Archive · 20 Nov 2025
Comet Blast 13,000 Years Ago Linked to Mammoth Extinction and Clovis Culture Disappearance
A big comet explosion 13,000 years ago might have caused the extinction of woolly mammoths and mastodons, and the disappearance of the Clovis culture in North America.
Scientists found special sand grains at important Clovis sites that show this happened.
This explosion might have made the Earth cold again for a while after it was starting to warm up.
A comet explosion 13,000 years ago caused a dramatic climate shift
Woolly mammoths and mastodons went extinct due to this event
The Clovis culture in North America disappeared around the same time
Shocked quartz found at key Clovis sites supports the comet impact theory
The explosion may have caused a temporary return to near-ice age conditions
- Who
- Woolly mammoths, mastodons, and the Clovis culture
- What
- Went extinct and disappeared
- When
- Around 13,000 years ago
- Where
- North America
- Why
- Due to a comet explosion that caused a climate shift
- Comet Impact Date
- Around 13,000 years ago
- Mammals Affected
- Woolly mammoths and mastodons
- Human Culture Affected
- Clovis culture in North America
- Key Sites with Shocked Quartz
- Murray Springs (Arizona), Blackwater Draw (New Mexico), Arlington Canyon (California)
- Duration of Climate Shift
- Nearly 1,000 years