestrial impact structures Chicxulub, Chesapeake Bay and the Ries are further topics.

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Last updated
July 9, 2008