Ignition of global wildfires at the Cretaceous/Tertiary boundary

Details Ignition of global wildfires at the Cretaceous/Tertiary boundary Ignition of global wildfires at the Cretaceous/Tertiary boundary

Jan 1990

adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=1990natur.343..251m&link_type=abstract

Nature (ISSN 0028-0836), vol. 343, Jan. 18, 1990, p. 251-254.

Physics

53

Earth, Cretaceous-Tertiary Event, Thermal Effects, Impacts, Energy, Ejecta, Residue, Heating, Temperature

Scientific paper

The recent discovery of an apparently global soot layer at the Cretaceous/Tertiary boundary indicates that global wildfires were somehow ignited by the impact of a comet or asteroid. It is shown here that the thermal radiation produced by the ballistic reentry of ejecta condensed from the vapor plume of the impact could have increased the global radiation flux by factors of 50 to 150 times the solar input for periods ranging from one to several hours. This great increase in thermal radiation may have been responsible for the ignition of global wildfires, as well as having deleterious effects on unprotected animal life.

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