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Name: Blayde
Status: educator
Grade: 6-8
Location: Outside U.S.
Country: USA
Date: Summer 2013

Is there evidence that impactors like the one recently discovered under the East Antarctic ice sheet, caused mantle plumes? In effect I am asking if extinction events could be caused by a relationship between large impactors and vulcanism? I notice geologists like volcanos and astro physicists like impactors as causes, perhaps they are both right.

Hi Blayde,

Thanks for the question. I am not familiar with this area of science. I would recommend that you do keyword searches on the internet and Wikipedia. Those sources should provide a good amount of background knowledge. Once you have finished reading those sources, please contact me and I will direct you to additional resources.



You are right! Good thinking.

I have seen an article in New Scientist where the authors maintain that the Deccan trap rock flows which occurred at roughly the same time were triggered by the impact of the asteroid. They think the waves from the impact met on the other side of earth and cause the crust to rupture.

Whether that can actually happen, remains to be seen.

Hope that helps. Bob Avakian Tulsa

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