Publication Date:
2011-08-19
Description:
Cretaceous-Tertiary boundary clays rich in iridium from five sites in Europe and New Zealand were investigated. The clays are found to be 100-10,000-fold-enriched in elemental carbon (mainly soot), which is isotopically uniform and apparently comes from a single global fire. The soot layer coincides with the iridium layer, suggesting that the fire was triggered by meteorite impact and began before the ejecta had settled.
Keywords:
GEOPHYSICS
Type:
Nature (ISSN 0028-0836); 334; 665-669
Format:
text