Dear MEL Topic Readers,
Dinosaur-killing asteroid was likely a giant mudball, study says
The Chicxulub crater is an impact crater buried underneath the Yucatán
Peninsula in Mexico. The crater is estimated to be around 200 kilometers in diameter and 20 kilometers
in depth. It was formed about 66 million years ago when an asteroid of about
ten kilometers in diameter struck Earth. The aftermath of the asteroid collision
is believed to have caused the mass extinction of non-avian dinosaurs and many
other species on Earth. The impact spewed hundreds of billions of tons of
sulfur into the atmosphere, producing a worldwide blackout and freezing
temperatures that persisted for at least a decade. Though nothing of the
asteroid itself remains, a new study found the chemical identity of the
asteroid that caused the planet’s mass extinction event. Researchers believe it’s
important to study the compound of the ancient rock because it might reveal the
dynamic nature of the Solar System. Thinking of our planetary defense operation
which might be needed in the distant future, we ought to know what asteroids
consist of.
Read the article and learn about what an asteroid strike had done to
the planet and how.
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