Last updated on March 15, 2014 at 21:56 EDT  Scientists Probe
Mysterious Possible Comet Strikes On Earth  December 14, 2009
An investigation by the University of Kansas’ Adrian Melott and
colleagues reveals a promising new method of detecting past
comet strikes upon Earth and gauging their frequency   But this
isn’t a disaster movie plotline.  “Comet impacts might be much
more frequent than we expect,” said Adrian Melott, professor of
physics and astronomy at the University of Kansas. “There’s a
lot of interest in the rate of impact events upon the Earth. We
really don’t know the rate very well because most craters end up
being destroyed by erosion or the comets go into the ocean and
we don’t know that they’re there. We really don’t have a good
handle on the rate of impacts on the Earth.”  An investigation
by Melott and colleagues reveals a promising new method of
detecting past comet strikes upon Earth and gauging their
frequency. The results will be unveiled at the American
Geophysical Union’s Fall Meeting