PMID: 11607506Jan 3, 1995Paper

Could a nearby supernova explosion have caused a mass extinction?

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
J Ellis, D N Schramm

Abstract

We examine the possibility that a nearby supernova explosion could have caused one or more of the mass extinctions identified by paleontologists. We discuss the possible rate of such events in the light of the recent suggested identification of Geminga as a supernova remnant less than 100 parsec (pc) away and the discovery of a millisecond pulsar about 150 pc away and observations of SN 1987A. The fluxes of gamma-radiation and charged cosmic rays on the Earth are estimated, and their effects on the Earth's ozone layer are discussed. A supernova explosion of the order of 10 pc away could be expected as often as every few hundred million years and could destroy the ozone layer for hundreds of years, letting in potentially lethal solar ultraviolet radiation. In addition to effects on land ecology, this could entail mass destruction of plankton and reef communities, with disastrous consequences for marine life as well. A supernova extinction should be distinguishable from a meteorite impact such as the one that presumably killed the dinosaurs at the "KT boundary." The recent argument that the KT event was exceedingly large and thus quite rare supports the need for other catastrophic events.

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Citations

Dec 24, 2005·Origins of Life and Evolution of the Biosphere : the Journal of the International Society for the Study of the Origin of Life·Vicente MarcanoErnesto Palacios-Prü
Feb 20, 1996·Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·P J Crutzen, C Brühl
Jul 22, 2011·Astrobiology·Lewis R Dartnell
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Apr 15, 1996·Physical Review Letters·S Hannestad, J Madsen
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Jul 16, 2017·Scientific Reports·David SloanAbraham Loeb
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Aug 21, 2020·Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·Brian D FieldsBrian C Thomas
Feb 5, 1996·Physical Review Letters·J I Collar
Jun 24, 2021·Radiation and Environmental Biophysics·Lien Rodríguez-LópezLiuba Peñate

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