# The impact's fires and climate effects killed off the megafauna and broke Clovis society within a short time.

> Disputed: The impact's fires and climate effects killed off the megafauna and broke Clovis society within a short time.

Source: https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/younger-dryas-impact/answers/ANS0D51XPQG4ZGZ/the-impacts-fires-and-climate-effects-killed-off-the  
Publisher: Mysteries Department  
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[Questions](https://mysteriesdept.com/questions)[Younger Dryas impact hypothesis](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/younger-dryas-impact)[Did a catastrophe at about 12.8 ka cause the North American megafaunal extinctions and the end of Clovis?](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/younger-dryas-impact/questions/QST0D51X9HM392H/did-a-catastrophe-at-about-12-8-ka-cause-the-north-american)Answer

Answer · Younger Dryas impact hypothesis

# The impact's fires and climate effects killed off the megafauna and broke Clovis society within a short time.

The impact's fires and climate effects killed off the megafauna and broke Clovis society within a short time.

**Disputed** Answers **1** questionPublished0

## Where it stands

**Disputed** One piece of evidence for, one against. It needs two reviews to be accepted.

## What it predicts

- Last-appearance dates of many genera cluster at 12.8 ka.
- Summed archaeological radiocarbon dates fall sharply at 12.8 ka.

## What would rule it out

- Last appearances staggered over millennia, or no fall in human activity at 12.8 ka.

## Evidence 1 for · 1 against

[Last-appearance dates are consistent with extinction of many genera in a short window at the end of the…](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/younger-dryas-impact/evidence/EVD0D51XPZA6YDX/last-appearance-dates-are-consistent-with-extinction-of-many)

Suggestive

FOR

[Archaeological data show no population decline or major adaptive shift at or just after 12.9 ka.](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/younger-dryas-impact/evidence/EVD0D51XQ7431RX/archaeological-data-show-no-population-decline-or-major)

Supported

AGAINST

## The questions it answers

[Did a catastrophe at about 12.8 ka cause the North American megafaunal extinctions and the end of Clovis?](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/younger-dryas-impact/questions/QST0D51X9HM392H/did-a-catastrophe-at-about-12-8-ka-cause-the-north-american)

Most likelyExtinctions were driven by climate change and human hunting over a longer period; Clovis gave way to…

## Cite it

```
Mysteries Department. (2026). The impact's fires and climate effects killed off the megafauna and broke Clovis society within a short time. [Answer ANS0D51XPQG4ZGZ]. https://mysteriesdept.com/r/ANS0D51XPQG4ZGZ
```

Key

**ANS** 0D51XPQG4ZGZ

Kind

Answer · hypothesis

Origin

Published

Version

1

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