Post by Andrei Tchentchik on Mar 23, 2020 19:13:39 GMT 2
(.#395).- Chicxulub impact of a meteorite, Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico.
Chicxulub impact of a meteorite, Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico.
Radar topography reveals that the outer ring of the crater is 180 kilometers in diameter. The accumulation of sinkholes around the crater presupposes the presence of an ancient ocean basin occupying the depression formed by the impact.
The Chicxulub crater is an old crater caused by the impact of a huge meteorite. The approximate center of this formation is located in the northwest of the Yucatan peninsula, near the town of Chicxulub, of the same name. "Pulga del Diablo" (devil's flea) is the translation of the name of the village in Mayan language, it is located east of the port of Puerto Progreso.
Discovery of the Chicxulub crater
The crater measures more than 180 kilometers in diameter, making it one of the largest impact zones in the world. It is estimated that the racing car that formed the crater was at least ten kilometers in diameter. It was discovered in the late 1970s by geophysicists Antonio Camargo and Glen Penfield. They worked in Yucatan for the parastatal company "Petroleos Mexicanos", in search of deposits. The investigations were abandoned very quickly, for lack of evidence proving that an unusual geological structure caused such a crater by its impact.
Through contact with Alan Hildebrand, two Canadian geologists, Penfield and Camargo, were able to obtain samples that finally proved that the crater was caused by the impact of a huge meteorite. The evidence found there was the discovery of cracked quartz, a gravitational anomaly and the presence of tectites all around the crater. In addition, the most significant finding was the presence of iridium and other platinum as an associated metal.
An asteroid responsible for the extinction of the dinosaurs
The age of the rocks and isotope analyzes have shown that this structure dates from the end of the Cretaceous period. About 65 million K / T years ago (mass extinction). The main evidence is a thin layer of iridium found in sediments around the world. Iridium is a rare metal on Earth but abundant in meteorites and asteroids.
Recently, the hypothesis that the impact is responsible for the mass extinction of the Cretaceous-Paleogene has been reinforced. Indeed, the consequences of the shock highlight the extinction of various species. Some critics argue that the impact of Chicxulub was not the only reason for this cataclysm. Others still wonder if it was not due to a single impact, or if in the impact a series of fireballs could have struck the Earth at the same time.
Recent data suggests that the object could have been part of a much larger asteroid. After a collision in space over 160 million years ago, the asteroid could have split into a myriad of smaller asteroids, of the Baptistina family.
F I N .
Chicxulub impact of a meteorite, Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico.
Radar topography reveals that the outer ring of the crater is 180 kilometers in diameter. The accumulation of sinkholes around the crater presupposes the presence of an ancient ocean basin occupying the depression formed by the impact.
The Chicxulub crater is an old crater caused by the impact of a huge meteorite. The approximate center of this formation is located in the northwest of the Yucatan peninsula, near the town of Chicxulub, of the same name. "Pulga del Diablo" (devil's flea) is the translation of the name of the village in Mayan language, it is located east of the port of Puerto Progreso.
Discovery of the Chicxulub crater
The crater measures more than 180 kilometers in diameter, making it one of the largest impact zones in the world. It is estimated that the racing car that formed the crater was at least ten kilometers in diameter. It was discovered in the late 1970s by geophysicists Antonio Camargo and Glen Penfield. They worked in Yucatan for the parastatal company "Petroleos Mexicanos", in search of deposits. The investigations were abandoned very quickly, for lack of evidence proving that an unusual geological structure caused such a crater by its impact.
Through contact with Alan Hildebrand, two Canadian geologists, Penfield and Camargo, were able to obtain samples that finally proved that the crater was caused by the impact of a huge meteorite. The evidence found there was the discovery of cracked quartz, a gravitational anomaly and the presence of tectites all around the crater. In addition, the most significant finding was the presence of iridium and other platinum as an associated metal.
An asteroid responsible for the extinction of the dinosaurs
The age of the rocks and isotope analyzes have shown that this structure dates from the end of the Cretaceous period. About 65 million K / T years ago (mass extinction). The main evidence is a thin layer of iridium found in sediments around the world. Iridium is a rare metal on Earth but abundant in meteorites and asteroids.
Recently, the hypothesis that the impact is responsible for the mass extinction of the Cretaceous-Paleogene has been reinforced. Indeed, the consequences of the shock highlight the extinction of various species. Some critics argue that the impact of Chicxulub was not the only reason for this cataclysm. Others still wonder if it was not due to a single impact, or if in the impact a series of fireballs could have struck the Earth at the same time.
Recent data suggests that the object could have been part of a much larger asteroid. After a collision in space over 160 million years ago, the asteroid could have split into a myriad of smaller asteroids, of the Baptistina family.
F I N .
