This repository archives the session details and presentation timeline for Session T166 (Myths and Misrepresentations surrounding Cosmic Impact claims) at the Geological Society of America Connects 2026 meeting, scheduled for Sunday, 11 October 2026, chaired by Mark Boslough, Christian Koeberl, and Vance Holliday.
The Younger Dryas Impact Hypothesis (YDIH) was a fringe claim that fragments of a disintegrating large comet struck Earth approximately 12,900 years ago. Proponents speculated that this event triggered the Younger Dryas abrupt cooling period, contributed to the extinction of late-Pleistocene megafauna (like mammoths), and disrupted the Clovis human culture.
However, the hypothesis was repeatedly refuted by the scientific community. Mainstream geologists, archaeologists, and impact physicists rejected the claims due to a lack of reproducible evidence, issues with chronological modeling, and the misidentification of ordinary materials (such as industrial slag or volcanic glass) as “cosmic impact indicators.” This GSA session features presentations evaluating and falsifying various technical assertions made by proponents of the YDIH, airburst archaeology, and other fringe claims associated with cosmic impacts and airbursts.
For the complete list of presentations, schedule, and direct links to official abstracts on the GSA website, please visit the GSA Connects 2026 Session Gallery. Key presentations include:
*Main Session Directory hosted at the [GSA Connects 2026 Session Gallery]