Randall Reports 004 Atacama Desert Chile Strewnfield and Airburst

I think it's possible that the iron tektites found in the Atacama may be from the bedrock, as the paper suggests, rather than being from an iron meteorite. This region of the Andes is known as the Bolivian Orocline and much of the bedrock here is grey andesite. Some of the andesite contains solidified seams of magnetite and lodestone. It was used in many of the megalithic constructions at Tiwanaku, where it can be seen as black seams within the stones. Brad's right about there having been very little erosion because of rain. I believe the Atacama is the world's driest desert. However, towards the end of the Pleistocene, this region was subject to something called the Central Andean Pluvial Event between 18,000 and 8,000 tears ago, which interrupted the pattern of hyperaridity. Incidentally, there is evidence to suggest that South America actually got warmer during the Younger Dryas. reply

I think the big volcanos in US and Italy are way more scary compared to the probability of a new planet-killer impact from space. A major eruption from one of the big magma chambers would end most life on Earth within a month. In that perspective (imo) it would be more timely to develop methods and technology for releasing the pressure in those magma chambers - i.e. by forcing the magma to utilize artificial channels in order to prevent the lid to blow off in one fatal major eruption - more important than a warning system towards meteorites which probably would take much longer time. Of course both initiatives running parallel would be welcome, but that would probably require the military complexes west, mid-east and east to stop the insane weapon productions and begin to donate to intelligent solutions. reply

It seems to me that a massive impact as you describe would create a enormous perhaps tornado-like draft moving directly into space. The incredible heat would be the primary driving force upward. The vast amount being shunted into outer space would at the base draw in atmosphere moving at hyper velocities and leaving some areas surrounding the impact without an atmosphere for a few hours. The vacated area would then be refilled with all matter of stuff ... water, air and debris. reply

CBD from the Gods won't ship to Australia. Boouuuurns! reply