Researchers reported a likely 12,800-year-old shallow-airburst depression near Perkins, Louisiana, in a 2025 paper. The deposits include spherules, meltglass, microbreccia and shocked quartz. The authors say the site contains hundreds of billions of spherules and glass fragments whose chemistry matches local sediment, indicating local melting. A ragged depression contains large meltglass chunks; estimated melt temperatures reached the thousands of degrees Fahrenheit, not Celsius. The video, citing the Comet Research Group, argues that Perkins is the first recognized Younger Dryas shallow-airburst site outside Tunguska and North America's first such site.
Paper reports likely 12,800-year-old shallow-airburst site at Perkins, Louisiana
Site mentioned
📍 Perkins site
Key facts
- A 2025 paper by R. Fitzenreiter and colleagues reports spherules, meltglass, microbreccia and shocked quartz near Perkins, Louisiana.
- The paper describes the evidence as indicating a likely low-altitude cosmic airburst about 12,800 years ago.
- The authors report hundreds of billions of spherules and meltglass fragments whose chemistry is consistent with local sediment, suggesting local formation.
- The described landform is a shallow, ragged depression containing large meltglass fragments.
- Estimated melt temperatures reached the thousands of degrees Fahrenheit, not several thousand degrees Celsius.
- The video, citing the Comet Research Group, argues that Perkins is the first recognized Younger Dryas shallow-airburst site outside Tunguska and North America's first such site.
Sources
cometresearchgroup.org
Linked in video description
Evidence of a 12800-year-old Shallow Airburst Depression ...researchnow.flinders.edu.au
by R Fitzenreiter · 2025 · Cited by 4 — We report evidence of a likely low-altitude cosmic airburst near Perkins, Louisiana, along with spherules, meltglass, and microbreccia. ...
Perkins impact, Louisiana - METEORITE CRATERSimpact-structures.com
Perkins impact, Louisiana or Fitzenreiter impact, Glass spherules from the crater field. practically pure 50:50% C-O solid composition, The Luzice impact site
Evidence of a 12800-year-old Shallow Airburst Depression ...zenodo.org
We report evidence of a likely low-altitude cosmic airburst near Perkins, Louisiana, associated with semi-consolidated deposits containing
(PDF) Evidence of a 12800-year-old Shallow Airburst ...researchgate.net
We report evidence of a likely low-altitude cosmic airburst near Perkins, Louisiana, associated with semi-consolidated deposits containing ...
Evidence of a 12800-year-old Shallow Airburst Depression ...scienceopen.com
by R Fitzenreiter · 2025 · Cited by 4 — The lake is located east of Perkins, LA, in the state's southwest corner and is deposit meltglass and spherules, including surface deposits ...
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