2010 Articles

Exotic Grains in a Core from Cornwall, NY - Do They Have an Impact Source?

Abbott, Dallas Helen; Gerard-Little, Perri; Breger, Dee Lewis; Coste, Sarah; Coste, Stephanie; Haslett, Simon K.

We have found seven discrete layers in a bog core from Cornwall, NY about 80 km away from the Atlantic Ocean. All but two layers contain material that is unlikely to be locally derived. In most cases, the material in the layers has been transported thousands of kilometers from its source area. Six out of the seven layers are difficult to explain except through impact processes. If all of these layers are derived from impacts that produced craters, the data imply a very high impact rate during late Holocene time. In addition, we have been able to associate two of the impact ejecta layers with dated tsunami events that span the Atlantic Ocean. If this discovery is validated by further research, it implies a much larger tsunami hazard in the Atlantic Ocean than previously reported.