http://arxiv.org/abs/2105.08768
A recent paper by Siraj & Loeb (2021) entitled “Breakup of a long-period comet as the origin of the dinosaur extinction” attempts to revive the perennial debate about what type of body hit the Earth 66 million years ago, triggering the end-Cretaceous extinction. Here we critique the paper and assess the evidence it presents. To consider a comet more likely than an asteroid requires extreme assumptions about how comets fragment, conflation of carbonaceous chondrites with specific types of carbonaceous chondrites, and a blind eye to the evidence of the iridium layer.
S. Desch, A. Jackson, J. Noviello, et. al.
Thu, 20 May 21
40/56
Comments: To be published in Astronomy and Geophysics
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