Asteroid impact triggered the “impact winter†that likely killed dinosaurs 66 million years ago – study
10/08/2020 / By Virgilio Marin
According to a recent study, the asteroid that hit Earth 66 million years ago likely released an enormous amount of material into the atmosphere, leading to the extinction of non-avian dinosaurs and several other species. In their report, which was published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, an international team of researchers examined sediment samples from the impact site, called the Chicxulub crater, in what is now the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico, as well as samples from nearby ocean sites. They identified a group of hydrocarbons heated up right after the impact, unleashing huge amounts of aerosols and dust into the atmosphere. These particulates sparked the “impact winter†that led to the Cretaceous-Paleogene (K-Pg) mass extinction, suggested the researchers.
https://www.climate.news/2020-10-08-asteroid-impact-triggered-impact-winter.html
