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Scientists find signs of 13,000-year-old extinction event
Chicago Tribune ^ | January 2, 2009 | Robert Mitchum

Posted on 01/01/2009 2:09:17 PM PST by neverdem

Comet may have exploded over planet, causing fires, die-offs, researchers say

A meteorite colliding with the Earth 65 million years ago is considered to be the most likely reason dinosaurs vanished from the planet. Now a team of scientists says it has found new evidence that an object from space caused a similar extinction event only 13,000 years ago.

In an article to be published Friday in the journal Science, researchers present what one author calls the "smoking bullet"—proof that an exploding comet triggered the sudden, thousand-year freeze that killed off mammoths, saber-toothed tigers and other large mammals that used to live in North America.

Working at multiple sites across the continent, researchers found nanodiamonds—microscopic particles thought to be found on comets—in a 13,000-year-old layer of carbon-rich soil.

The authors, led by University of Oregon anthropologist Douglas Kennett, theorize that the comet exploded above the Earth's surface, raining fragments upon North America and starting fires across the continent. That would have ushered in an abrupt global cooling and caused the "megafauna" extinction.

In the layer with the nanodiamonds, fossils of the large mammals are abundant. After that layer, they disappear, said Allen West, an Arizona geophysicist and one of the paper's authors.

"It's extraordinary that tens of millions of animals disappeared synchronously at exactly the time when the diamonds and carbon layer are laid down across the continent," West said.

West said the event also would have affected human populations of the time. Artifacts from the Clovis culture of humans—an early hunter-gatherer society—also disappear after the 13,000-year layer, suggesting they, too, were killed off by the comet or its aftereffects.

Many archeologists remain skeptical of the comet theory, said Daniel Amick, an associate professor of anthropology at Loyola University Chicago who studies the Clovis culture.

"When most archeologists heard...,"

(Excerpt) Read more at chicagotribune.com ...


TOPICS: Culture/Society; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: catastrophism; clovis; clovisimpact; comet; globalcooling; godsgravesglyphs; impact; megafaunaextinction; nanodiamonds; oldearthspeculation; science
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Gods
Graves
Glyphs
Thanks neverdem for the topic (which is an update), and thanks to Blam for the pings.

To all -- please ping me to other topics which are appropriate for the GGG list.
GGG managers are SunkenCiv, StayAt HomeMother, and Ernest_at_the_Beach
 

· Google · Archaeologica · ArchaeoBlog · Archaeology · Biblical Archaeology Society ·
· Discover · Nat Geographic · Texas AM Anthro News · Yahoo Anthro & Archaeo ·
· The Archaeology Channel · Excerpt, or Link only? · cgk's list of ping lists ·


41 posted on 01/01/2009 4:38:15 PM PST by SunkenCiv (https://secure.freerepublic.com/donate/_______Profile finally updated Saturday, December 6, 2008 !!!)
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To: neverdem
"Thanks for the link. Happy New Year!"

Happy New Year to you too.

42 posted on 01/01/2009 4:41:49 PM PST by blam
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To: djf
"Some of those Bays are lakes. Has anyone ever done any core sample drillings of the lake bottoms?"

See the links in post #40.

43 posted on 01/01/2009 4:44:45 PM PST by blam
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To: ozzymandus
>"Only 20 days left to say “Bush’s Fault!”

Ya thunk? Why stop just because he's not there?

44 posted on 01/01/2009 4:50:19 PM PST by rawcatslyentist (Proud non productive worker under directive 10-289)
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To: Does so
Don't get too worked up about it. It's just a theory, like Darwin's. ;-)

Science is all about theories. There is no higher level of explanation. As Heinlein noted:

Piling up facts is not science--science is facts-and-theories. Facts alone have limited use and lack meaning: a valid theory organizes them into far greater usefulness.

A powerful theory not only embraces old facts and new but also discloses unsuspected facts [1980:480-182].

And don't cite "laws." Theories explain laws.

I am rather sensitive to this terminology because the "its just a theory" nonsense is generally promoted by those who have little interest in science, but a lot of interest in pushing their particular religious belief at the expense of science. If you do not fall into this category, then my apologies in advance.

But this particular archaeological discovery may just be the "smoking gun" to explain a lot of different things that have puzzled us for decades.

45 posted on 01/01/2009 5:25:27 PM PST by Coyoteman (Religious belief does not constitute scientific evidence, nor does it convey scientific knowledge.)
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To: neverdem

bump


46 posted on 01/01/2009 5:30:35 PM PST by Captain Beyond (The Hammer of the gods! (Just a cool line from a Led Zep song))
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To: EBH

Y2K all over again!


47 posted on 01/01/2009 7:03:21 PM PST by dominic flandry
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To: djf; SunkenCiv; blam; Coyoteman; All

The Carolina Bays are discussed in considerable detail in Fireston’s fascinating book shown in Comment #37. The article also mentions signs of the comet having exploded over the Chicago area. Actually, Firestone’s book shows a view of Lake Michigan indicating that two objects may have crashed into the lake. After looking closely it seemed to me that there would have been 3 objects with the smaller one between to two larger ones. Look at a regular map and you can see the rounded edges. The alignment of many of the eliptical bays converge on that general area as well.

Happy New Year to all my fellow scientifically interested FReepers. It is a fascinating world out there.


48 posted on 01/01/2009 7:16:31 PM PST by gleeaikin
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To: neverdem
Researchers found the highest concentration of nanodiamonds at a site in eastern Michigan, which suggests the comet may have exploded somewhere over the Great Lakes, West said.

"We think that Chicago might well have been very near ground zero," West said. "If you'd been in Chicago back in that time, it would've been one very bad day."


13,000 years too soon.
49 posted on 01/01/2009 7:24:26 PM PST by aruanan
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To: neverdem
IIRC, some investigators believe that there is a relationship between this microdiamond/carbon layer event and the formation of the

"Carolina Bays"

50 posted on 01/01/2009 7:28:30 PM PST by TXnMA ("Allah": Satan's current alias...!!)
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To: Coyoteman; blam
Were you in on the discussion that Blam and I had awhile back re the Carolina bays?

BTW, I was a K off -- these folks refer to "nano-" (not "micro-") diamonds... '-)

51 posted on 01/01/2009 7:32:30 PM PST by TXnMA ("Allah": Satan's current alias...!!)
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To: TXnMA
Were you in on the discussion that Blam and I had awhile back re the Carolina bays?

No, I know very little about that area.

52 posted on 01/01/2009 7:34:42 PM PST by Coyoteman (Religious belief does not constitute scientific evidence, nor does it convey scientific knowledge.)
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To: org.whodat
operative word, "may have"

More intellectually honest than, "'did'. ...because I say that is what the Bible says..."

53 posted on 01/01/2009 7:36:10 PM PST by TXnMA ("Allah": Satan's current alias...!!)
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To: neverdem

Can’t be right. Man is blame for all things. Always.

And only Gore can save us.


54 posted on 01/01/2009 7:40:39 PM PST by Names Ash Housewares (Refusing to kneel before the socialist messiah. 1-20-13 Freedom Day.)
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To: TXnMA
LOL, I never discuss what the bible says, because it was another person's interpretation of what was said.

As to the big blast are what ever caused an extension event, I believe it to be BS and it is not supported by fossil records..

55 posted on 01/01/2009 7:41:46 PM PST by org.whodat (Conservatives don't vote for Bailouts for Super-Rich Bankers! Republicans do!)
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To: SunkenCiv; blam; Coyoteman
Thanks for the reference list, SunkenCiv! And

Happy New Year!!!

to you, blam, Coyoteman -- and all the rest of us folks who "dig this old stuff"...!

56 posted on 01/01/2009 7:44:33 PM PST by TXnMA ("Allah": Satan's current alias...!!)
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To: TXnMA; SunkenCiv; Coyoteman

Happy New Year to all you guys too.


57 posted on 01/01/2009 8:51:09 PM PST by blam
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To: gleeaikin
"Happy New Year to all my fellow scientifically interested FReepers. It is a fascinating world out there."

Happy New Year to you too.

58 posted on 01/01/2009 8:53:25 PM PST by blam
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To: TXnMA

Carolina Bays

59 posted on 01/01/2009 8:55:28 PM PST by blam
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To: blam

Happy New Year, blam, how are the labs?

Inherited a 250lb English Mastiff, wow, what a dog.


60 posted on 01/01/2009 8:57:19 PM PST by txhurl (somebody just bought 12 Carrier Battle Groups for 600 million dollars)
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