Posted on 07/02/2008 3:27:51 PM PDT by blam
Exploding asteroid theory strengthened by new evidence located in Ohio, Indiana
Space & Earth science / Earth Sciences
Ken Tankersley seen working in the field in a cave in this publicity photo from the National Geographic Channel.
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.
A comet/asteroid theory advanced by Arizona-based geophysicist Allen West in the past two years says that an object from space exploded just above the earth's surface at that time over modern-day Canada, sparking a massive shock wave and heat-generating event that set large parts of the northern hemisphere ablaze, setting the stage for the extinctions.
Now University of Cincinnati Assistant Professor of Anthropology Ken Tankersley, working in conjunction with West and Indiana Geological Society Research Scientist Nelson R. Schaffer, has verified evidence from sites in Ohio and Indiana -- including, locally, Hamilton and Clermont counties in Ohio and Brown County in Indiana -- that offers the strongest support yet for the exploding comet/asteroid theory.
Samples of diamonds, gold and silver that have been found in the region have been conclusively sourced through X-ray diffractometry in the lab of UC Professor of Geology Warren Huff back to the diamond fields region of Canada.
The only plausible scenario available now for explaining their presence this far south is the kind of cataclysmic explosive event described by West's theory. "We believe this is the strongest evidence yet indicating a comet impact in that time period," says Tankersley.
Ironically, Tankersley had gone into the field with West believing he might be able to disprove West's theory.
Tankersley was familiar through years of work in this area with the diamonds, gold and silver deposits, which at one point could be found in such abundance in this region that the Hopewell Indians who lived here about 2,000 years ago engaged in trade in these items.
Prevailing thought said that these deposits, which are found at a soil depth consistent with the time frame of the comet/asteroid event, had been brought south from the Great Lakes region by glaciers.
"My smoking gun to disprove (West) was going to be the gold, silver and diamonds," Tankersley says. "But what I didn't know at that point was a conclusion he had reached that he had not yet made public -- that the likely point of impact for the comet wasn't just anywhere over Canada, but located over Canada's diamond-bearing fields. Instead of becoming the basis for rejecting his hypothesis, these items became the very best evidence to support it."
Additional sourcing work is being done at the sites looking for iridium, micro-meteorites and nano-diamonds that bear the markers of the diamond-field region, which also should have been blasted by the impact into this region.
Much of the work is being done in Sheriden Cave in north-central Ohio's Wyandot County, a rich repository of material dating back to the Ice Age.
Tankersley first came into contact with West and Schaffer when they were invited guests for interdisciplinary colloquia presented by UC's Department of Geology this spring.
West presented on his theory that a large comet or asteroid, believed to be more than a mile in diameter, exploded just above the earth at a time when the last Ice Age appeared to be drawing to a close.
The timing attached to this theory of about 12,900 years ago is consistent with the known disappearances in North America of the wooly mammoth population and the first distinct human society to inhabit the continent, known as the Clovis civilization. At that time, climatic history suggests the Ice Age should have been drawing to a close, but a rapid change known as the Younger Dryas event, instead ushered in another 1,300 years of glacial conditions. A cataclysmic explosion consistent with West's theory would have the potential to create the kind of atmospheric turmoil necessary to produce such conditions.
"The kind of evidence we are finding does suggest that climate change at the end of the last Ice Age was the result of a catastrophic event," Tankersley says.
Currently, Tankersley can be seen in a new documentary airing on the National Geographic channel. The film "Ancient Asteroids" is part of that network's "Naked Science" series.
The new discoveries made working with West and Schaffer will be incorporated into two more specials that Tankersley is currently involved with -- one for the PBS series "Nova" and a second for the History Channel that will be filming Tankersley and his UC students in the field this summer. Another documentary, this one being produced by the Discovery Channel and the British public television network Channel 4, will also be following Tankersley and his students later this summer.
As more data continues to be compiled, Tankersley, West and Schaffer will be publishing about this newest twist in the search to explain the history of our planet and its climate.
Climate change is a favorite topic for Tankersley. "The ultimate importance of this kind of work is showing that we can't control everything," he says. "Our planet has been hit by asteroids many times throughout its history, and when that happens, it does produce climate change."
Source: University of Cincinnati
Quite literally the gold miners in Morgan and Brown counties Indiana moved on to California BEFORE gold was discovered at Sutter's Mill (formerly the centerpoint of the Russian colony in California).
They were there to take advantage of that discovery INSTANTLY. I've suspected for a long time that they'd already found placer deposits (similar to what they'd worked in Indiana and Ohio) in Diamond County and simply kept things quiet.
Of Note: Not all the gold miners left Indiana. Many of them stayed in the area and took advantage of the white oak forests to create a serious basket industry.
I love that part where the flower squirts someone right in the eye...
Gold was first discovered in southern California, but it was a small placer deposit and was quickly panned out. It simply didn't last long enough to cause a gold rush.
No doubt the Spanish looked wherever they could in Southern CA but they never really got a grasp on the North.
“It’s been my observation that General/Chat is where real news goes to die. People who thirst for substantive news simply don’t go there because of all the Paris Hilton crap.”
I’m sure you know about this, but for all who haven’t tried it or don’t know:
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and, to move the desired items to the top (etc):
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Leave blam alone!
-or-
You must be talking about a different Religion forum.
Sometimes a /s should not be needed.
More like TEARING NEWS.
Which political party will do a better job of funding the kind of amateur and professional sky search work that needs to be done to identify new, potentially dangerous asteroids and comets? There has been especially a lack of trained observers for the Southern Hemisphere. See “Impact Earth: Asteroids, Comets and Meteoroids; The Growing Threat”, by Austen Atkinson, 1999, if this issue interests or is of concern to you.
“On FR we have categories.”
Yes, and one of my favorites is Catastrophism as I am very interested in comets, asteroids, volcanoes, and earthquakes as well as other phenomenon that have the potential to hurt/kill me and millions of others including you and other FReepers. War is not the only danger we face.
“Clearly science is about as newsworthy as Paris Hilton.”
And we wonder why science education is in trouble in this country, and we are outsourcing technical jobs to India. IF this kind of stupid attitude continues, China and India will be happy to take the science and technology “burden” away from us!!! After all, how important is nucular phisics and all those other waity matters to our country’s safety and prosperity. It’s just those pesky rats, that’s all.
To whoever owns the ping list for subjects such as these ....please include me. Thanks!
Blam’s catastrophe and ancient civilization threads are one of the highlights of Free Republic.
If you meant to be funny, it didn’t work. It sounded insulting, frankly.
May you burn in HE-double-tooth-picks, Heretic!
:->
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