Comet may have wiped out mammoths and mastodons 12900 years ago
November 14th, 2007 - 1:49 am ICT by adminThe comet theory first began generating a buzz at an international meeting of geophysicists in Mexico in May. The findings were published this month in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Later a National Geographic segment brought them into the mainstream. The History Channel has also planned for a future show at Topper this week.
“People are fascinated by it. It has diamonds and giant elephants and Indians. Any new catastrophe theory that comes along gets plenty of attention,” said West.
According to the new theory, a comet broke apart in the atmosphere above what is now eastern North America, producing explosions and wildfires as the pieces smashed into the surface.
The scientists, led by Richard Firestone of the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in Berkeley, California, took soil samples from throughout North America and in Belgium.
In a layer dating to about 12,900 years ago, they found high levels of iridium, nanodiamonds and glasslike carbon, possibly caused by a comet explosion and subsequent fires.
The scientists said the Topper site, on the Savannah River, provided compelling evidence, in part because of earlier findings by Al Goodyear of the SC Institute of Archaeology and Anthropology at USC. (ANI)
- Meteor-impact may not have killed mammoths, great bears, claim experts - Sep 01, 2010
- Comet-impact may not have killed mammoths, claim experts - Sep 06, 2010
- Comets didn't wipe out early Americans 12,900 years ago - Oct 24, 2009
- New evidence indicates comet impacts triggered extinctions in North America 12,900 yrs ago - Jul 22, 2009
- Fossil evidence challenges Younger Dryas Impact theory - Jun 17, 2010
- No evidence of comet explosion over North America 13,000 years ago - Oct 13, 2009
- New study challenges Clovis comet catastrophe theory - Sep 30, 2010
- Ancient nanodiamonds proof of Earths impact with comets 12,900 years ago - Jan 02, 2009
- Cosmic impact caused mass extinction event in North America 12,900 years ago - Jul 21, 2009
- Comet explosion 12,900 years ago may have altered course of life on Earth - Jul 03, 2008
- Americas oldest carbon-dated relics could rewrite the nation's history - Jun 09, 2008
- America holds 12,900 year old nanodiamond-rich soil - Jan 02, 2009
- Scientists disapprove American comet impact theory - Jan 28, 2009
- Diamonds may have rained down during last Ice Age - Jul 08, 2008
- Japan PM cancels trip to area near troubled n-plant - Mar 21, 2011
Tags: allendale, berkeley california, berkeley national laboratory, catastrophe theory, comet theory, findings, firestone, future show, geophysicist, history channel, institute of archaeology and anthropology, lawrence berkeley national laboratory, mammoths, mastodons, national academy of sciences, proceedings of the national academy of sciences, savannah river, scientists, soil particles, soil samples