Where Did the Dinosaur-Killing Impactor Come From?
A new study blames a comet fragment for the death of the dinosaurs 66 million years ago. But most experts maintain that an asteroid caused this cataclysmic event.
An artist’s rendering of the impact event 66 million years ago that ended the reign of dinosaurs.Credit.Roger Harris/Science Source
By Becky Ferreira
Feb. 15, 2021
In one searing apocalyptic moment 66 million years ago, Earth was transformed from a lush haven into a nightmare world with a fiery wound that bled soot into the skies. The extraterrestrial object that slammed into our planet spelled doom for dinosaurs and countless other species, even as its fallout opened new niches to our mammal ancestors.
While it is known that the devastating impact of something huge that crashed into Earth 66 million years ago led to the extinction of dinosaurs, clarity on whether it was a comet or asteroid strike and where it originated was lacking.Clearing .
Posted on Feb 15, 2021 in Astronomy, Evolution, Science
“It must have been an amazing sight, but we don’t want to see that again,” said Harvard astrophysicist, Avi Loeb about the comet that created the the Chicxulub crater off the coast of Mexico that spans 93 miles and runs 12 miles deep that forever changed Earth’s evolutionary history when it crashed 66 million years ago.
The Scene at Impact
The scene of the massive impact that brought the reign of the dinosaurs to an abrupt and calamitous end by triggering their sudden mass extinction, along with the end of almost three-quarters of the plant and animal species living on Earth, has been described by mass-extinction authority, Peter Brannen in
Comet that wiped out dinosaurs travelled 186bn miles before being pinballed by Jupiter dailystar.co.uk - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from dailystar.co.uk Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.