SHATTER CONES IN LITERMONT QUARTZITES: SAARLOUIS/NALBACH (SAARLAND, GERMANY) METEORITE IMPACT EVENT STRENGTHENED.

The Saarland impact (Fig. 1) [1-5] has been an established event for several years with the existence of two craters with diameters of about 200 m (Nalbach) and Saarlouis (2.3 km). Finds of rocks and glasses in a strewn field (Fig. 1) with typical impact features (e.g. suevites) strengthened the impact hypothesis and initiated comprehensive mineralogical SEM-EDS and thin section analyses establishing strong shock metamorphism. Here we report on recent finds of shatter cone fracture markings diagnostic of meteorite impact shock.