Cosmic Catastrophe: The Asteroid That Ended the Dinosaur Era

A new study has resolved that the asteroid responsible for the mass extinction 66 million years ago was a carbonaceous asteroid that originated beyond Jupiter. This impact led to the formation of the Chicxulub crater and the extinction of three-quarters of Earth's species, including the dinosaurs.

In a landmark study, geochemists have determined that the asteroid which led to the extinction of the dinosaurs 66 million years ago originated beyond Jupiter. The asteroid, identified as a carbonaceous or C-type, was key in forming the Chicxulub crater on the Yucatan Peninsula.

This event, which wiped out about three-quarters of the world's species, left a global debris layer rich in metals uncommon on Earth but typical in asteroids. The analysis, focusing on isotope ratios in ruthenium, aligns the composition of the debris with other known carbonaceous asteroids.

This discovery rules out prior hypotheses that a comet or volcanic activity caused the extinction. The findings underscore the rarity of C-type asteroids reaching Earth, setting off a sequence of evolutionary events that eventually paved the way for mammalian dominance and the rise of humans.

(With inputs from agencies.)