Younger Dryas Impact and Cataclysm
The theory that a comet or asteroid impact triggered the Younger Dryas cold period, megafaunal extinction and the collapse of prehistoric cultures.
A cosmic impact around 12,800 years ago caused abrupt climate change, wildfires and flooding that reset early human civilisation.
A layer of anomalous materials — including nanodiamonds, magnetic spherules and platinum anomalies — has been reported at the Younger Dryas Boundary across multiple continents.
The Younger Dryas cooling is well-established, but an impact trigger remains debated. Some proposed impact proxies have not been independently replicated.
No confirmed impact crater of the right age has been found. Some proxy sites have been reinterpreted as non-impact in origin.
The cause of the Younger Dryas onset is still debated among climate scientists; an impact is one of several hypotheses.
Watch
14,300-Year-Old Pre-Younger Dryas Major Settlement!
26 Scientists Re-analyzed the Younger Dryas Layer — What They Found Beneath It Ends the Debate
The Younger Dryas Impact Theory: Comet Catastrophe or Megafauna Collapse? History for Sleep
The Younger Dryas Impact: Evidence of a Cosmic Cataclysm
Younger Dryas: New Evidence in South America, Greenland Ice, and Murray Springs
The Bizarre Evidence Of The Ancient Apocalypse Known As Younger Dryas
Research
The Younger Dryas Impact Hypothesis: A Review of the Evidence
A review of the proposed impact proxies at the Younger Dryas Boundary, including nanodiamonds and magnetic spherules.
A Reassessment of the Younger Dryas Impact Proxy Data
A critical re-examination of Younger Dryas Boundary impact proxies, questioning some of the original findings.