James Kennett

James Kennett is Professor Emeritus in Earth Sciences at UCSB and Research Professor with the Marine Science Institute, of which he was Director from 1987 to 1997. A native of New Zealand, Kennett’s work in marine geology and paleoceanography over the last 60 years has assisted with a more comprehensive understanding of major paleoenvironmental and biotic changes that shaped the Cenozoic Era and its stratigraphic record, and of processes involved in this development. More recently, he has been investigating, with colleagues, widespread geological and archaeological evidence for a major cometary impact with Earth 12,800 years ago. This impact caused widespread environmental and biotic changes that appears to be consistent in explaining at least three major events that have long puzzled the scientific community: 1)the massive, abrupt extinction over North and South America of most large mammals (e.g. mammoths, horses, camels, sloths, saber tooth cats); 2) the abrupt disappearance of the Clovis Culture throughout North America; and 3) the triggering of abrupt continental outburst flooding into the oceans causing major change in ocean circulation, and northern hemisphere cooling at the onset of the Younger Dryas.