Thank you for the detailed information. I have a special interest in boloid and volcanic influence on earth history.
Since you have put considerable effort into Antarctic study, I was wondering if you have any thoughts, feelings, conjectures on the apparent thawed state of parts of Antarctica that seem to be shown on the Piri Reis (sp?) map.
Well, there is some research pointing to a large ancient impact crater on Antarctica although it is covered in ice right now so we can’t be sure if it is a real impact or about its age.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wilkes_Land_crater
The Reis map looks like a map of South America. The refence to hot conditions and snakes is probably the Amazon. One issue is the extremely strong west winds and storms that exist once one gets to the southern tip of South America. Year 1500 sailing ships would have been wise to turn back at that point.