Photos Battered Tusk
Analysis by Firestone and colleagues confirmed that fragments in the tusks had high nickel-to-iron ratios and little titanium, indicating the shards probably did not come from Earth. "We think the meteor exploded several miles up in the air, sending shrapnel in all directions," Firestone said. "Anything lying underneath it was likely to be injured or killed." Scientists are continuing to refine analysis to determine when the mammoths were hit. They are also still on the lookout for another meteorite strike that occurred 65 million years ago, believed to be responsible for the extinction of the dinosaurs and a period of global climate change. "It was pure serendipity that we found this," Firestone said. The researchers hope museums, universities and private foundations will look through their collections of mammoth tusks and bones for signs of meteorite impacts. They also are looking at a meteor impact site in Canada that may be the source of the shards that pierced the mammoths. That meteor would have been about 550 yards in diameter. Related Links: |
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