Glass bits, charcoal hint at 56-million-year-old space rock impact
Timing coincides with period of rapid warming perhaps sparked by comet
BURNING UP Bits of microscopic charcoal such as this were found along the U.S. Atlantic coast and imaged by an electron microscope. The presence of charcoal supports the idea that a large space rock hit Earth around 56 million years ago near the start of a bout of rapid warming, triggering wildfires.
M. Fung