TY - JOUR
T1 - An independent evaluation of the Younger Dryas extraterrestrial impact hypothesis
AU - Surovell, Todd A.
AU - Holliday, Vance T.
AU - Gingerich, Joseph A.M.
AU - Ketron, Caroline
AU - Haynes, C. Vance
AU - Hilman, Ilene
AU - Wagner, Daniel P.
AU - Johnson, Eileen
AU - Claeys, Philippe
PY - 2009
Y1 - 2009
N2 - Based on elevated concentrations of a set of "impact markers" at the onset of the Younger Dryas stadial from sedimentary contexts across North America, Firestone, Kennett, West, and others have argued that 12.9 ka the Earth experienced an impact by an extraterrestrial body, an event that had devastating ecological consequences for humans, plants, and animals in the New World [Firestone RB, et al. (2007) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 104:16016-16021]. Herein, we report the results of an independent analysis of magnetic minerals and microspherules from seven sites of similar age, including two examined by Firestone et al. We were unable to reproduce any results of the Firestone et al. study and find no support for Younger Dryas extraterrestrial impact.
AB - Based on elevated concentrations of a set of "impact markers" at the onset of the Younger Dryas stadial from sedimentary contexts across North America, Firestone, Kennett, West, and others have argued that 12.9 ka the Earth experienced an impact by an extraterrestrial body, an event that had devastating ecological consequences for humans, plants, and animals in the New World [Firestone RB, et al. (2007) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 104:16016-16021]. Herein, we report the results of an independent analysis of magnetic minerals and microspherules from seven sites of similar age, including two examined by Firestone et al. We were unable to reproduce any results of the Firestone et al. study and find no support for Younger Dryas extraterrestrial impact.
KW - Clovis
KW - Magnetic grains
KW - Magnetic microspherules
KW - Pleistocene extinctions
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=70849114432&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1073/pnas.0907857106
DO - 10.1073/pnas.0907857106
M3 - Article
C2 - 19822748
AN - SCOPUS:70849114432
SN - 0027-8424
VL - 106
SP - 18155
EP - 18158
JO - Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
JF - Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
IS - 43
ER -