# Firestone 2007: Evidence for an extraterrestrial impact 12,900 years ago that contributed to the megafaunal extinctions and the Younger Dryas cooling

> R. B. Firestone, A. West, J. P. Kennett et al., 2007. 11 records on Mysteries Department cite it. The original statement of the hypothesis and its first…

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# Evidence for an extraterrestrial impact 12,900 years ago that contributed to the megafaunal extinctions and the Younger Dryas cooling

R. B. Firestone, A. West, J. P. Kennett et al., 2007. _Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 104(41), 16016–16021_.

The founding paper. Reports a thin layer at about 12.9 ka at Clovis-age sites across North America with peaks in magnetic grains with iridium, magnetic microspherules, charcoal, soot, carbon spherules, glass-like carbon with nanodiamonds and fullerenes with extraterrestrial helium, and proposes that one or more low-density objects exploded over northern North America, triggering the Younger Dryas cooling and contributing to megafaunal extinction.

**Younger Dryas impact hypothesis** ArticleCopy of **[Boundary-layer sediment samples from the 2007 sites](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/younger-dryas-impact/artifacts/ART0D51XY9P3QFB/boundary-layer-sediment-samples-from-the-2007-sites)** doi: **[10.1073/pnas.0706977104](https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.0706977104)** Checked against the original0

## What it's used for here

The original statement of the hypothesis and its first set of proxies.

## Cited by on this site 11 records

[Airbursts and impacts from a large fragmenting comet deposited a synchronous boundary layer with impact…](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/younger-dryas-impact/answers/ANS0D51XA183EE5/airbursts-and-impacts-from-a-large-fragmenting-comet)

Answer

ANS

[The impact's fires and climate effects killed off the megafauna and broke Clovis society within a short time.](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/younger-dryas-impact/answers/ANS0D51XPQG4ZGZ/the-impacts-fires-and-climate-effects-killed-off-the)

Answer

ANS

[Boundary-layer sediment samples from the 2007 sites](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/younger-dryas-impact/artifacts/ART0D51XY9P3QFB/boundary-layer-sediment-samples-from-the-2007-sites)

ART

[Boundary-layer sediment samples from the 2007 sites: document](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/younger-dryas-impact/copies/CPY0D51XYHG5SXX/boundary-layer-sediment-samples-from-the-2007-sites-document)

CPY

[Firestone and colleagues propose a Younger Dryas impact](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/younger-dryas-impact/events/EVT0D51X4NC776B/firestone-and-colleagues-propose-a-younger-dryas-impact)

EVT

[Allen West](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/younger-dryas-impact/people/FIG0D51X2780VPG/allen-west)

FIG

[Richard B. Firestone](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/younger-dryas-impact/people/FIG0D51X1ZE3FWZ/richard-b-firestone)

FIG

[The Younger Dryas impact hypothesis](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/younger-dryas-impact)

The mystery article

MYS

[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)

Question

QST

[Did an extraterrestrial impact or airburst occur at the onset of the Younger Dryas, about 12,800 years ago?](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/younger-dryas-impact/questions/QST0D51X8AJ1304/did-an-extraterrestrial-impact-or-airburst-occur-at-the)

Question

QST

[What triggered the Younger Dryas cooling?](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/younger-dryas-impact/questions/QST0D51X99T2T4C/what-triggered-the-younger-dryas-cooling)

Question

QST

## Cite it

```
Firestone, R. B., West, A., Kennett, J. P., Becker, L., Bunch, T. E., Revay, Z. S., Schultz, P. H., & and others (2007). Evidence for an extraterrestrial impact 12,900 years ago that contributed to the megafaunal extinctions and the Younger Dryas cooling. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 104(41), 16016–16021. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.0706977104
```

[Read it free at doi.org](https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.0706977104)

Key

**SRC** 0D51WPR222ST

Kind

Journal article

Rights

The publisher's

Checked

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The record

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