FUNDAY

Asteroids and Meteors
http://www.sis-group.org.uk/news/asteroids-and-meteors.htm-1
… Gary sent in a link to http://www.sciencealert.com/evidence-of-ancient-meteorite-impacts-have-been-found-in-clam-fossils ... it seems that scientists researching the Tamiami Formation in Florida came across a lot of fossilised clams - and tiny silica rich glass spheres up to 5mm in size, even inside the clam shells. They are thought to have got into the clams as they keep their mouths open and filter the sea water passing across them. These clams were clammed shut and were prised open in a lab. They were forged in heat (no wonder the clams pulled the shutters down) and they can be created by volcanoes and even by industrial processes. In this case there is no volcanic rock in the vicinity of the Tamiami Formation and human activity is discounted as the formation is prior to the Holocene. It is said to possibly go back as far as the Pliocene or Pleistocne, somewhere between 5 million years ago and 12,000 years ago. The researchers have drawn the conclusion that the most likely explanation is that an impact event was responsible. Or perhaps an atmospheric explosion. Something capable of ejecting lots of debris into the air.
   ... The glass spherules are, in effect, mini tektites - but therein lies a problem as uniformitarian geochronology insists the formation was lain down in a number of layers - and the fossilised clams were found in four different locations. The implication, in the gradualist model, is that there were four impact events - which seems a trifle unlikely. No doubt if a nearby volcanic source had been found they could point a finger at multiple eruptions - as volcanoes tend to blow at irregular intervals. In this case that is not possible and as Gary says, the evidence appears to be that the sedimentary layer was laid down quickly and in one go. This is itself unsurprising as impact events would involve a lot of sediment production - and this even occurs with big volcanoes. The researchers are of course trapped in the uniformitarian straightjacket and are forced to think in terms of more than one impact - at the same spot on earth.