A new study published in the journal PLOS One provides strong evidence for the "Younger Dryas impact hypothesis." According to the findings, approximately 12,800 years ago, a fragmented comet exploded in the atmosphere over North America, leading to a global catastrophe, the extinction of mammoths, and the decline of the ancient Clovis culture. This is reported by UNN.
Details
A group of geologists led by James Kennett from the University of California studied three sites in Arizona, New Mexico, and California. The main discovery was "shocked quartz" - sand grains with specific molten veins that form only under extreme pressure and temperatures, which is impossible with volcanic activity or ordinary fires.
In ancient layers of sedimentary rocks, known as the "black mat," scientists also found: nanodiamonds, metallic microspheres, molten rocks, and a high concentration of carbon.
Catastrophe without a crater
The researchers explain the absence of a giant crater by the fact that the comet exploded in the air without touching the ground. This generated a colossal fireball and shock waves. The event resembled the Tunguska catastrophe of 1908, but on a much larger scale, causing a sharp cooling of the planet and the mass extinction of megafauna.
According to scientists, it was this celestial explosion that put an end to the history of mammoths, mastodons, and the continent's first hunters, forever changing Earth's ecosystem.