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The Frequency and Predicted Consequences of Cosmic Impacts in the Last 65 Million Years

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  19 September 2017

Michael Paine  and
Benny Peiser
Michael Paine
Affiliation:
The Planetary Society Australian Volunteers, 10 Lanai Place Beacon Hill, NSW 2100, Australia
Benny Peiser
Affiliation:
Liverpool John Moores University, Faculty of Science, 15–21 Webster Street, Liverpool, L3 2ET, United Kingdom

Abstract

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Sixty five million years ago a huge asteroid collided with the Earth and ended the long reign of the dinosaurs. In the aftermath of this catastrophic event, the mammals arose and eventually mankind came to dominate the surface of the planet. The Earth, however, has not been free from severe impacts since the time of the dinosaur killer. We examine the likely frequency of major impact events over the past 65 million years, the evidence for these impacts and the predicted consequences of various types of impacts. It is evident that the mammals had to survive frequent severe disruptions to the global climate, and it is likely that over the past 5 million years hominids were faced with several catastrophic global events. Smaller but strategically located impact events could bring down our civilisation if they occurred today. Mankind has recently developed the expertise to predict and mitigate future impacts, but political and financial support are lacking.

Type
Origins and Evolution of Life
Information
Symposium - International Astronomical Union , Volume 213: Bioastronomy 2002: Life Among the stars , 2004 , pp. 289 - 294
Copyright
Copyright © Astronomical Society of the Pacific 2004 

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