Comet May Have Exploded Over North America 13,000 Years Ago

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A black mat of algal growth in Arizona marks a line of extinction at 12900 years ago Clovis points and mammoth skeletons were found at the line but not above it. Credit: Allen West UCSB
A "black mat" of algal growth in Arizona marks a line of extinction at 12,900 years ago; Clovis points and mammoth skeletons were found at the line but not above it. Credit: Allen West, UCSB

New scientific findings suggest that a large comet may have exploded over North America 12,900 years ago, explaining riddles that scientists have wrestled with for decades, including an abrupt cooling of much of the planet and the extinction of large mammals.


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