It has been reported that asteroids have been making frequent close passes at Earth, and that some of them have even hit the planet.
In order to prevent such future destruction as an asteroid could cause to earth, NASA and other space agencies around the globe have been researching ways to protect the planet. In order to accomplish this, we need to understand how often and how these types of impacts have occurred in the past and how they have impacted the environment. According to a new study published by the University of Exeter, we can determine the locations of asteroid strikes in the distant past through the analysis of charred plant remains.
Researchers from various countries have found that charcoal around asteroid craters differs from wildfire charcoal, so analysing its samples allows scientists to determine the origin of small craters. According to Dr Ania Losiak, lead author of the study from the Institute of Geological Sciences, Polish Academy of Sciences and University of Exeter, ? Charcoal properties reflect the conditions under which organisms were killed.
The conditions, such as the amount of heat the wood was exposed to or the duration of the heating, leave telltale signs in the material’s structure.
In comparison with charcoal from high-intensity wildfires, charcoal from low-energy surface fires, such as burning bushes and leaves, has different properties. She continued. Also, according to Losiak, Impact charcoals appear to be very unusual since they are formed at much lower temperatures than wildfire charcoals, and they are all very similar to one another. However, it is common to find heavily charred wood right next to branches that are barely affected during a wildfire.
A dramatic and surprising difference exists between wildfire charcoal and impact charcoal? According to Professor Claire Belcher, a member of Exeter’s Global Systems Institute. Wildfire charcoal’s reflectivity varies significantly based on the local conditions during the fire, while impact charcoal has uniform characteristics regardless of its location.