“A Critical Test of the Younger Dryas Impact Hypothesis?”
by
Vance Holliday, Professor Emeritus University of Arizona
Monday, October 7, 2024
5:00 PM – 6:00 PM PT
The Younger Dryas impact hypothesis (YDIH) is a collection of ideas proposed to explain terminal Pleistocene environmental change across North America and other continents at the onset of the Younger Dryas (YD) stadial and the beginning of the YD Chronozone (YDC). While the specific details of the YDIH vary from publication to publication, the general premise is that at 12.9 ka North America and other continents were subjected to some sort of extraterrestrial ‘event’ (either supernova shockwave; meteoritic, cometary, or very low-density object – impact(s); bolide airburst(s); or some combination thereof). The term ‘impact’ in “YDIH” represents all these possible cosmic events. That event supposedly caused climate changes that define the onset of the YD stadial. More significantly, YDIH proponents claim that the proposed impact at the beginning of the Younger, among other claims. A comprehensive and self-consistent statement that describes the YDIH, clarifies confusing/contradictory data, arguments, and interpretations, does not exist.
Dr. Vance Holliday is both an archaeologist and geologist who has spent much of his career reconstructing and interpreting the landscapes and environments in which past societies lived and how these conditions evolved. Until he retired he was Executive Director of School of Anthropology and Department of Geosciences at University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ. Among others he taught Quaternary Geology and Geoarchaeology. This talk presents a critical review of the data and interpretations used to both promote the YDIH and counter critics of the YDIH. For more detailed information see https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0012825223001915?via%3Dihub
The presentations will be presented via Zoom. The webinar will start at 5:00 PM PT and formally conclude at 6:00 PM. You may join starting at 4:45 PM to say “Hello” and participate in a social time.
