Asteroid that caused extinction of dinosaurs was a rare rock from beyond Jupiter
The extinction of the mighty dinosaurs is one of the most terrifying, yet fascinating events the Earth has witnessed until now. It is believed that dinosaurs went extinct from the face of this planet, along with around 75 percent of all our planet's species, about 66 million years ago at the end of the Cretaceous Period.
What caused extinction of dinosaurs
There is consensus among scientists that the mass extinction was caused by the impact of a large asteroid or comet that hit the Yucatan Peninsula between the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea. The roughly six-mile-wide asteroid slammed into the planet at a speed of about 12 miles per second, causing catastrophic changes to the Earth's climate, to which a large number of species could not adjust rapidly enough and perished.
Where did the asteroid come from?
Now, scientists have uncovered new information about the origins of the asteroid. According to a study published on August 15 in the journal Science, the culprit behind the mass extinction was a rare carbonaceous asteroid from beyond Jupiter.
Scientists came to the conclusion after examining the remains of the impactor collected from European regions. They found the chemical composition of a rare element called ruthenium to be similar to that within asteroids hovering between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter.
Also read:?Dinosaurs Thrived During A Mass Extinction Event In Freezing Temperatures
Impact of the asteroid?
They noted that the asteroid was likely nudged toward Earth either by collisions with other space rocks or by influences in the outer solar system, where gas giants like Jupiter harbor immense tidal forces capable of disturbing otherwise stable asteroid orbits.
The Chicxulub crater is the only known impact site on Earth made by an outer solar system asteroid, so documenting its origins could inform models that describe impacts on planets from objects within their systems.
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