Abstract
The Younger Dryas (YD) impact hypothesis proposes that fragments of a large, disintegrating asteroid/comet struck the Earth ∼12,800 years ago. This event simultaneously deposited high concentrations of platinum, high-temperature spherules, melt glass and nanodiamonds into the YD boundary layer (YDB) at >50 sites worldwide. Here, we report on a ∼12,800-year-old sequence at Pilauco that exhibits peak YD boundary concentrations of platinum, gold, high-temperature iron- and chromium-rich spherules and native iron particles uncommonly found together in sedimentary deposits. In addition, an erosional unconformity is associated with a large abundance peak in charcoal, representing an intense biomass-burning episode correlated with intense changes in vegetation. At Pilauco, the disappearance of megafaunal remains and dung fungi in the YDB lamina correlates well with megafaunal extinctions across the Americas. The Pilauco record is consistent with YDB impact evidence found at multiple sites on four continents.
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West, A., Bunch, T., Lecompte, M.A., Adedeji, V., Moore, C.R., Wolbach, W.S. (2020). Evidence from Pilauco, Chile Suggests a Catastrophic Cosmic Impact Occurred Near the Site ∼12,800 Years Ago. In: Pino , M., Astorga, G. (eds) Pilauco: A Late Pleistocene Archaeo-paleontological Site. The Latin American Studies Book Series. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-23918-3_15
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