The Chicxulub Impact

The Chicxulub impact, known as the Chicxulub crater, was formed by an asteroid that collided with the Yucatan Peninsula located in Mexico 65.5 million years ago. The asteroid was said to hold the same energy as 100 million atomic bombs which precipitated an incident that destroyed the dinosaurs and nearly all life on Earth, leaving the atmosphere inhabitable for centuries.

What is an Asteroid?

Asteroids are pieces of rocks that aren't called planets based on the how small they are. The asteroids are orbiting around the sun mainly in what we call the asteroid belt - an area between the orbit of Mars and Jupiter. There are millions of asteroids in space, ranging in size from hundreds of metres across to as small as a pebble. Asteroids are made

Astronomers from WISE say that with the new infrared observations, Baptistina is not the responsible party leaving the Origin of the Asteroid a mystery to scientists.

Immediate Impact on Earth

The asteroid which collided with Earth 66 million years ago immediately created a deep hole, known as the peak ring, with an area of 100 kilometres wide and 30 kilometres deep, leaving the crater mainly under sea. Just after the impact deep granite bedrock, in liquid form, rebounded up to 10 kilometres tall before falling into a circular ridge. Next, the peak ring was enclosed in a layer of rocks, called a breccia, that contains bits of broken rock and impact melt.

The Chicxulub asteroid originally landed near the town of Chicxulub which is where the asteroid got its name. As the asteroid was discovered in 1978, scientists believed the impact was what created the town and now holds one of the most famous craters to this date.

The Chicxulub crater has an estimated diameter of 15 kilometres and it is believed that the asteroid delivered an estimated energy of 10 billion Hiroshima

These tidal waves were in-between 150-300 feet tall, roaring across the ocean in different directions. The mega-tsunamis had such a great energy force they stirred up the oceans sea beds to a depth of forty feet - usually sitting at a depth of 430 feet. One of the mega tsunamis sped across what is now known as the Gulf of Mexico. The tidal wave ruptured sharks' teeth, rocks, sand and boulders from the seabed on its way and plunged its debris over 150 miles inland from today's coastline.

The Crater Today

The Chicxulub’s crater is the only crater with an intact peak ring in the world. Scientist’s intrigued by the crater have started a scientific study by drilling into the crater’s peak ring. In spring of 2016, researchers from the International Continental Scientific Drilling (ICDP) and the International Ocean Discovery Program (IODP) drilled into the peak ring. The expedition focused on the intact peak ring and exceptional rock arrangements. The expedition helped to answer critical questions about the Chicxulub impact event and the formation of peak rings on planetary