FULLERENES IN THE 1.85-BILLION-YEAR-OLD SUDBURY IMPACT STRUCTURE

Fullerenes (C-60 and C-70) have been identified by laser desorption, laser desorption postionization, and high-resolution electron-impact mass spectrometry in shock-produced breccias (Onaping Formation) of the Sudbury impact structure in Ontario, Canada, The C-60 isotope is present at a level of a few parts per million. The fullerenes were likely synthesized within the impact plume from the carbon contained in the bolide. The oxidation of the fullerenes during the 1.85 billion years of exposure was apparently prevented by the presence of sulfur in the form of sulfide-silicate complexes associated with the fullerenes.