Heavenly fire: archaeologists have recreated the picture of the death of Jericho
The biblical city of Jericho was destroyed by a meteorite impact, scientists have found. The research took about 15 years, Scientific Reports reports.
The scientific work has brought together more than 20 authors. These included archaeologists, geologists, geochemists, geomorphologists, mineralogists, paleobotanists, sedimentologists (specialists in sedimentary rocks), space experts and physicians.
The study showed that the city of Tall el-Hammam was at the epicenter of the cosmic explosion. About 3,600 years ago, an ice block from space entered the atmosphere just above this settlement.
The meteorite was moving at a speed of 61,000 kilometers per hour. It exploded at an altitude of 4 km above the ground. The explosion was about 1000 times more powerful than the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima.
The air temperature in the city instantly rose above 2000 degrees Celsius. Neither people nor livestock could survive in such conditions. The adobe houses began to melt, and almost immediately the entire city was engulfed in flames.
A few seconds later, a shockwave hit the pride. Moving at a speed of 1200 km / h, it was more powerful than the strongest tornado in human history. Scientists concluded that all eight thousand inhabitants of Tall el-Hammam were killed.
After about a minute, the shock wave reached Jericho, which was 22 kilometers from the epicenter of the explosion. “The walls of Jericho collapsed and the city burned to the ground,” the study said.
Scientists, examining the ruins of the deceased city, discovered a one and a half meter layer of charcoal, ash, molten clay bricks and molten ceramics. This dark streak became known as the layer of destruction.
Analysis showed that this layer was not associated with a volcanic eruption, earthquake or war. Such events are not capable of melting ceramics. Scientists applied computer simulations and came to the conclusion that a relatively small asteroid was the cause of the cataclysm.
This theory was confirmed by finely dispersed quartz grains in the sediments. They were formed at a pressure of 5 gigapascals – this is comparable to the pressure of six 68-ton military tanks.
The fracture layer also contains tiny diamondoids. Each one is smaller than a flu virus. It is likely that the wood and plants in the area were instantly transformed into diamond-like material by the high pressure and temperature of a fireball.
Scientists also found tiny balls of molten material smaller than dust particles. They consisted of vaporized iron and sand that melted at about 1590 degrees Celsius. In addition, fragments of pottery and molten glass are speckled with tiny molten metal grains, including iridium with a melting point of 2466 degrees, platinum, which melts at 1768 degrees, and zirconium silicate (1540 degrees). The only force capable of providing such heating is a cosmic shock.
The cities that died from the cosmic impact remained abandoned for several more centuries. Scientists have suggested that they were unfit for habitation and growing crops.
Previously, scientists have recreated a picture of the death of Sodom and Gomorrah. These biblical cities were also destroyed by a meteorite.
