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What Killed The Dinosaurs? New Discovery In Africa Hints At Multiple Asteroid Strikes, Say Scientists

Double Asteroid Impact Could Have Spelled Doom For The Dinosaurs

Researchers from Germany's University of Cologne found that the asteroid that hit Earth 66M years ago, causing the extinction of the dinosaurs, was a "C-type" asteroid, which are rich in carbon and formed beyond Jupiter's orbit around the same time as the Solar System.

Guardian

nytimes

By  analyzing the remains of the crater where the asteroid hit Earth in what is now Mexico, called the Chicxulub impact, the scientists discovered the isotope ruthenium, which is commonly found in asteroids but not in the Earth's crust.

They compared debris from the Chicxulub impact that they found in Italy, Spain, and Denmark to rocks from eight other impact sites that were made over the last 3.5B years.

Nature

Science

Ruthenium is found in celestial rocks called carbonaceous chondrites, which link back to the beginning of the Solar System about 4.6B years ago. They're also rich in carbon, water, and other volatile molecules that can vaporize, meaning they formed far away from the Sun in the outer Solar System.

The evidence of ruthenium goes against a previous theory that it was a comet — broken up by the Sun's gravitational pull — that hit the Chicxulub impact site.

The carbon levels of carbonaceous chondrites show they were likely what caused the cloud of dust that blocked out the Sun and killed the dinosaurs. However, lead study author Mario Fischer-Gödde said it would be helpful to collect samples of comets to completely rule them out.

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Researchers from Germany's University of Cologne have found that the asteroid that hit Earth 66M years ago, causing the extinction of the dinosaurs, was a "C-type" asteroid, which are rich in carbon and formed around the same time as the solar system beyond Jupiter's orbit.

Guardian #3284

Historical/Contributor/Corbis Historical via Getty Images

Study: Asteroid That Killed Dinosaurs was Carbon-Rich

Space

Research

While the comet theory was justified given the prevalence of carbonaceous chondrites in long-period comets, the discovery of ruthenium proves it was more likely to have been a outer Solar System asteroid. The rocks from the impact site were from C-type asteroids, while the others were found S-type, which are from the inner Solar System.

Study: Asteroid That Killed Dinosaurs was Carbon-Rich

Study: Asteroid That Killed Dinosaurs was Carbon-Rich

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Study: Asteroid That Killed Dinosaurs was Carbon-Rich

Study: Asteroid That Killed Dinosaurs was Carbon-Rich

The Spin

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