Ancient Meteorite Debris Found In Minn.

Forest Fire Reveals Rock Dust From Impact 1.85 Billion Years Ago In Canada

(AP)  A meteorite that slammed into Earth 1.85 billion years ago at the present site of Sudbury, Ontario, is now making news 500 miles away in northeastern Minnesota.

When the Ham Lake fire burned more than 118 square miles in northeastern Minnesota and Ontario in May, geologists had a field trip scheduled along the Gunflint Trail for the annual meeting of the Institute of Lake Superior Geology.

The fire closed access to most areas the group had planned to visit, so Minnesota Geological Survey geologist Mark Jirsa went up the trail to scout new locations.

In a spot he had never visited, with fire in three directions, Jirsa found evidence of a cataclysm that probably no one but a geologist would have noticed — debris from the Sudbury impact.

That blast created a crater more than 150 miles across, scattering rock and dust over nearly a million square miles.

"It's fairly dark rock," Jirsa said. "They look like concrete, but in this concrete you would throw pieces of rock of all sizes and shapes and in all possible orientations."

The rock includes balls the size and shape of a large taconite pellet which Jirsa believes formed in the impact's huge, hot cloud of dust, much as hailstones form in a storm cloud.

Jirsa says the Gunflint area probably was in or near a shallow sea when the meteorite stuck. He says there are indications that a huge tsunami may have ripped up the sea bottom and seashore, mixing them with rocks fallen from the sky into the concrete-appearing geological mess he found.

University of Toronto geology professor James Mungall, who has researched and written about the Sudbury meteorite for the scientific journal Nature, said the meteorite was probably traveling between 12 and 37 miles per second when it hit Earth with a force equal to several billion Hiroshima-sized atomic bombs. Temperatures soared above 10,000 degrees, 6,500 cubic miles of rock melted and the huge crater formed.

"The object was probably between 10 and 20 kilometers in diameter, and some of us think it was more likely to have been a comet than an asteroid, but there is no definitive evidence," Mungall said.

Previously, material thrown out by the meteorite's impact had been found as far from Sudbury as Hibbing. But the Hibbing materials — tiny fragments of shocked quartz and small ejecta — were found in core samples from 800 to 1,000 feet below the Earth's surface, while the Gunflint site lies exposed.

Jirsa said there's still much work to be done in the field to determine what secrets the Gunflint site holds that other sites don't.

"That's the critical thing. This is a different geological setting; it's a little farther away from the impact, the rocks are altered differently. It may reveal some secrets about the impact that other discoveries haven't yet. That's what we're hoping," Jirsa said.

"I think the excitement for the people of Minnesota is that we are one place in the world where you can see evidence of an ancient meteorite impact," said University of Minnesota geology professor emeritus Paul Weiblen, who is studying the debris. "This is the second-oldest and second-largest impact crater in the world."

[glb1969]

What are you religiously insane? Science has long since confirmed this age. Get with the facts and join the 21st century.

[mnelsonix]

I know rick, the earth is only seven days old. (God days) Why do you even bother reading articles like this when you believe Biblical metaphores to be historical fact?

[farmerbb]

Singinrick, perhaps you should contact a geologist at your nearest state university, and ask him/her just what information is used to set the date of an event like this. Once you get to see how these dates are calculated, you can compare that to whatever source you use to come up with a different date, and see which is more easily confirmed by other sources. Like biology, chemistry, plate tectonics, etc. The beauty of science is that all these fields hang together. Confirmation of one scientific theory is often (if not always) found in other fields. When so many different fields seem to agree, and the 6 days idea has only one source, not supported by any OTHER field, then maybe you have to start using your powers of deduction, rather than faith.

[blackbug99]

Gentlemen,

7 Days or a couple of billion years, what's the difference? It's an awesome opportunity to study impact debris. God seems to have no interest in stopping impacts with earth. We might as well learn from the past ones.

[mitch0927]

According to the King James version of the Bible, God created the sun and moon on the fourth day. Now as a scientific point of view, how long was it between the first "day" and the fouth "day?". I could have been millions of years before that happened.

[ioweign]

singinrick believes -

There is No gravity - the world just sucks!

[mnelsonix]

""According to the King James version of the Bible, God created the sun and moon on the fourth day.""

ok...ok...That's the Sun and Moon, when did he make the Earth, yesterday or the day before yesterday?

[adventurepa]

Don't give singinrick a hard time. He only graduated the 7th grade and they didn't teach evolution or science at his southern school.

They still believe the earth is flat, and is the center of the universe.
He actually believes man and the dinosuars lived together like on "Land of the lost."

[balance2008]

You don't have to be an atheist to accept evolution. I believe that science and God can go hand in hand. Whose to say that God didn't create the world through evolution? The only excuse people have for that is because they follow the book of Genesis. But we must remember that the true words of the Lord and the prophets he spoke to had been mixed up and changed over the thousands of years. do you really think that every word in the St. James Bible is the same as which the Lord told Moses? Of course not. It is not realistic to think that it hasn't changed. The first step to accepting science is to be realistic about the bible and its stories.

[vet_sk]

Cripe even the Catholic church support evolution.

Hrrah to the geolist who found this crater. Cool!

[balance2008]

What we need to realize is that religion is mainly a philosophy on how to live your life. But like all philosophies, you don't impose them on other people. Evolutionists shouldn't imose evolution on other people and creationist shouldn't do it either. both parties feel they are right, but either way, mankind is still here, whether or not we know how it got here. People should explore questions like "how did we get here" and other questions, but we shouldn't judge other people on what their reasoning is. If it works for someone, then why try and change their belief? All it does is cause problems for society. Creationists shouldn't tell evolutionists that they're wrong because a creationist's belief is his alone. and visa-versa for evoultionists as well.

[balance2008]

allow me to speak from a religious perspective here: if what you say is true, and the dead sea scrolls are texts that people wrote thousands of years ago because god spoke to them, then how do we know what god was truly saying? A catholic priest told me that God's plan and God's word are his alone and that the results we see of his actions are based off of his plan and word, yet we shouldn't judge his actions literally, for they may be part of the grand scheme of the lord. so when God told man that he created earth in 7 days, is that what he truly meant? Who are we to fuly know god's word when we believe that god's word and actions and motives are only knowns to god himself? Would god have told all of the facts to man on how he made earth? Probably not, for the people in that time were simple-minded, and wouldn't fathom the information, and probably screw it up when they tried to tell it to others. So like I said, even if God said 7 days, that doesn't mean it really was seven days.

[balance2008]

singinrick- and were you not forced to go to church and listen and believe in what the church said? If parents feel that their child shouldn't be exposed to evolutionary teachings, then they have every right to send their children to a private school that doesn't teach them. you, singinrick, have no right in the world to tell the children of the world what they can and can't learn. the children and their parents have that right. If you feel that schools impose evolution on your children, then take them out of that school. But to ban evolution from a public school makes no sense when there are plenty of private schools that are willing to take students and impose anti-evolutionary teachings on the children instead. so yes, you can believe that public schools impose, but you can also chose whether or not your child hears what the public schools say. People who try and ban evolution from schools are doing a bad thing because there are plenty of learning centers that their children can attend that don't impose evolution, and they have no right to say what every child is allowed to learn. that is imposing also.

[balance2008]

It is wrong for those top aethiests and evoultionist to tell people what to believe. They may believe in evoultion like I do, but I don't admire the way the think that their theory is better than everyone elses. Yet, we have the same problem with creationists, trying to get evolution banned from schools because they think they're right. Both parties should accept that other people think different, and that no one has the right to challenge someones belief if there is no harm coming from it. Creationists can learn about creation and insure that their children do as well, and evolutionists can learn evolution and insure their children do to. If creationists cannot accept evoultionist and visa-versa, then they should learn to tolerate other peoples' beliefs.

[adventurepa]

Singinrick,
Look up the word indoctornation. Religious indoctornation is a form of brainwashing.
I bet, when you were young, this is what lead you to make your decision.

"it takes a ton of more "faith" to believe that something came from nothing (as atheistic evolutionists contend) than it does to believe in God, our Creator."
God is the easy answer. Can't explain it, so It has to be god, mentality.

Evolution and Natural selection don't teach that "something came from nothing" but much more involved than that. This is where you misunderstand evolution and your followers teach as the bases of false evolution.

Just so you know it's not just christians that Atheist pic on it's all religions, so stop your whooa is me, poor christians rant.
What about the cruisades, Spanish inquision and slaying of the south American indians? Great accomplishments, and hiding the Nazi's after WWII.
All in the name of christ.
I'll take evolution any day of the week.

[actornaught]

If rick had any real faith and morality, instead of rage, he's let this article, and others like it, roll off his back. There's no need to interpret the Bible the way he does, except to make himself feel superior about so many people being 'doomed'.

Christians and non-christians would certainly be better off if he'd wake up and pick alot fewer, and smarter, battles.

[canyoutellme-2009]

The reason evolutionists don't want CREATION taught in school is because they know d a r n well that if the 2 origins of life are presented in a curriculum that evolution would lose.

Evolution supports atheism.There is no way you can deny this intellectually.
Posted by singinrick at 01:51 PM : Jul 16, 2007

oh boy, there you go again singin'dork... LOL. Remember when you said you believed the earth was only a few thousand years old? Are you saying the scientists are lying when they said a comet or asteroid hit the earth 1.8billion years ago? Interesting..interesting...

BTW, what you said is false... when put side by side, anyone who looks at evolution vs creationism realizes that creationism is just an arguement made by religious zealots who can't think for themselves LOL. COme on, is the world still flat? Religion taught that forever too you know... Wow, what a nutcase you are. I can't believe that you're an adult and still believe in fairy tales.. LOL

[actornaught]

This article is about a meteorite, but the comments section is full of nastiness disguised as faith started point blank by rick for no other reason than to be ignorant.

rick is a very troubled individual. I hope that he learns to let it go, stop bothering people, get therapy, something...

[adventurepa]

singin,
Why did God flood the world and kill everything on earth with Noah and 2 of every animal?
Because Jesus Christ, loves you?

Where has god or Jesus been for 2000 years?
How come he doesn't talk to anyone now anymore?
(Scientists say magic mushroom's and stuff played a big role in these visions)

When you are finally able to travel outside your protective home cocoon and travel the world and see the death and destruction everywhere, ask your god to show up and put a stop to it.
I bet you die before he shows up.
Just like the jews did in WWII. Where was their GOD?

When was the last big miracle? Who else did God appear too besides 5 or 10 people 2000 years ago????????????
If he is so great and powerful why not make his presense known?

[canyoutellme-2009]

Singin'rick,

Answer me this...

How old do you believe the Earth is?

Previously, you said "a few thousand years"... If that belief still holds true, then you're a bonefide idiot. The dinosaurs roamed the earth just a few thousand years ago eh? LOL

POint is, Evolution goes on every day
Survival of the fittest is REAL. You see it EVERY day in the animal kingdom. BTW, we human beings are animals too. However, i know you don't believe that either. The only thing that sets us apart from the "animal" kingdom is our enlarged brain. Did you know whales have similar brains to ours? Would you call them Animals or no?

And BTW, the RELIGIOUS idiots back in the day taught that the world is FLAT. For centuries these religious morons were teaching that and the dorks that believed them believed so solely because they were told to. SCIENCE proved otherwise. Did you know the CHURCH said that seizures were caused by the DEVIL? and thus they were tortured and killed? SCIENCE proved that it was not demons. Hell (pardon the word), Christians even believed LEFT HANDEDNESS was evil! LOL. SCIENCE proved otherwise.

[rushlimpdrug]

"I threw a rock up in the air,
and where it lands I do not care."

[imaok1]

Why does evolution = no God? I think it's amazing that life can evolve to survive in almost any environmental condition it is presented with. Evolution is genious- it ensures the spark of life will go on forever (well, until the earth is ungulfed in the sun in 5 - 10 billion years, but that's another story) - and it will go on long after we humans manage to extinguish ourselves. God loves us, but once again, it just goes to show we're not the center of the universe, that's all. *shrug*

[star2510]

wow, I thought this article was about metorite debri.... where did all this stuff about God and evolution come in? I went back a few pages but got tired of reading singinricks holy than tho bull* I am till trying to figure out how you make something out of nothing..... as in creatism...

[star2510]

PS.... didn't God make the monkeys??

[star2510]

singinrick: do you kow who actually wrote the bible?

[adventurepa]

Singinrick,
Thank's for the offer rick. Not necessary to post your e-mail however.
"Miracle of birth" - Does that include the births of all animals are now miracles? I thought it was just reproduction.

"The mere fact that this planet is floating in the middle of outer space and can contain life is a miracle."
The earth was made as lot's of space dust came together over a very long time, attracted by the force of gravity. Since this dust was swirling around a bit as it came together to make the earth, the earth ended up spinning, and the rest is history. When something is spinning it has a property we call angular momentum. The angular momentum of an object can not change unless outside forces are exerting twists on it.

Well, I guess if I listened and had faith in what you say about miricles Rick, I wouldn't need those *** scientists and their explainations.
Or the history channel with the show universe last night. Great show bye the way.

Who is Jesus to you anyhow? Just a nice guy who taught good morals?
A murder victim, because of religious followers, teachers and the power elite.

[star2510]

singinrick... you need to take a chill pill. I never said I didn't believe in God, he is the one who made the monkeys that we evolved from, and you are the biggest ape of all. and the something out of nothing that I was speaking of is Adam and Eve and as the story goes they had two boys Cain and Abel right?? How did the rest of us evolve from two boys? That there my friend is the the question of the day... are we all a product of incest? (with their mom????)

[star2510]

oh yeah right,they actually lived for over 700 years, come on... who is a monkeys a$$ now? So, what were Cain and Abels sisters names? How come they aren't common knowlege like Adam and Eve and Cain and Able.... granted I do not know the bible front to back and upside down but as a child I learned what I know and this dosen't make sense to me.... and we are not evolving anymore because we are perfect RIGHT? no need to respond to me .. I am leaving for the day.... you better go sit back and relax before you have a heart attack. your comments sound so stressful, I can almot hear you screaming... take care

[talkingham]

By the bogus balls of Zeus this is feisty buncha zealots. Everyone knows God is white, male and conservative and that the Earth is a bit less than 5,000 years old. So get on with your silly scientific method and what not, talk'in 'bout somethin came from nuthin and what not. And because God is so conservative heaven is probably divided into separate and somewhat equal heavens for the different races and what not. You see the stars in the heavens are just light showing through where the paint has flecked off the cosmic orb in which we exist -- according to certain Greek mythology- which is of course only mythology because there is only one God and one true religion according all the different religions that make that claim.
Science is just so foolish. To think that beings created by God could have enough intelligence to figure anything for themselves.

As for old sing-rick he should just keep singing because no one has ever implied that men evolved from monkeys other than anti-darwinites and igits. It's more likely that we ascended from rat like creatures and maybe a fish or two. Our body has almost the exact same elements by weight as sea water so it's likely we came from the sea in some form in our god-given distant past. Some of you should take the time to read the oldest testment - the stories our planet and the cosmos can tell us rather than some greed driven poltically motivated history "lesson" extracted from oen religion's good book.

[mnelsonix]

balance2008,

I like the way you think. You are not an atheist. You understand that the Creator just might be clever enough to create a dynamic universe...a universe capable of evolving.

The belief that God created the lion to lay beside the lamb (and not have lunch) is reading a metaphor and taking it "as gospel." Hence the term "as gospel." True Believers see the scriptures alone. They don't understand that Christ spoke in parables and maybe, just maybe, the Old Testament is a parable.

They refuse to use the powers of observation given to us by our creator. So rick will *** science and keep his faith in Christ.

Some of us have both.

[mnelsonix]

talkingham, well said. awesome.

[actornaught]

What a colossal waste of space to feed some poor schmuck's obsession with trying to "prove" his faith, an oxymoron. It just proves the definition of mental illness.

None of this has any business being attached to a science article.

[actornaught]

s'ick, put your pants on & get some air.

[nothappyatall]

"allow me to speak from a religious perspective here: i"

NO! Dam you, take your phucking religion, jesus, god and bibull krap ELSEWHERE! you stupid idiots worhip a scheming murdering wicked piece of garbage and then come here and foist this religious krap off on the rest of us, this is a SCIENCE article not Sunday school- GET OUT and take your dam cross and jezus with you! Some of us have grown up past Santa Claus, jesus and the tooth fairy, it's time YOU DO TOO or produce this jesus on TV in person, or on live stage and PROVE it exists.

[ingie912]

I thought this article was about a meteroite being found.

I thought being Christian was loving thy neighbor.

SinginRick -- You claim everyone who has responded to your initial comment is intolerant and full of hatred. You also seem to suggest that they are against Jesus or God. From what I have read thus far it 'seems' that you have done the majority of maligning and had you not cast the first stone ... If you have something pertinent to say in regards to a very interesting article than by all means please share your thoughts, but I don't believe that this forum was intended for preaching.

[farmerbb]

Singinrick, you tried to use Patrick Glynn as an expert on the subject of the origin of the earth. He has a PHD (from Harvard) and abandoned his atheism for God, after a detailed search of the scientific literature, you say. Well, guess what...a search of his name on Google reveals his PHD was for English and American literature ! If I found a PHD in chemistry who did a similar search of literature maybe he/she would claim he no longer believed in Mark Twain. Find a majority of SCIENTISTS in the fields relating to the origin of the earth who believe in creationism, and maybe I might go along. And one other thing...you say you want creationism taught in schools along with evolution...how about the religious beliefs (about the origin of the earth) of Hindus, Muslims, Confucians, Shinto and all the other organized religions. Should they be allowed into the schools as well ? The reason evolution is so successful is that it is a SCIENTIFIC theory, which means it has passed intense scrutiny, BY SCIENTISTS, not authors of books on "religion, politics and foreign affairs", and can be tested, observed and compared to other theories in other fields, and they all hang together. Creationism is a theory, but is not scientific, as it cannot be tested or observed, and does not align with other scientific theories.

[farmerbb]

Another reason creationism is not supported by any but a few scientists......we can't say "Hey, that's really cool ! Do it again ! I want to watch it from the other side this time ". There is no instant replay available. We CAN observe evolution, and as for what WE will evolve into, ask us again in a few thousand years. As for the earth and everything else appearing out of nothing, isn't that what you claim god did ? Scientists don't claim the universe arose from nothing, but from the residue of the Big Bang. They are still discussing how that happened, but their is LOTS of evidence that SOMETHING like that happened. There is no evidence I am aware of, of the PROCESS of creationism. In both cases we have the results, but at least for the Big Bang we can see evidence of the process, and of its' continuing actions. Not true for creationism.

[farmerbb]

Maybe we should all agree not to respond to Singinrick. He will NEVER believe in science, no matter what we say, or even show him. I doubt even life on another planet will serve. Bye, rick. And please don't accuse me of giving up because my case is weak. I believe you are beyond convincing of the merits of science. It would be interesting to hear what you do for a living, though.

[blackbug99]

singinrick - you're a moron to ignore scientic evidence. Who's to say this isn't your Gods plan? Study the *** rocks and get on with it.

[blackbug99]

My bad...scientific evidence

[eitakj]

I am a Christian. Please don't let singingrick speak for ALL Christians. We are NOT all like him. Thank You!

Also, I went to private school. When I was about 8 years old, I asked "If God created the world in 7 days, how can the dinosaurs have lived millions of years before us?" I was told that a 'day' could have been millions of years. The Bible was written before 'scientists' had calculated things like the earth's rotation, revolution around the sun, etc.

Most real 'Christians' are open-minded and accept that anything is possible. We are not all fanatics that try to push our beliefs on everyone else. Singingrick reminds me of the Jahovah's Witnesses that used to come knocking on my door EARLY on Sunday mornings to tell me that I was a sinner for believing something differently than them. They finally stopped after I invited them in to debate - I won. Score! I haven't heard from them in years!

[actornaught]

what Eitakj said. Don't let s'ick represent anyone but a small twisted minority.