Discovery of a nanodiamond-rich layer in the Greenland ice sheet

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Conflicts of Interest

Identified Weaknesses

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Paper Summary

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Diamond Dust in the Ice: Did a Space Rock Crash into Greenland?

A layer of nanodiamonds, including the rare hexagonal diamond lonsdaleite, was discovered in the Greenland ice sheet. This layer likely dates to the last deglaciation and may correlate with the Younger Dryas boundary layer in North America, suggesting a possible large impact event around 12,900 years ago. Further research is needed to confirm the dating and explore this hypothesis.

Possible Conflicts of Interest

None identified.

Identified Weaknesses

Inadequate dating precision

The dating of the ND-peak layer is based on dust stratigraphy and oxygen isotopes, but higher-resolution stratigraphic studies are needed for confirmation. This uncertainty weakens the claim that the Greenland layer is coeval with the North American YDB.

Limited sample size and resolution

The sample size for ice analysis is limited, and higher-resolution sampling is needed to refine the findings and conclusions. The limited analysis restricts a full understanding of the event.

Contamination with amorphous carbon

The study acknowledges the presence of acid-resistant amorphous carbon, which complicates diamond extraction and analysis. This contamination makes it difficult to isolate and analyze the diamonds effectively.

Limited analytical procedures

Limited analytical procedures, such as Raman Spectroscopy, restrict a comprehensive analysis of diamond allotropes.

Rating Explanation

This study presents intriguing evidence for a potential cosmic impact event recorded in the Greenland ice sheet. The discovery of nanodiamonds, particularly lonsdaleite, is significant and strengthens the hypothesis of an extraterrestrial origin. While the dating requires refinement and some analytical challenges remain, the overall methodology and findings are robust. Therefore, a rating of 4 reflects the study's strong contribution to the field with some minor limitations to be addressed in future work.

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