New Evidence Supports Ice Age Comet Theory Wednesday, July 30, 2008 - Shalhevet Bar-Asher Home >> News >> Space
Recent geological evidence gathered in Ohio and Indiana has been verified by a University of Cincinnati assistant professor as support of a comet theory, claiming a comet explosion over earth was the cause of drastic changes to life on our planet. This evidence strengthens initial data collected over a year ago. The explosion, which occurred over what is now Canada, caused the extinction of animals and cultures and lengthened the Ice Age that should have been coming to an end.
Ken Tankersley
(Credit: University
of Cincinnati)
A group of American scientists, including Arizona geophysicist Allen West, first presented the comet theory at the American Geophysical Union meeting in Mexico last year. According to this theory, a comet more than a mile in diameter exploded over earth nearly 13,000 years ago, causing a massive shock wave which in turn set off a series of explosions, each the equivalent of an atomic bomb blast. These explosions generated fires across most of the northern hemisphere.
This chain of events resulted in the destroying of primitive Stone Age cultures as well as the extinction of various animals such as mammoths and mastodons. It also prompted a 1,300 year period of climatic cooling, disrupting the development of emerging civilizations in Europe and Asia.
The theory stemmed from the finding of a layer of microscopic diamonds at 26 different locations in Canada, the United States, and Europe. The group claimed these diamonds were the remains of a large carbon rich comet that crashed into our planet 12,900 years ago.
New geological evidence found in Ohio and Indiana lends strong support to this theory. University of Cincinnati assistant professor of anthropology Ken Tankersley, working with Allen West and Indiana Geological Society research scientist Nelson R. Schaffer, has studied samples of diamond, gold, and silver from these areas. These samples have been traced, using x-ray diffractometry, to the diamond fields in Canada. The only plausible explanation as to how these samples could have migrated this far south is an explosion of the magnitude of a comet explosion. This is the strongest support yet of the comet theory.
Ken Tankersley working in a cave in the field
(Credit: National Geographic Channel).
Prior to this study it was suggested that the diamond, gold, and silver deposits arrived from the Great Lakes region by glaciers. Surprisingly, Tankersley entered this study intending to use these deposits as evidence opposing West's theory. Upon hearing that West reached the conclusion that the comet exploded over Canada's diamond bearing fields, Tankersley realized these deposits are indeed the strongest evidence in support of the comet theory.
Over the years various theories trying to explain the disappearance of the first Stone Age civilization in America, the extinction of mammoths, and the sudden cooling of the planet have surfaced. The latest findings offer a common cause for these events and may put to rest widely debated theories. As more data is gathered Tankersley, West, and Schaffer will be publishing their findings, which are another step in understanding the history of our planet.
Ken Tankersley can be seen in the documentary "Asteroids" airing on the National Geographic channel as part of their "Naked Science" series.
100% misuse of "theory" (07/31/08 - 8:16 - by Shellback3)
For each use of "theory" substitute "hypothesis", "conjecture", or some other word that implies a degree of uncertainty to make the article read better.
ice age extinction (09/21/08 - 11:22 - by chuck)
didn't immanuuel velikovsky first propose a similar theory?
Along with evidence from the 1800's of massive piles of bones, possible caused by the shock wave?
