Abstract

The Chicxulub impact crater is widely renowned for its association with the extinction of the non-avian dinosaurs at the end of Cretaceous period (66 Ma ago). It is the best-preserved large impact structure on Earth and the only crater with an unequivocal, topographic peak ring. In 2016, IODP -ICDP expedition 364 drilled into the peak ring of the Chicxulub impact structure, recovering impactite lithologies of the peak ring and a succession of Palaeogene sedimentary rocks. Here, I will summarise preliminary results from the expedition, including sedimentalogical, geochemical, and structural observations. In particular, I will discuss new insights into the process of peak ring formation.