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Refined Ordovician timescale reveals no link between asteroid breakup and biodiversification

Lindskog, A. LU ; Costa, M ; Rasmussen, C. M. LU ; Connelly, J. N. and Eriksson, M. E. LU (2017) In Nature Communications 8.
Abstract

The catastrophic disruption of the L chondrite parent body in the asteroid belt c. 470 Ma initiated a prolonged meteorite bombardment of Earth that started in the Ordovician and continues today. Abundant L chondrite meteorites in Middle Ordovician strata have been interpreted to be the consequence of the asteroid breakup event. Here we report a zircon U-Pb date of 467.50±0.28 Ma from a distinct bed within the meteorite-bearing interval of southern Sweden that, combined with published cosmic-ray exposure ages of co-occurring meteoritic material, provides a precise age for the L chondrite breakup at 468.0±0.3 Ma. The new zircon date requires significant revision of the Ordovician timescale that has implications for the understanding of... (More)

The catastrophic disruption of the L chondrite parent body in the asteroid belt c. 470 Ma initiated a prolonged meteorite bombardment of Earth that started in the Ordovician and continues today. Abundant L chondrite meteorites in Middle Ordovician strata have been interpreted to be the consequence of the asteroid breakup event. Here we report a zircon U-Pb date of 467.50±0.28 Ma from a distinct bed within the meteorite-bearing interval of southern Sweden that, combined with published cosmic-ray exposure ages of co-occurring meteoritic material, provides a precise age for the L chondrite breakup at 468.0±0.3 Ma. The new zircon date requires significant revision of the Ordovician timescale that has implications for the understanding of the astrogeobiologic development during this period. It has been suggested that the Middle Ordovician meteorite bombardment played a crucial role in the Great Ordovician Biodiversification Event, but this study shows that the two phenomena were unrelated.

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author
; ; ; and
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
in
Nature Communications
volume
8
article number
14066
publisher
Nature Publishing Group
external identifiers
  • pmid:28117834
  • wos:000392476700001
  • scopus:85010934002
ISSN
2041-1723
DOI
10.1038/ncomms14066
project
Early–Middle Ordovician biotic and sedimentary dynamics in the Baltoscandian paleobasin
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
ff498558-1d3d-46b8-bb69-f66fec15729a
date added to LUP
2017-02-14 14:22:55
date last changed
2024-03-31 00:39:44
@article{ff498558-1d3d-46b8-bb69-f66fec15729a,
  abstract     = {{<p>The catastrophic disruption of the L chondrite parent body in the asteroid belt c. 470 Ma initiated a prolonged meteorite bombardment of Earth that started in the Ordovician and continues today. Abundant L chondrite meteorites in Middle Ordovician strata have been interpreted to be the consequence of the asteroid breakup event. Here we report a zircon U-Pb date of 467.50±0.28 Ma from a distinct bed within the meteorite-bearing interval of southern Sweden that, combined with published cosmic-ray exposure ages of co-occurring meteoritic material, provides a precise age for the L chondrite breakup at 468.0±0.3 Ma. The new zircon date requires significant revision of the Ordovician timescale that has implications for the understanding of the astrogeobiologic development during this period. It has been suggested that the Middle Ordovician meteorite bombardment played a crucial role in the Great Ordovician Biodiversification Event, but this study shows that the two phenomena were unrelated.</p>}},
  author       = {{Lindskog, A. and Costa, M and Rasmussen, C. M. and Connelly, J. N. and Eriksson, M. E.}},
  issn         = {{2041-1723}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  month        = {{01}},
  publisher    = {{Nature Publishing Group}},
  series       = {{Nature Communications}},
  title        = {{Refined Ordovician timescale reveals no link between asteroid breakup and biodiversification}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/ncomms14066}},
  doi          = {{10.1038/ncomms14066}},
  volume       = {{8}},
  year         = {{2017}},
}