Waspie_Dwarf Posted June 12, 2012 #1 Share Posted June 12, 2012 (edited) New evidence supporting theory of extraterrestrial impact found An 18-member international team of researchers that includes James Kennett, professor of earth science at UC Santa Barbara, has discovered melt-glass material in a thin layer of sedimentary rock in Pennsylvania, South Carolina, and Syria. According to the researchers, the material ––which dates back nearly 13,000 years –– was formed at temperatures of 1,700 to 2,200 degrees Celsius (3,100 to 3,600 degrees Fahrenheit), and is the result of a cosmic body impacting Earth. These new data are the latest to strongly support the controversial Younger Dryas Boundary (YDB) hypothesis, which proposes that a cosmic impact occurred 12,900 years ago at the onset of an unusual cold climatic period called the Younger Dryas. This episode occurred at or close to the time of major extinction of the North American megafauna, including mammoths and giant ground sloths; and the disappearance of the prehistoric and widely distributed Clovis culture. The researchers' findings appear today in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. "These scientists have identified three contemporaneous levels more than 12,000 years ago, on two continents yielding siliceous scoria-like objects (SLO's)," said H. Richard Lane, program director of National Science Foundation's Division of Earth Sciences, which funded the research. "SLO's are indicative of high-energy cosmic airbursts/impacts, bolstering the contention that these events induced the beginning of the Younger Dryas. That time was a major departure in biotic, human and climate history." Read more... Edited September 17, 2012 by Waspie_Dwarf Modified tags. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Abramelin Posted June 14, 2012 #2 Share Posted June 14, 2012 (edited) Interesting.... When I saw that date, 12900 years ago, I had to think of the Laacher See eruption (Germany): The caldera was formed after the Laacher See eruption dated to 12,900 years ago. The remaining crust collapsed into the empty magma chamber below, probably two or three days after the eruption. An estimated 6 km³ of magma was erupted, producing around 16 km³ of tephra. This massive eruption thus had a Volcanic Explosivity Index (VEI) of 6, and was larger than the 1991 eruption of Mount Pinatubo (Philippines) which also had a VEI of 6, approximately 10 km3 (2.4 cu mi). http://en.wikipedia....iki/Laacher_See I wonder if there's a connection. . Edited June 14, 2012 by Abramelin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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