Nanodiamonds in the Younger Dryas boundary sediment layer - PubMed

Nanodiamonds in the Younger Dryas boundary sediment layer

D J Kennett et al. Science. 2009.

Abstract

We report abundant nanodiamonds in sediments dating to 12.9 +/- 0.1 thousand calendar years before the present at multiple locations across North America. Selected area electron diffraction patterns reveal two diamond allotropes in this boundary layer but not above or below that interval. Cubic diamonds form under high temperature-pressure regimes, and n-diamonds also require extraordinary conditions, well outside the range of Earth's typical surficial processes but common to cosmic impacts. N-diamond concentrations range from approximately 10 to 3700 parts per billion by weight, comparable to amounts found in known impact layers. These diamonds provide strong evidence for Earth's collision with a rare swarm of carbonaceous chondrites or comets at the onset of the Younger Dryas cool interval, producing multiple airbursts and possible surface impacts, with severe repercussions for plants, animals, and humans in North America.

Comment in

• Planetary impacts. Did the mammoth slayer leave a diamond calling card?

  Kerr RA. Kerr RA. Science. 2009 Jan 2;323(5910):26. doi: 10.1126/science.323.5910.26. Science. 2009. PMID: 19119192 No abstract available.

Similar articles

• Planetary impacts. Did the mammoth slayer leave a diamond calling card?

  Kerr RA. Kerr RA. Science. 2009 Jan 2;323(5910):26. doi: 10.1126/science.323.5910.26. Science. 2009. PMID: 19119192 No abstract available.

• Shock-synthesized hexagonal diamonds in Younger Dryas boundary sediments.

  Kennett DJ, Kennett JP, West A, West GJ, Bunch TE, Culleton BJ, Erlandson JM, Que Hee SS, Johnson JR, Mercer C, Shen F, Sellers M, Stafford TW Jr, Stich A, Weaver JC, Wittke JH, Wolbach WS. Kennett DJ, et al. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2009 Aug 4;106(31):12623-8. doi: 10.1073/pnas.0906374106. Epub 2009 Jul 20. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2009. PMID: 19620728 Free PMC article.

• Nanodiamonds and wildfire evidence in the Usselo horizon postdate the Allerod-Younger Dryas boundary.

  van Hoesel A, Hoek WZ, Braadbaart F, van der Plicht J, Pennock GM, Drury MR. van Hoesel A, et al. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2012 May 15;109(20):7648-53. doi: 10.1073/pnas.1120950109. Epub 2012 Apr 30. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2012. PMID: 22547791 Free PMC article.

• Nanodiamonds as vehicles for systemic and localized drug delivery.

  Lam R, Ho D. Lam R, et al. Expert Opin Drug Deliv. 2009 Sep;6(9):883-95. doi: 10.1517/17425240903156382. Expert Opin Drug Deliv. 2009. PMID: 19637985 Review.

• Cancer treatment with nano-diamonds.

  Gupta C, Prakash D, Gupta S. Gupta C, et al. Front Biosci (Schol Ed). 2017 Jan 1;9(1):62-70. doi: 10.2741/s473. Front Biosci (Schol Ed). 2017. PMID: 27814575 Review.

Cited by

• Synchronous extinction of North America's Pleistocene mammals.

  Faith JT, Surovell TA. Faith JT, et al. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2009 Dec 8;106(49):20641-5. doi: 10.1073/pnas.0908153106. Epub 2009 Nov 23. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2009. PMID: 19934040 Free PMC article.

• Fire history on the California Channel Islands spanning human arrival in the Americas.

  Hardiman M, Scott AC, Pinter N, Anderson RS, Ejarque A, Carter-Champion A, Staff RA. Hardiman M, et al. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci. 2016 Jun 5;371(1696):20150167. doi: 10.1098/rstb.2015.0167. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci. 2016. PMID: 27216524 Free PMC article.

• Origin and provenance of spherules and magnetic grains at the Younger Dryas boundary.

  Wu Y, Sharma M, LeCompte MA, Demitroff MN, Landis JD. Wu Y, et al. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2013 Sep 17;110(38):E3557-66. doi: 10.1073/pnas.1304059110. Epub 2013 Sep 5. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2013. PMID: 24009337 Free PMC article.

• Twinning of cubic diamond explains reported nanodiamond polymorphs.

  Németh P, Garvie LA, Buseck PR. Németh P, et al. Sci Rep. 2015 Dec 16;5:18381. doi: 10.1038/srep18381. Sci Rep. 2015. PMID: 26671288 Free PMC article.

• The Murray Springs Clovis site, Pleistocene extinction, and the question of extraterrestrial impact.

  Haynes CV Jr, Boerner J, Domanik K, Lauretta D, Ballenger J, Goreva J. Haynes CV Jr, et al. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2010 Mar 2;107(9):4010-5. doi: 10.1073/pnas.0908191107. Epub 2010 Feb 16. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2010. PMID: 20160115 Free PMC article.

Publication types

MeSH terms

Substances

LinkOut - more resources

• Full Text Sources

  • Atypon
  • Ovid Technologies, Inc.

• Other Literature Sources

  • H1 Connect