Xiuyan crater, China: Impact origin confirmed

The well-preserved 1.8-km-diameter Xiuyan crater is located in the low mountain-hill region of the northern part of Liaodong Peninsula of northern China. Recently, a 307-m-deep borehole at the centre of crater became available. After penetrating 107 m lacustrine sediments, a breccia lens about 188 m in thickness was encountered. The crater-fill breccia is deposits of rock clasts and fragments more or less shock-metamorphosed. The features of geological structure and stratigraphic configuration within the crater, shock-melted rocks, and PDFs in quartz found in the basement rocks close to the crater rim and in the crater-fill breccia provide clear evidence for an impact origin of the Xiuyan crater.