Geochemical evidence for a comet shower in the late Eocene
Science
By: K.A. Farley, A. Montanari, E.M. Shoemaker, and C.S. Shoemaker
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Abstract
Analyses of pelagic limestones indicate that the flux of extraterrestrial helium-3 to Earth was increased for a 2.5-million year (My) period in the late Eocene. The enhancement began ~1 My before and ended ~1.5 My after the major impact events that produced the large Popigai and Chesapeake Bay craters ~36 million years ago. The correlation between increased concentrations of helium-3, a tracer of fine-grained interplanetary dust, and large impacts indicates that the abundance of Earth-crossing objects and dustiness in the inner solar system were simultaneously but only briefly enhanced. These observations provide evidence for a comet shower triggered by an impulsive perturbation of the Oort cloud.
Suggested Citation
Farley, K., Montanari, A., Shoemaker, E., and Shoemaker, C., 1998, Geochemical evidence for a comet shower in the late Eocene: Science, v. 280, no. 5367, p. 1250-1253, https://doi.org/10.1126/science.280.5367.1250.
| Publication type | Article |
|---|---|
| Publication Subtype | Journal Article |
| Title | Geochemical evidence for a comet shower in the late Eocene |
| Series title | Science |
| DOI | 10.1126/science.280.5367.1250 |
| Volume | 280 |
| Issue | 5367 |
| Year Published | 1998 |
| Language | English |
| Publisher | American Association for the Advancement of Science |
| Description | 4 p. |
| First page | 1250 |
| Last page | 1253 |