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.
Stunning NASA Photos Reveal Sun, Moon and Pluto Up Close ecowatch.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from ecowatch.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
An asteroid about the size of the dwarf planet Ceres (which is 940 km in diameter) may be hidden somewhere in the Solar System. And it sent a boulder 4 meters in diameter and about 80 tons in our direction.
The boulder in question is a meteorite known as 2008 TC3 or “Almahata Sitta”, in reference to the place in Sudan where it fell in 2008. About 10 kilos of material were recovered by scientists. Of this total, a sample of 50 micrograms was analyzed, and scientists found that it has a unique composition.
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2008 TC3 is a meteorite carbonaceous chondrite, a type that represents 4,6% of the meteorites found on Earth. They are composed of black rock, which contains a variety of organic compounds and water.
Mystery behind diamond-studded meteorite that hit Sudan in 2008 revealed
A sample of 50 grams analysed by a team under an infrared microscope has found that the meteorite had a unique mineral makeup, including amphibole which requires prolonged exposure to water in order to develop. Updated: December 29, 2020 9:05:00 am
This false-colour microscope image of a meteorite sample collected in Sudan shows amphibole crystals, a unique feature, highlighted in orange.
(Image: Courtesy of NASA/USRA/Lunar and Planetary Institute )
The mystery behind a diamond-studded meteorite that exploded over Sudan in 2008 has been somewhat revealed as per researchers at Southwest Research Institute based in Texas, US. The study suggests that the meteorite was part of a giant asteroid in our solar system, which was the same size as the dwarf planet Ceres. The latter is the largest celestial object in the asteroid belt.
Highlights
The incident took place in Sudan.
The meteorite was part of a giant asteroid.
Researchers at Southwest Research Institute based in Texas, US, have claimed that they have succeeded in revealing the mystery behind a diamond-studded meteorite that exploded over Sudan in 2008. According to researchers, the meteorite was part of a giant asteroid, which was the same size as the dwarf planet Ceres.
The meteorite was first spotted by NASA and according to NASA before impact the celestial body was 13 foot in diameter. It weighed 8,200 kg. Later a team of researchers analysed 50 grams of meteorite under an infrared microscope and found that the meteorite had a unique mineral makeup. The study showed that the meteorite had ‘amphibole’ which requires prolonged exposure to water in order to develop.