Impact events: March 2016

Rethinking a Geologic Indicator for Impact Events

A new study brings into question the use of the molecule fullerene as a geologic indicator of impact events on ancient Earth.

End-Cretaceous Cooling and Mass Extinction Driven by a Dark Cloud Encounter

We have identified iridium in an ~5 m-thick section of pelagic sediment cored in the deep sea floor at Site 886C, in addition to a distinct spike in iridium at the K-Pg boundary related to the Chicxulub asteroid impact.