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Award Abstract #0713769
SGER: Investigations of a Likely Extraterrestrial Impact at 12.9 ka: Possible Cause of Younger Dryas Cooling, North American Mammal Mass Extinction and Demise of Clovis People
| NSF Org: |
ATM
Division of Atmospheric Sciences
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| Initial Amendment Date: |
March 5, 2007 |
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| Latest Amendment Date: |
January 15, 2008 |
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| Award Number: |
0713769 |
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| Award Instrument: |
Standard Grant |
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| Program Manager: |
David J. Verardo
ATM Division of Atmospheric Sciences
GEO Directorate for Geosciences
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| Start Date: |
March 15, 2007 |
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| Expires: |
August 31, 2008 (Estimated) |
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| Awarded Amount to Date: |
$53073 |
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| Investigator(s): |
James Kennett kennett@geol.ucsb.edu (Principal Investigator)
Luann Becker (Co-Principal Investigator)
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| Sponsor: |
University of California-Santa Barbara
Office of Research
SANTA BARBARA, CA 93106 805/893-4188
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| NSF Program(s): |
PALEOCLIMATE PROGRAM
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| Field Application(s): |
0000099 Other Applications NEC
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| Program Reference Code(s): |
OTHR, 9237, 0000
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| Program Element Code(s): |
1530
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ABSTRACT
This award, under the auspices of the Small Grants for Exploratory Research (SGER) program, funds research to test a new hypothesis that Younger Dryas climatic cooling was triggered by a comet impact on or near the Laurentide Ice Sheet. This impact may have caused destabilization, melting, and massive flooding to the northern Atlantic and Arctic oceans that in turn affected ocean circulation and climate.
The research is founded on growing physical evidence for an impact at 12,900 years ago based on analyses from a discrete carbon-rich black colored sedimentary layer that is widely distributed over North America. This sedimentary layer contains iridium, cosmic spherules, carbon spherules, and fullerenes enriched in extraterrestrial noble gas concentrations.
Iridium, fullerenes, cosmic spherules and glass-like carbon formed under high temperatures are being reported from the sediment rims of depressed geomorphic features called Carolina Bays. This evidence may help evaluate whether the Bays originated in an impact.
The researchers will explore, chemically analyze, and date the black layer at several geographic locations. In addition to field exploration, the researchers will examine existing marine cores from the Hudson Bay region since the region is the primary location for the suspected impact event.
The research could have broad impact on the wider science community and catalyze new thinking in issues surrounding climate, mass extinctions, landscape development, and human and cultural evolution in the Americas by offering a new perspective on old and knotty scientific problems.
PUBLICATIONS PRODUCED AS A RESULT OF THIS RESEARCH
(Showing: 1 - 1 of 1).
R.B. Firestone; A. West; J.P Kennett; L. Becker; T.E. Bunch; Z.S. Revay; P.H.Schultz; T. Belgya; D.J. Kennett; J.M. Erlandson; O.J. Dickenson; A.C. Goodyear; R.S. Harris; G.A. Howard; J.B. Kloosterman; P. Lechler; P.A. Mayewski; J. Montgomery; et al.
"Evidence for an extraterrestrial impact 12,900 years ago that contributed to the megafaunal extinctions and the Younger Dryas cooling,"
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences,
v.104,
2007,
p. 16016.
(Showing: 1 - 1 of 1).
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