What happened when the asteroid that killed the dinosaurs collided with Earth?

The node represents SixulabThe site of an asteroid collision with Earth 66 million years ago disappeared under the waters of the Gulf of Mexico, according to Russia Today.

The most significant effect of this catastrophic event was the fifth mass extinction, which wiped out about 80% of all animal species, including floating dinosaurs.

But what really happened when the asteroid hit Earth?

By studying geography in both Sixulab Around the world, scientists have compiled what happened on that terrible day and many years after that.

Even before the asteroid collided, it was ready for destruction, hitting the Earth at its most devastating angle, according to a study published in the 2020 issue of the journal Science. Natural contacts. Sean Gulick said the asteroid was about 7.5 miles (12 km) in diameter and traveled at 27,000 miles (43,000 km / h), forming a 124-mile-wide (200 km) scar on the planet’s surface. Professor at the Geophysics Institute of Geophysics, Texas, led the study.

Most importantly, the asteroid struck more than 60 degrees above the horizon, and this angle was particularly catastrophic because it allowed the asteroid impact to emit large amounts of dust and aerosols into the atmosphere.

Gulick pointed to his colleague’s evidence in support of the corner model, including the asymmetrical structure of the abyss, the position of the fragmented (upward curved) mantle rocks, the distinct sedimentary rows in the cores collected from the area, and, in particular, the scarcity. At centers such as halite and gypsum, a distinct rock., Called evaporators.

The result is that the evaporating rock will evaporate, sending 325 gigatons of sulfur fog, as well as 435 gigatons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.

The material thrown into the atmosphere often consists of crushed rock and sulfuric acid droplets, which came from sulfate-rich marine rocks, called anhydrides, which evaporated during asteroid impact, according to a 2014 study published in the journal Science. Natural Earth Science.

This microscopic material cloud formed a shield around the planet, reducing the sun’s heat and incoming light, which drastically changed the planet’s climate with long-term cooling.

A 2016 review in the journal Geophysical Research LettersThe average temperature in the tropics drops from 81 F (27 C) to 41 F (5 ° C). The incoming sunlight diminished, photosynthesis decreased, and the bottom of the food chain collapsed into land and sea, knocking down dinosaurs and many other animals.

This impact caused massive tsunamis, which were shallow water waves spreading over the Earth’s oceans. The wave initially reached nearly one mile (1.5 km) and traveled 89 miles (143 km / h), while other waves reached enormous heights in the Atlantic Ocean, including 46 feet (15 meters) and 13 feet (4 meters). According to modeling research, the North Pacific Ocean.

Also, deposits of evidence from the megawave are preserved in the sedimentary record around Louisiana. Geological survey of the geology under Louisiana revealed large elongated asymmetric ripples 52 feet (16 m) high indicating the location of the impact on the bay.

After the impact the crushed rock and ash fell to the surface, and the wildfire spread. Excess smoke and ash will cool the shield and reduce incoming sunlight.

When geologists explore the layers of rock it is easy to see when the asteroid was affected; Through the rocks around the world at the end of the Cretaceous, 66 million years ago, there was a thin layer of iridium-enriched clay that was a rare element on Earth but common among space rocks, according to a 1980 historical note. Science Journal. Science.

But while imagining other amazing events, including wildfires and tsunamis, Gulick thinks the big deal is changes in the Earth’s atmosphere because the terrible cover led to more than a decade of cold.

“The only way for a catastrophic event to happen is to confuse something that affects the entire planet,” he said.