Last month, in the February 2024 issue of the Kosmographia Newsletter I reported on new research correlating a series of large-scale igneous events which produced the Central Atlantic Magmatic Province (CAMP) and the Siberian Traps with mass extinction episodes. On February 8 another paper was published in the journal Global and Planetary Change which further supports correlations between mass extinction episodes with gigantic volcanic eruptions and catastrophic cosmic impacts. The lead author of the paper is Michael Rampino, who has for decades been in the forefront of researching catastrophic events in Earth history. I have been following his work since the early 1980s and hold him in high regard as a scientist who is willing to think outside established paradigms of Earth history. The abstract to the paper begins:

"We find that Large Igneous Province (LIP) volcanism, mostly continental flood basalts (CFBs), along with the largest extraterrestrial impacts show significant correlations with mass-extinction events in the Phanerozoic geologic record. The ages of the 6 major marine mass extinctions (≥ 40% extinction of genera) of the last 541 MY ̶ the end-Ordovician (~444 Ma), late Devonian (~ 372 Ma), end-Guadalupian (~259 Ma), end-Permian (~ 252 Ma), end-Triassic (~201 Ma), and end-Cretaceous (66 Ma) extinctions are significantly correlated with high-quality U — Pb zircon and 40Ar/39Ar ages of 6 continental flood basalts (CFBs) ̶ the Cape St. Mary's, Viluy, Emeishan, Siberian, CAMP, and the Deccan Basalts.

U — Pb zircon dating (Uranium-lead) is a widely used method for dating metamorphic rocks typically employing a thermal ionization mass spectrometer. Zircon is used because it includes uranium and thorium atoms in its crystalline structure when forming but rejects lead, so any lead found in a zircon crystal is radiogenic, meaning it results from radioactive decay. Argon dating can measure Argon isotopes from a single mineral grain. The ratio of Argon 40 to Argon 39 yields the age of the sample.

The extinctions listed above are considered to be major events in the history of life on Earth. A number of less severe extinctions have taken place, although these events are somewhat more difficult to discern in the geologic/palaeontologic record. Nevertheless, a correlation can be discerned between these extinctions and both volcanic eruptions and cosmic impact.

We received 61 reports about a fireball seen over AL, AR, GA, KS, KY, Mississippi, MS, NC, SC and TN on Sunday, March 3rd 2024 around 01:21 UT.

For this event, we received 5 videos.

The Clima ao Vivo and Bramon cameras recorded a super fire during the night of this Tuesday (27), which streaked across the sky of Alagoas, Paraíba, Pernambuco, Bahia and Sergipe.

To be considered a super bolide, the meteor must shine brighter than the moon: brighter than a visual magnitude of -17. Indicates probable generation of meteorites (meteor that reaches the ground and debris can be found there). Super bolides are always explosive, large and very bright.


(Translated by Google)

We received 9 reports about a fireball seen over England, Gelderland, Nordrhein-Westfalen, North Holland, Région Wallonne, Utrecht and Zuid-Holland on Tuesday, February 27th 2024 around 23:50 UT.

For this event, we received one video.

We received 18 reports about a fireball seen over Maine, Massachusetts, New Brunswick, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Québec and Vermont on Tuesday, February 27th 2024 around 01:51 UT.

For this event, we received one video.

We received 19 reports about a fireball seen over AL, Alabama, IL, Illinois, Kentucky, KY, Missouri, MO, Tennessee and TN on Sunday, February 25th 2024 around 08:11 UT.

For this event, we received 5 videos and one photo.

We received 22 reports about a fireball seen over MI and Ontario on Saturday, February 24th 2024 around 02:31 UT.

For this event, we received one video.

A fireball meteor was spotted over County Down on Tuesday evening about 5.45 pm.

The footage was taken by a car's dash cam while heading south at temple roundabout on the A24 towards Ballynahinch. Video credit: @CyclingDown Via X

We received 391 reports about a fireball seen over CT, DC, DE, Delaware, MA, Maryland, MD, MI, NC, New Jersey, New York, NJ, North Carolina, NY, OH, Ohio, Ontario, PA, Pennsylvania, VA, Virginia, West Virginia and WV on Wednesday, February 21st 2024 around 23:48 UT.

For this event, we received 12 videos and 5 photos.

The stunning fireball in this video was recorded over Spain on 2024 February 18, at 23:08 local time (equivalent to 22:08 universal time). It was almost as bright as the full Moon. The fireball was observed by a wide number of casual eyewitnesses, who reported it on social networks.

The event was generated by a rock (a meteoroid) from an asteroid that hit the atmosphere at about 54,000 km/h. The fireball overflew the province of A Coruña (region of Galicia, northwest of Spain). It began at an altitude of about 89 km over the locality of Teixeiro (province of A Coruña), moved northwest, and ended at a height of around 25 km over the locality of A Torre de San Bartolomeu (province of A Coruña).

The preliminary analysis of this event shows that the rock was not fully destroyed: a small part of the meteoroid could have survived and reach the ground as a meteorite.

This bright meteor was recorded in the framework of the SMART project, operated by the Southwestern Europe Meteor Network (SWEMN) from the meteor-observing stations located at La Hita (Toledo), and Coruña. The event has been analyzed by the team headed by Dr. Jose M. Madiedo (principal investigator of the SMART project), from the Institute of Astrophysics of Andalusia (IAA-CSIC).