Scientists have discovered that the asteroid that killed the dinosaurs 66 million years ago originated from the outer solar system beyond Jupiter. It was a large, 6 mile wide C-type asteroid rich in carbon.
Analysis of the rare element ruthenium found in the K-Pg boundary clay layer around the world, which marks the mass extinction, showed it matched carbonaceous meteorites derived from asteroids from beyond Jupiter. This confirmed the asteroid’s origin.
The asteroid likely formed in the main asteroid belt beyond Mars but was perturbed into Earth’s path by a collision with another asteroid or the Yarkovsky effect from solar heating.
Its impact created the 180km wide Chicxulub crater buried under Mexico and ejected debris that blocked the sun and cooled the climate, causing the mass extinction that ended the reign of the dinosaurs.
Impacts from asteroids over half a mile wide that can cause global extinctions are estimated to occur every 100 million years, making the Chicxulub impact extremely rare. NASA is working to develop asteroid deflection technologies but has not needed to warn about any impact risks so far.
Source: Mashable
