🦣 Comet Explosion May Have Triggered Mammoth Extinction

Scientists say they've found their strongest evidence yet that a fragmented comet exploded over Earth nearly 13,000 years ago, possibly contributing to the extinction of mammoths, mastodons, and other Ice Age megafauna.

Researchers identified shocked quartz—one of the clearest markers of cosmic impacts—at three Clovis-era sites: Murray Springs (Arizona), Blackwater Draw (New Mexico), and Arlington Canyon (California).

Electron microscopy revealed fractures filled with melted silica, formed under extreme heat and pressure far beyond what volcanoes or human fires could produce, supporting the comet-impact hypothesis.

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