Panel Discussion #4 Clovis Comet

• Boslough cites 14,700 years ago climate shift as just as dramatic
• rearrangement of circulation occurs then as well
• YD conclusion "just as abrupt" as YD
• Recites diagnostic evidence of impact
• Original reason for skepticism: Size that is claimed
• Too rare to have happened
• Implausibility of scenario main reason of skepticism

• 3:16 Carolyn Shoemaker takes mic
• Recalls and dismisses the idea out of hand as being unrealistic
• Impact is too fashionable to have occurred
• People become confused by circular craters
• She investigates Tunguska
• Describes Tunguska
• Not convinced "any markers are totally diagnostic"
• Younger Dryas and end-Pleistocene not a mass extinction, people lived, sea life not ended
• Can a comet do this?
• Seems to her like a comet would go through the atmosphere and ice, can't see why not
• Should have a crater
• Large comets, for the most part, have not come close to earth in human history
• Trouble with diamonds
• Trouble with carbon spherules
• All could be found in ordinary situations

• Turns over to John McHone at 8:47
• Tells story

Category:

Science & Technology

Tags:

• Clovis
• Comet
• clovis
• comet
• younger
• dryas
• shoemaker
• mark
• boslough
• pecos
• conference
• ted
• bunch
• allen
• west
• james
• kennett