Supernova Explosion May Have Caused Mammoth Extinction

[Dogmudgeon]

Here's an interesting take on the most recent die-off of megafauna, including the Mammoth.

BERKELEY, CA – A distant supernova that exploded 41,000 years ago may have led to the extinction of the mammoth, according to research conducted by nuclear scientist Richard Firestone of the U.S. Department of Energy’s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab).

Firestone, who collaborated with Arizona geologist Allen West on this study, unveiled this theory Sept. 24 at the 2nd International Conference "The World of Elephants" in Hot Springs, SD. Their theory joins the list of possible culprits responsible for the demise of mammoths, which last roamed North America roughly 13,000 years ago. Scientists have long eyed climate change, disease, or intensive hunting by humans as likely suspects.

Now, a supernova may join the lineup. Firestone and West believe that debris from a supernova explosion coalesced into low-density, comet-like objects that wreaked havoc on the solar system long ago. One such comet may have hit North America 13,000 years ago, unleashing a cataclysmic event that killed off the vast majority of mammoths and many other large North American mammals. They found evidence of this impact layer at several archaeological sites throughout North America where Clovis hunting artifacts and human-butchered mammoths have been unearthed. It has long been established that human activity ceased at these sites about 13,000 years ago, which is roughly the same time that mammoths disappeared.

They also found evidence of the supernova explosion’s initial shockwave: 34,000-year-old mammoth tusks that are peppered with tiny impact craters apparently produced by iron-rich grains traveling at an estimated 10,000 kilometers per second. These grains may have been emitted from a supernova that exploded roughly 7,000 years earlier and about 250 light years from Earth.

More at http://www.lbl.gov/Science-Articles/Archive/NSD-mammoth-extinction.html

13 kYA was an interesting time, to say the least. The last great Ice Age came to an end, sea levels rose as much as 200 feet, and submerged evidence of ancient cultures from this era has been accumulating as underwater archeology has become more accessible. At any stage in cultural development, worldwide disasters of these kinds would have caused tremendous human impacts.

It ain't exactly Atlantis, but it may prove to be another key piece in a real-life puzzle that has fascinated archeologists and the public for a couple of centuries now.

--p!

[htuttle]

1. Speaking of the last ice age, I'm starting to suspect...

....that there were a number of megalithic coastal civilizations back then. No, not Atlantis, but I think that either our idea of when humans went from 'wandering hunter-gatherers' to 'settled agrarian people' is off by several thousand years, or perhaps that nomadic peoples may have occasionally gathered in larger groups to build various stoneworks (perhaps as seasonal gathering spaces, etc...).

Interesting about the iron grains in mammoth tusks, though. Traveling 250 light years in only 7,000 years? That's damned fast!

[NNadir]

2. Just 3% of the speed of light. A snail's pace next to some cosmic rays.

[htuttle]

3. How about "That's damn fast for IRON"

That would get from here to Alpha Centauri in about 112-120 years. Right now, our most advanced technology would make the trip in about 10,000-15,000 years (maybe 5,000 if we're *really* smart about it).

So I'm still impressed, cosmic rays notwithstanding... :)

[NNadir]

4. You have a point. It's faster than the carbon in my big fat gut.

As Al the E said, "everything is relative."

It beats my mother-in-law's theory that "relatives are everything.";-)