What Scientists Found Inside Asteroid That Killed Dinosaurs Could Rewrite What We Know

It is really special in two ways.

Daphnie

• Published in Interesting
• August 21, 2024

We have all heard about the asteroid that hit Earth and killed all the dinosaurs because it's a huge and important part of our history. However, we actually don’t know much about it and the newer discoveries that scientists have made will probably shock you.

Scientists have looked into this scenario heavily as it's been an important topic, and it's been interesting to learn how an asteroid of this size came and hit Earth to kill everything living on the planet. It was a huge reset for the planet and many people would be surprised to find out where that asteroid came from.

If you are a science enthusiast or if you just like learning about these kinds of things then keep on reading because we are going to give you a full look into the asteroid and what exactly we know about this mysterious giant piece of rock that knocked out all the dinos.

This particular asteroid was responsible for our last mass destruction and it's been difficult for many people to imagine. The event took place 66 million years ago and it's shaped the way we look at Earth since then, from finding fossils to learning about dinosaurs.

Let's dive in and give you some more juicy facts about the famous asteroid that killed the dinosaurs.

It's always so interesting to learn something new about history or science.

The asteroid that hit Earth 66 million years ago and killed off all the dinosaurs actually came from the depths of the solar system. Asteroids that typically are in the vicinity of Earth usually have come from closer, but not this one.

This asteroid actually formed beyond the depths of Jupiter according to researchers in Europe and the United States. It came from an extremely cold region and it was rich in carbon and water. Scientists have studied asteroids that have struck Earth, but the one that killed the dinosaurs was the only one that was water-rich.

The asteroid that killed the dinosaurs is really a different breed.

François Tissot, a professor at the California Institute of Technology said, "Every other impact was something with an object that was nearby the sun that happened to encounter here."

"So the one that killed the dinosaurs is really special in two ways — by what it did, and also by where it originated."

The asteroid is what created the Chicxulub crater on Mexico’s Yucatán Peninsula and although scientists couldn't study the actual asteroid, they were able to study the fine particles that fell back to Earth. In specific, they found ruthenium which is a very rare element on Earth and can be traced directly back to the asteroid.

It's unlikely that the asteroid that hit Earth was actually a comet.

"Comets come from very far from the sun, but they're mostly made out of ice and dust," Tissot said. "No comet has been measured for ruthenium so we don't have a comparison point, but based on other indicators from other elements that the community over time has been able to measure, it seems very unlikely to be a comet."

Tissot said that these new efforts will help them understand more about the evolution of our planet.

Learning about how the asteroid hit Earth and what it was made from can help us learn so much more about our evolution and what exactly happened. It's interesting to know that this asteroid came from much farther away than we are used to.

There are still mysteries behind the asteroid and how this was such a big impact that killed off much of the wildlife on Earth, including the dinosaurs.

Daphnie