[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next][Date Index][Thread Index]

Re: K/T extinctor

"Year Without a Summer' was 1816--the year after the Tambora eruption in
Indonesia.  Volcanoes can put a lot of iridium into the environment--whether
they'd be terrestrial or lunar (assuming the ejecta reaches Earth).  N.B.
There are many examples of K-T boundary layer outcrops where no so-called
impactor fingerprints are detectable.  This is curious thing!

<<< "Gene Marlin" <rmarlin@network-one.com>  6/ 4  7:04a >>>

>This is exactly the part of scenario that I don't agree with!  I bet an 1
km
>diam asteroid impact would put into the upper atmosphere probably no more
>fine dust particles than put there by any of the larger volcanic eruptions
>that have occurred over the past several decades (and many of these kept
>putting fine dust into the upper atmosphere for many months).

Think Krakatao scaled up by a few thousand magnitudes, then factor in the
"Year Without a Summer", 1811, supposedly caused by Krakatao. That is a
demonstration of what a volcanic eruption can do, but it is nothing compared
with a small impact.

>    I say this "KT worldwide dust cloud that obscured the sun for decades
or
>hundreds of years" or however long they say, is only a theory invented by
>some "impact" people to justify the distribution of the worldwide KT clay
>layer (that was originally mostly microtektites).  This is impossible, as
>glass spheres, many exceeding 1 mm diam., could not possibly be blown all
>around the earth in the upper atmosphere, to fall everywhere.  They are way
>too heavy, and would all fall out locally.

You attribute the dust cloud almost completely to microtektites, yet there
should be enough pulverized rock dust and ash from the forest fires to blot
out the sun pretty well. Not to mention the iridium blanket itself, which
appears to have settled down fairly uniformly.

As for the microtektites, it is a bit too early in the morning for me to
debate this, but are you suggesting that the global fallout of tektites
means they were not created by K/T?

The occurence of the microtektites "just happening" to in the same layer as
smoke and iridium makes the lunar origin of these particular tektites very
unlikely.



----------
Archives located at:
http://www.meteoritecentral.com/list_best.html

For help, FAQ's and sub. info. visit:
http://www.meteoritecentral.com/mailing_list.html
----------


----------
Archives located at:
http://www.meteoritecentral.com/list_best.html

For help, FAQ's and sub. info. visit:
http://www.meteoritecentral.com/mailing_list.html
----------