[meteorite-list] comet fragment impact and 536 AD climate collapse

From: E.P. Grondine <epgrondine_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Mon, 12 Jan 2009 11:53:30 -0800 (PST)
Message-ID: <544503.31771.qm_at_web36905.mail.mud.yahoo.com>

Hi all -

A few points about the recent discussion of the climate collapse of 536 CE:
1) For some reason some of you think that volcanic eruptions and cometary dust veils
are mutually exclusive events, and that if a volcano goes off, then no comet passes nearby. This is not so, as the events of 1628 BCE show.
2) Note the lack of volcanic glass shard from the new ice cores. Do volcanoes only emit sulfur? I am certain that if Dr. Abbott had found tephra, she would have reported it, as she has other volanic glass finds from other cores.
3) Why do some of you think that sulfur is not found in any cometary cores, and that sulfur does not occur in space, when you have troilite samples in your own collections?
4) Besides reading my book for the accounts of impacts in the Americas following 536 CE, some of you may want to take a look at the following essay for notes on another related impact:
Impact And The End Of The Roman Empire In The West
http://abob.libs.uga.edu/bobk/ccc/ce082202.html
It appears Comet Encke's debris stream was fairly spread out. We don't have data from Africa or India yet.
5) Why hasn't this volcanic particulate/cometary dust issue been resolved? Where are the eruption dates from the volcanoes themselves? In a nut shell, and to my absolute knowledge, having spoken with the researchers, it is because NASA refuses to fund research on impacts, and in particular research on cometary impact, with the research being done by others when they can find funding. NASA coordination with NSF, USGS and others is non-existent. This is not due to any fault of Lindley Johnson, IMO, but rather the problem lies elsewhere.
6) This is not a trivial problem, nor a trivial hazard. In closing this note, I am hoping that the next NASA Administrator will not avoid his responsibilities to ensure the continued prosperity, safety, and lives of the people of the United States.
   I suppose we'll all find out Directly.

Good Hunting -
E.P. Grondine
Man and Impact in the Americas



      
Received on Mon 12 Jan 2009 02:53:30 PM PST