Massive Cosmic Impact My Not Have Killed the Mammoth in Mass Extinction Event

A massive, cosmic impact probably wasn't responsible for the mass extinction event that killed off mammoths. Scientists have discovered that rock soil droplets formed by heating most likely came from Stone Age house fires rather than a disastrous impact 12,900 years ago.

The Younger Dryas cold period, which was supposedly trigged by a cosmic impact, lasted a thousand years. This period coincided with the extinction of mammoths and other large beasts, and the disappearance of the Paleo-Indian Clovis people. Some scientists believed that this cool period began when a meteorite struck North America. Now, researchers say that this isn't the case.

In this latest study, scientists analyzed siliceous scoria droplets, which are porous granules associated with melting, from four sites in northern Syria dating back 10,000 to 13,000 years ago. Then, the researchers compared these droplets to similar ones previously suggested to be the result of a cosmic impact.

"For the Syria side, the impact theory is out," said Peter Thy, one of the researchers, in a news release. "There's no way that can be done."

The researchers found that the droplets were formed by short-lived heating events of modest temperatures, and not by the intense, high temperatures expected from a large impact event. In addition, the samples spanned 3,000 years. If they were created by one event-a cosmic impact-then they would have all been connected to one date.

Instead, the researchers believe that the droplets are the result of house fires. The study area of Syria was associated with early agricultural settlements along the Euphrates River. Most of the villages included mud-brick structures, some of which showed signs of intense fire and melting.

The findings reveal that a cosmic impact may not be the answer when it comes to how Dryas Period began. That said, future studies are needed before scientists can learn exactly what occurred.

The findings are published in the Journal of Archaeological Science.

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