What Created the 12,900-Year-Old Black Layer?
At Murray Springs in southeastern Arizona, a dark organic-rich layer formed above a Clovis-age landscape near the beginning of the Younger Dryas. A forensic look at why black mats are best explained as wetland and high-water-table deposits, and why the separate claim that microscopic boundary markers prove a cosmic impact remains heavily disputed.
Case File
What Created the 12,900-Year-Old Black Layer?
At Murray Springs in southeastern Arizona, a dark organic-rich layer formed above a Clovis-age landscape near the beginning of the Younger Dryas. A forensic look at why black mats are best explained as wetland and high-water-table deposits, and why the separate claim that microscopic boundary markers prove a cosmic impact remains heavily disputed.
Forensic Summary
What the Evidence Shows
- Arc
- north-america
- Location
- Murray Springs Clovis Site, Cochise County, Arizona
- Date
- 2026-05-28
- PVM Score
- —
- Evidence Count
- —