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Evidence Boosts Asteroid Theory in North America
Posted: Wed Jul 02, 2008 8:01 pm
by Minimalist
http://www.uc.edu/news/NR.asp?id=8625
Geological evidence found in Ohio and Indiana in recent weeks is strengthening the case to attribute what happened 12,900 years ago in North America -- when the end of the last Ice Age unexpectedly turned into a phase of extinction for animals and humans – to a cataclysmic comet or asteroid explosion over top of Canada.
This is an important discovery.
Posted: Wed Jul 02, 2008 8:14 pm
by Rokcet Scientist
I'm not buying it.
First hurdle: IF a comet or meteor exploded over Canada, why did it wipe out all the Solutreans/Clovis People, but not the Paleo Indians?
Must've been a racist meteor...
A whole new concept!
Posted: Wed Jul 02, 2008 9:44 pm
by rich
They were campin' on the other side of the Rockies!
Posted: Wed Jul 02, 2008 9:52 pm
by Minimalist
I wouldn't be surprised if the blast, resulting fireball, and after effects killed everyone east of the Rockies. The trick would be to show that there was anyone left alive in the blast zone.
If there were merry bands of boaters cruising up and down the Pacific Coast they might have been shielded by the Rockies.
Posted: Wed Jul 02, 2008 9:56 pm
by rich
And finding artifacts on the west side of the rockies in the timeframe that shows nothing on the east side after the explosion or whatever could add weight to the theory.
Posted: Wed Jul 02, 2008 10:03 pm
by Minimalist
http://archaeology.about.com/b/2008/04/ ... trials.htm
These stratum titles are mine, not Haynes's, by the way, so take them with a grain of salt, and read his article for detailed information. In order from most recent to oldest:
* Altithermal stratum. 9,000-10,000 RCYBP. Drought conditions prevailed, during which Archaic mosaic hunter-gatherer lifestyles predominate.
* Post-Clovis stratum. (black mat layer) 10,000-10,900 RCYBP. Wet conditions are in evidence at the sites of springs and lakes. No megafauna except for bison. Post-Clovis include Folsom, Plainview, Agate Basin hunter-gatherers.
* Clovis stratum. 10,850-11,200 RCYBP. Drought conditions prevalent. Clovis sites found with now-extinct mammoth, mastodon, horses, camels, and other megafauna at springs and lake margins.
* Pre-Clovis stratum. 11,200-13,000 RCYBP. By 13,000 years ago, water tables had fallen to their lowest levels since the Last Glacial Maximum. Pre-Clovis is rare, stable uplands, eroded valley sides.
Posted: Wed Jul 02, 2008 10:14 pm
by rich
Does that black mat show up on the western side of the rockies too?
Posted: Wed Jul 02, 2008 10:53 pm
by Minimalist
The article says the first time it was detected was in Arizona. Somewhat south of the Rockies.
Posted: Thu Jul 03, 2008 4:41 am
by Forum Monk
Every time I read one of these articles I get confused over the theories and the players. Was it a comet or an asteroid? Is it Firestone or West making the claim?
This is one of those hypothesis that have support in popular culture due to a rash of movies and discusssions about the subject and the accepted idea that "somewhere out there" is a killer with our name on it.
The idea is interesting but does not fit all the evidence. So far it fits some of the evidence. There was megafauna which survived and there were people who survived. I find the topic very fascinating, but count me among the open-minded skeptics on this one.
Posted: Thu Jul 03, 2008 9:02 pm
by woodrabbit
kb brought up an interesting query in the 1st page of the Pedra Furada, Brazil post that might be pertinent to this thread:
But, on the Atlantic side, and well inland.
These were not “sea people.” following a “kelp highway.”
And check your globe.
This is a long, long way from the Topper site.
And there are a whole bunch of nice places to live in between
I know the dates don't match up so much....yet,
Topper...16,000 BP and counting
Canadian Big Boom...13,000 BP
Pedra Furada...35,000+-BP and counting
Yet with so many trowels still in hand .... It could lead one to think that there might have been a very developed east coast paleo-amer-indian continuity from Canada to the Amazon that without an event - interuptus of the likes of the Canadian Meteor/Asteroid ...it might appear more coherent than it currently does with what we have found so far.
Just head scratchin' here.... always thought that the difference between Das Klub and the likes of us, was that their attachment is ONLY to what has been dug and that our empirical allegiance is to both things dug AND those yet to be.
....anybody have a lead as to the specifics of the "black mat" strata?
Posted: Thu Jul 03, 2008 10:06 pm
by Forum Monk
Posted: Thu Jul 03, 2008 10:33 pm
by Forum Monk
More on the "black mat' and megafauna extinctions.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f1GCgOI3B1o
Posted: Thu Jul 03, 2008 10:46 pm
by woodrabbit
FM, thanks, that was great.
Its late and am having trouble visualizing a map that expresses the "Younger Dryas" with a "black mat" strata and that without as described in the linked tables. Would love to see intersecting arcs if they are actually there.
Posted: Thu Jul 03, 2008 11:56 pm
by Minimalist
Recent evidence for extraterrestrial impact, although not yet compelling, needs further testing because a remarkable major perturbation occurred at 10,900 B.P. that needs to be explained.
Right.
That's what they are doing.
Posted: Fri Jul 04, 2008 9:04 am
by Forum Monk
The following PDF file is a very nice discussion of the comet impact theory evidence with lots of really nice pictures for the alphabet challenged.
http://allendale-expedition.net/publications/comet.pdf
(My apologies if posted previously)