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Has the Earth been exposed to numerous supernovae within the last 300 kyr?

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  06 November 2014

Adrian L. Melott ,
Ilya G. Usoskin ,
Gennady A. Kovaltsov  and
Claude M. Laird
Adrian L. Melott*
Affiliation:
Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Kansas, USA
Ilya G. Usoskin
Affiliation:
ReSoLVE Center of Excellence and Sodankylä Geophysical Observatory (Oulu unit) University of Oulu, Finland
Gennady A. Kovaltsov
Affiliation:
Ioffe Physical-Technical Institute, St. Petersburg, Russia
Claude M. Laird
Affiliation:
University of Kansas, 1010 E 450 Rd, Lawrence, KS 66047, USA
*
e-mail: melott@ku.edu
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Abstract

Firestone (2014) asserted evidence for numerous (23) nearby (d < 300 pc) supernovae (SNe) within the Middle and Late Pleistocene. If true, this would have strong implications for the irradiation of the Earth; at this rate, the mass extinction level events due to SNe would be more frequent than 100 Myr. However, there are numerous errors in the application of past research. The paper overestimates likely nitrate and 14C production from moderately nearby SNe by about four orders of magnitude. Moreover, the results are based on wrongly selected (obsolete) nitrate and 14C datasets. The use of correct and up-to-date datasets does not confirm the claimed results. The claims in the paper are invalid.

Keywords

carbon-14nitratesmass extinctionsPleistocenesupernovae
Type
Research Article
Information
International Journal of Astrobiology , Volume 14 , Issue 3 , July 2015 , pp. 375 - 378
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2014 

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