• Home
  • Science
  • Technology
  • Futurism
  • Weather Extreme

Subscribe to Updates

Get the latest creative news from FooBar about art, design and business.

What's Hot

Five Things You Need to Know About Wildfire Smoke Right Now

June 9, 2023

The Trendsetters: Influencers Setting the Agenda for Brokers and Employee Benefits Consultants | Corporate Wellness

June 9, 2023

Pokémon Go developer commits to improving game’s quality after recent Remote Raid Shiny snafu

June 9, 2023
Facebook Twitter Instagram
Facebook Twitter Instagram YouTube
Futurist JournalFuturist Journal
Demo
  • Home
  • Science
  • Technology
  • Futurism
  • Weather Extreme
Futurist JournalFuturist Journal
Home » Scientists Have Determined the Likely Origin of the Asteroid That Killed the Dinosaurs
Latest Science

Scientists Have Determined the Likely Origin of the Asteroid That Killed the Dinosaurs

NewsBy NewsAugust 17, 2021Updated:August 18, 2021No Comments3 Mins Read0 Views
Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn Telegram Tumblr Email
Share
Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Email

Scientists have determined the likely origin of the dinosaur-killing asteroid that brought about their extinction and killed three quarters of all life here on Earth.

This asteroid is officially known as the Chicxulub impactor and it struck the Earth 66 million years ago. Scientists have estimated the origin of this asteroid for decades, but a new Southwest Research Institute study posits that it came from the outer half of our solar system’s main asteroid belt, as reported by Space.com.

More specifically, the six-mile-wide Chicxulub impactor originated in the asteroid belt space in between Mars and Jupiter. According to Space.com, scientists used computer models to analyze how asteroids in that region of space are pulled from their orbit to different areas of the solar system. In this instance, the asteroid was pulled from its location way out in space to Earth, where it eventually crashed and created a 90-mile crater.

It was that impact and the resulting effects that killed all dinosaurs and 75% of the world’s animal species.

To determine the trajectory of Chicxulub, the Southwest Research Institute team observed 13,000 asteroid models. In so doing, they determined that because of the characteristics of those asteroids and the belt they existed in, those asteroids are 10 times more likely to reach Earth than scientists previously thought.

Gorgeous Photos of Earth from Space

With that determined, the team began to look at the possibilities of an asteroid in that belt hitting Earth and discovered “escape hatches.” These are essentially hatches in the asteroid belt orbit created by thermal forces that pull asteroids out of orbit and toward Earth (or anywhere else really).

How did the team connect the dinosaur-killing asteroid with those found in the space between Mars and Jupiter, though? It examined the physical makeup of these asteroids.

By analyzing 66-million-year-old rocks, the team determined that the Chicxulub asteroid had a similar makeup of the “carbonaceous chondrite impactors” found in the asteroid belt.

Looking deep into space at the asteroid belt, though, the team determined that similar asteroids could not be found — most were significantly smaller, clocking in at just one mile. With Chicxulub coming in at six miles, the team had to determine why other asteroids like Chicxulub couldn’t be found.

“To explain their absence, several past groups have simulated large asteroid and comet breakups in the inner solar system, looking at surges of impacts on Earth with the largest one producing the Chicxulub crater,” researcher, William Bottke, said in the study. “While many of these models had interesting properties, none provided a satisfying match to what we know about asteroids and comets. It seemed like we were still missing something important.”

And they were — Chicxulub was no standard asteroid. It was a once-every-250-million-years kind of carbonaceous chondrite asteroid, and considering Chicxulub hit the earth 66 million years ago, there’s still theoretically another 184 million years to go until another asteroid of this size heads for Earth.

The Best Deaths in the Jurassic Park Movies

Ok, got it, so just to be sure: don’t be on Earth 184 million years from now — can do.

For more about the extinction of dinosaurs, check out this story about how some Harvard scientists have come up with a new theory on what caused the extinction and then read about how a T-rex fossil sold for $31.8 million last year. Check out this remarkably preserved dinosaur DNA preserved in a 75-million-year-old fossil after that.

Wesley LeBlanc is a freelance news writer, guide maker, and science guru for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @LeBlancWes.

Source

Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn Tumblr Email
News
  • Website

Related Posts

Billion-year-old grease hints at long history of complex cells

June 9, 2023

Nanoblock reveals new space model kits created with astronaut’s advice

June 9, 2023

SpaceX Dragon breaks 2 space shuttle orbital records

June 9, 2023

Archaeologists discover and replicate earliest musical instrument in the Middle East

June 9, 2023

NASA’s Apollo 11 Moon Quarantine Was Mostly for Show, Study Says

June 9, 2023

Architectural Researchers Use 3D-Printed Forms to Grow Structural Mycelium Blocks

June 9, 2023

Leave A Reply Cancel Reply

You must be logged in to post a comment.

Recent Posts
  • Five Things You Need to Know About Wildfire Smoke Right Now
  • The Trendsetters: Influencers Setting the Agenda for Brokers and Employee Benefits Consultants | Corporate Wellness
  • Pokémon Go developer commits to improving game’s quality after recent Remote Raid Shiny snafu
  • Survey Shows Customers Dissatisfied With ISPs — but Some Are Better Than Others
  • Billion-year-old grease hints at long history of complex cells
Recent Comments
    Demo
    Top Posts

    Chinese granny finds online fame for depiction of elderly loneliness

    December 4, 20219 Views

    Starbucks Teases Web 3 Platform in NFT Announcement

    May 4, 20225 Views

    Pandas AI: The Generative AI Python Library

    May 16, 20234 Views
    Don't Miss

    Five Things You Need to Know About Wildfire Smoke Right Now

    June 9, 2023

    SUBSCRIBE: Apple | Spotify Andrea Thompson: Welcome to Science Quickly, a Scientific American podcast series! I’m Andrea Thompson,…

    The Trendsetters: Influencers Setting the Agenda for Brokers and Employee Benefits Consultants | Corporate Wellness

    June 9, 2023

    Pokémon Go developer commits to improving game’s quality after recent Remote Raid Shiny snafu

    June 9, 2023

    Survey Shows Customers Dissatisfied With ISPs — but Some Are Better Than Others

    June 9, 2023
    Stay In Touch
    • Facebook
    • YouTube
    • TikTok
    • WhatsApp
    • Twitter
    • Instagram
    Latest Reviews
    Demo
    Most Popular

    Chinese granny finds online fame for depiction of elderly loneliness

    December 4, 20219 Views

    Starbucks Teases Web 3 Platform in NFT Announcement

    May 4, 20225 Views

    Pandas AI: The Generative AI Python Library

    May 16, 20234 Views
    Our Picks

    Five Things You Need to Know About Wildfire Smoke Right Now

    June 9, 2023

    The Trendsetters: Influencers Setting the Agenda for Brokers and Employee Benefits Consultants | Corporate Wellness

    June 9, 2023

    Pokémon Go developer commits to improving game’s quality after recent Remote Raid Shiny snafu

    June 9, 2023
    Editor's Pick

    This comet will pass by only once in our lifetime — here’s how to see it in the Bay Area

    December 9, 2021

    FBI searches for 2 persons of interest in hotel incident

    February 25, 2022

    Stargate Interview: Amanda Tapping, Brad Wright, & Google’s Laurence Moroney talk Stargate AI 2.0

    May 20, 2022
    Futurist Journal
    Facebook Twitter Instagram Pinterest YouTube Dribbble
    • Contact Us
    • Privacy Policy
    © 2023 futuristjournal.com - All Rights Reserved.

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.