# Melott 2010: Cometary airbursts and atmospheric chemistry: Tunguska and a candidate Younger Dryas event

> Adrian L. Melott, Brian C. Thomas, Gisela Dreschhoff et al., 2010. 4 records on Mysteries Department cite it. The ice-core trace of 1908 and a…

Source: https://mysteriesdept.com/sources/SRC0D4EC1QM08DE/cometary-airbursts-and-atmospheric-chemistry-tunguska-and-a  
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[Sources](https://mysteriesdept.com/sources)[1908 Tunguska event](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/tunguska-event)Melott 2010

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# Cometary airbursts and atmospheric chemistry: Tunguska and a candidate Younger Dryas event

Adrian L. Melott, Brian C. Thomas, Gisela Dreschhoff et al., 2010. _Geology 38(4), 355–358_.

Finds modelled nitrate from atmospheric ionisation consistent with a nitrate enhancement in the GISP2H and GISP2 ice cores at 1908, and an unexplained ammonium spike, which they suggest a comet could supply.

**1908 Tunguska event** Articledoi: **[10.1130/G30508.1](https://doi.org/10.1130/G30508.1)** Checked against the original0

## What it's used for here

The ice-core trace of 1908 and a comet-favouring argument.

## Cited by on this site 4 records

[A fragment of a comet, largely ice, that vaporised completely.](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/tunguska-event/answers/ANS0D4ECD6T0HRP/a-fragment-of-a-comet-largely-ice-that-vaporised-completely)

Answer

ANS

[GISP2 and GISP2H nitrate and ammonium around 1908 (as used by Melott et al. 2010)](https://mysteriesdept.com/datasets/DAT0D4ECSDE2S9F/gisp2-and-gisp2h-nitrate-and-ammonium-around-1908-as-used-by)

Dataset

DAT

[An unexplained ammonium spike in Greenland ice at 1908 could be supplied by a comet.](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/tunguska-event/evidence/EVD0D4ECDPE00V2/an-unexplained-ammonium-spike-in-greenland-ice-at-1908-could)

Evidence

EVD

[The 1908 Tunguska event](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/tunguska-event)

The mystery article

MYS

## Cite it

```
Melott, A. L., Thomas, B. C., Dreschhoff, G., & Johnson, C. K. (2010). Cometary airbursts and atmospheric chemistry: Tunguska and a candidate Younger Dryas event. Geology 38(4), 355–358. https://doi.org/10.1130/G30508.1
```

[Read it free at doi.org](https://doi.org/10.1130/G30508.1)

Key

**SRC** 0D4EC1QM08DE

Kind

Journal article

Rights

arXiv-nonexclusive

Kept

27 Oct 2026, for editors

Checked

Against the published article

Added by

[apollo](https://mysteriesdept.com/u/apollo)

The record

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