Dinosaur-Killing Asteroid Identified as Rare 'Oddball' Meteorite
Nickel-isotope analysis of impact debris from five sites suggests the dinosaur-killing asteroid was a rare CO chondrite, researchers said.
- Geochemist Philippe Claeys of Vrije Universiteit Brussel identified the roughly 15-kilometer Chicxulub asteroid as a primitive CO-like chondrite by analyzing nickel isotopes preserved in 66-million-year-old boundary clay.
- Researchers analyzed boundary clay from Stevns Klint, Denmark; Caravaca, Spain; and Furlo, Frontale, and Fornaci in Italy, comparing the asteroid's nickel against 11 carbonaceous meteorites to isolate the signal.
- Claeys suggests the impactor's dust—rather than sulfur—likely caused the 'nuclear winter' that eliminated about 75 percent of Earth's species, as CO-like asteroids contain relatively little sulfur.
- Originating from primitive material beyond Jupiter, the asteroid underwent limited geological change since the Solar System's formation, fitting earlier climate modeling from 2023 regarding impact dust.
- While the study narrows the source, the asteroid's precise journey remains unknown; Claeys emphasizes that being struck by such a rare, distant projectile shows how 'unlucky' the dinosaurs were.
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Scientists identify the rare meteorite that killed the dinosaurs 66 million years ago
The asteroid that wiped out the dinosaurs was likely an exceptionally rare CO chondrite from a distant region of the solar system. Its unusual chemistry suggests that planet-cooling dust and debris, rather than sulfur inside the asteroid, may have delivered the deadliest blow.
Scientists Unveil the Rare Composition of the Dinosaur-Killing Chicxulub Meteorite
YUCATAN, MÉXICO — The massive asteroid that struck Earth 66 million years ago and wiped out roughly 75% of all species, including non-avian dinosaurs, belonged to an extremely rare class of space rock. According to a groundbreaking study published in the journal Science Advances, an international team of scientists has successfully pinpointed the exact chemical makeup of the legendary cosmic impactor. Led by researchers at the University of Pari…
Dinosaurs May Have Been Wiped Out by ‘Oddball’ Space Rock
By analyzing nickel isotopes preserved in the 66-million-year-old debris left by the Chicxulub impact, researchers conclude that the asteroid responsible for Earth’s last mass extinction most likely belonged to an exceptionally rare class of primitive meteorites called carbonaceous chondrites of the Ornans type (CO chondrites). The post Dinosaurs May Have Been Wiped Out by ‘Oddball’ Space Rock appeared first on Sci.News: Breaking Science News.
66 million years ago, a gigantic rock of more than 10 kilometers in diameter tore the sky at 64,000 kilometers per hour and crashed against the Earth. We all know how that story ended: the huge impact on what is today the Yucatan peninsula, in Mexico, formed the crater of Chicxulub, 200 km in diameter, and was the ultimate responsible for the total annihilation of non-avian dinosaurs and 75 percent of all life on our planet. However, the exact i…
The asteroid that killed the dinosaurs was an exceptional space rock, according to study.
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