Marie-Agnès Courty
Encyclopedia
Marie-Agnès Courty is a French geologist of the CNRS who works at the European Centre for Prehistoric Research, in Tautavel
(Pyrénées-Orientales).
She has theorised that the impact of an object (asteroid or comet) of around 1 km in diameter hit the Earth, in the Southern Hemisphere close to the Kerguelen Islands around 4000 years ago (around 2350 BC). This cataclysm
led to a great deal of incandescent material, which could explain myths such as the Apocalypse
and Sodom and Gomorrah
. She arrived at this conclusion after discovering pockets of earth dating from this era that had been heated to more than 1500°C in a number of areas, notably in Syria
and France. A series of chevrons point toward a spot in the middle of the Indian Ocean where newly discovered Burckle crater
, 18 miles in diameter, lies 12,500 feet below the surface.
This thesis has been criticized by other scientists because of the absence of craters and of iridium
in the pockets of land from this time.
Critics have not provided adequate data showing that all impacts contain iridium
and other metals such as higher proportions of nickel
or other heavier metals may also be proposed alternatives for distinct proof of an impact signature.
Tautavel
Tautavel is a commune in the Pyrénées-Orientales department in southern France.Home of CERP - The European Centre for Prehistoric Research.Nearby is the 'Caune de l'Arago' a cave in which some of the oldest human remains in Europe have been found....
(Pyrénées-Orientales).
She has theorised that the impact of an object (asteroid or comet) of around 1 km in diameter hit the Earth, in the Southern Hemisphere close to the Kerguelen Islands around 4000 years ago (around 2350 BC). This cataclysm
Cataclysm
The term cataclysm The term cataclysm The term cataclysm (from the Greek kataklysmos, to 'wash down' (kluzein "wash" + kata "down") may refer to:*Deluge (mythology)*a hypothetical Doomsday event*any catastrophic geological phenomenon**volcanic eruption**earthquake...
led to a great deal of incandescent material, which could explain myths such as the Apocalypse
Apocalypse
An Apocalypse is a disclosure of something hidden from the majority of mankind in an era dominated by falsehood and misconception, i.e. the veil to be lifted. The Apocalypse of John is the Book of Revelation, the last book of the New Testament...
and Sodom and Gomorrah
Sodom and Gomorrah
Sodom and Gomorrah were cities mentioned in the Book of Genesis and later expounded upon throughout the Hebrew Bible, the New Testament and Deuterocanonical sources....
. She arrived at this conclusion after discovering pockets of earth dating from this era that had been heated to more than 1500°C in a number of areas, notably in Syria
Syria
Syria , officially the Syrian Arab Republic , is a country in Western Asia, bordering Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the West, Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east, Jordan to the south, and Israel to the southwest....
and France. A series of chevrons point toward a spot in the middle of the Indian Ocean where newly discovered Burckle crater
Burckle Crater
Burckle Crater is a hypothesized undersea crater that has been proposed by the Holocene Impact Working Group. They considered that it likely was formed by a very large scale and relatively recent comet or meteorite impact event...
, 18 miles in diameter, lies 12,500 feet below the surface.
This thesis has been criticized by other scientists because of the absence of craters and of iridium
Iridium
Iridium is the chemical element with atomic number 77, and is represented by the symbol Ir. A very hard, brittle, silvery-white transition metal of the platinum family, iridium is the second-densest element and is the most corrosion-resistant metal, even at temperatures as high as 2000 °C...
in the pockets of land from this time.
Critics have not provided adequate data showing that all impacts contain iridium
Iridium
Iridium is the chemical element with atomic number 77, and is represented by the symbol Ir. A very hard, brittle, silvery-white transition metal of the platinum family, iridium is the second-densest element and is the most corrosion-resistant metal, even at temperatures as high as 2000 °C...
and other metals such as higher proportions of nickel
Nickel
Nickel is a chemical element with the chemical symbol Ni and atomic number 28. It is a silvery-white lustrous metal with a slight golden tinge. Nickel belongs to the transition metals and is hard and ductile...
or other heavier metals may also be proposed alternatives for distinct proof of an impact signature.