Clues to cosmic collision

Astronomers believe that a meteor shower that occurred 470 million years ago left its impact on our Earth in many ways. Remnants from a cosmic collision occurring on this date had previously been uncovered in Australia, China and the United States. The latest evidence has been collected embedded in rocks in the United Kingdom.

The collision is believed to have occurred in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter. It transpired on a scale large enough to leave physical evidence scattered across our earth. Scientists speculate that the impact in that period would have been formidable enough to create tsunamis and earthquakes across the globe.

Scientists are also aware that this event coincides with an age when aquatic life forms burgeoned in diversity. They are keen to determine whether changes in the earth were responsible for this stage of evolution.