Twelve-year trail of clues leads to impact crater from the K-T boundary

Journal Article · Tue Dec 01 04:00:00 EST 1992 · Physics Today; (United States)

OSTI ID:6659522

Levi, B G

In 1980, scientists at the University of California, Berkeley proposed that a massive comet or asteroid might have struck the earth about 65 million years ago, changing the earth's climate so drastically that dinosaurs and other creatures could no longer survive. This article describes the evidence for the elusive crater required to support this theory. The structure in question is 180 km in diameter and is submeged beneath the Yucatan peninsula and centered on the Mexican village of Chicxulub. Material drilled from this crater has been linked chemically and geologically to pellets found in Northeast Mexico and Haiti. The link between this ejecta material and the crater was confirmed by a report that the Chicxulub melt rock and pellets are coeval, all having ages consistent with 65 million years. This puts the possible impact at the K-T boundary -- the dividing line between the Cretaceous period of the dinosaurs and the Tertiary period of the mammals. 13 refs.

• OSTI ID: 6659522
• Journal Information: Physics Today; (United States), Journal Name: Physics Today; (United States) Vol. 45:12; ISSN PHTOAD; ISSN 0031-9228
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
540110*
58 GEOSCIENCES
580000 -- Geosciences
ASTEROIDS
CENOZOIC ERA
CLIMATIC CHANGE
COMETS
CRETACEOUS PERIOD
DEVELOPING COUNTRIES
ENVIRONMENTAL EFFECTS
GEOLOGIC AGES
GREATER ANTILLES
HAITI
HISPANIOLA
ISLANDS
LATIN AMERICA
MESOZOIC ERA
MEXICO
NORTH AMERICA
PALEOCLIMATOLOGY
PALEONTOLOGY
ROCKS
TERTIARY PERIOD
WEST INDIES