Violent explosions of meteors in the air apparently more frequent than expected
When large celestial bodies hit the earth, they don't have to create craters - they can explode in mid-air. This probably happens more often than expected.
(Image: Marko Aliaksandr/Shutterstock.com)
Powerful detonations of meteors above the Earth's surface, which do not create large craters but can still have catastrophic consequences, may be more common than previously thought. At least that is the opinion of an international research team. It has found possible traces of such an explosion, which initiated an anomalous cold period around 12,800 years ago.
In addition, the research group may even have discovered a crater that is thought to be connected to the detonation at that time. Other such explosions are also believed to have occurred more than 115 years ago in Siberia (“Tunguska event”) and in the Bronze Age at Tell el-Hammam in Jordan. Together, these would indicate that this kind of thing happens more frequently than assumed.
Three explosions observed by humans?
In a total of four research articles, the research group led by James Kennett from the University of California presents evidence of several of these detonations in the past. The focus is on an explosion that is said to have occurred almost 13,000 years ago over what is now northern Canada. The detonation is said to have been so powerful that it triggered a noticeable cooling of the climate during the Younger Dryas period. Traces of the impact were first discovered during deep-sea drilling in Baffin Bay. The team also presents a possible crater in the US state of Louisiana, which is said to have been created by a fragment that formed at that time. It is a small, seasonal lake surrounded by a crater-like rim.
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Whether the nameless soil formation is actually a crater and whether it is the right age has yet to be confirmed, the team writes. According to its statement, it also searched for direct traces of the explosion over Tunguska in 1908 for the first time and found what it was looking for. At the site of the event, quartz grains were found that were deformed by the impact. The group also reports other remains. They also exist at the Tell el-Hammam excavation site, over which a celestial body is said to have exploded around 3675 years ago.
Together, the three events would indicate that explosions of large meteors in the Earth's atmosphere occur much more frequently than meteorite impacts that leave a large crater. However, they are not only much more frequent than previously thought but could also cause much more destruction than classic impacts that create a localized crater. Explosions above the surface could devastate much larger areas. Nevertheless, they have not been very well researched to date, the team writes. This needs to change: “They should be of great interest to mankind.” The research papers were published in various specialist journals.
(mho)
