Scientists have identified the asteroid that triggered the extinction of the dinosaurs 66 million years ago as a rare CO chondrite originating from the outer solar system, according to newly published research.
The classification helps resolve long-standing questions about the composition and origin of the extinction-level impactor, which struck Earth at the end of the Cretaceous period. Identifying the object as a CO chondrite, a relatively rare meteorite type, gives researchers new insight into where in the solar system the object likely formed before its collision with Earth.
The findings add to decades of scientific research into the impact event, which is widely regarded as the trigger for the mass extinction that ended the age of dinosaurs.
The impact site associated with the extinction event, located in present-day Mexico, has been studied extensively since its discovery decades ago, with each new compositional analysis refining scientists’ understanding of the object’s origin.
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Sources:
https://www.sciencedaily.com/news/top/technology/