Palaeontology

Scientists find evidence of a second dinosaur-killing asteroid

By T.K. Randall
October 6, 2024 ·  2 comments

Were the dinosaurs wiped out by two asteroids ? Image Credit: NASA / Don Davis After dominating the planet for more than 150 million years, the dinosaurs - which were some of the most successful creatures ever to walk the face of the Earth - were completely wiped out by a catastrophic asteroid strike that brought about unimaginable devastation at the end of the Cretaceous some 66 million years ago.

For years, scientists have been keen to learn more about this killer space rock, but now - in a surprising twist - evidence has been found to suggest that this deadly asteroid wasn't alone.

In a new study published this week, scientists at Scotland's Heriot-Watt University have revealed new three-dimensional scans of another large crater that had formed at around the same time.

Known as the Nadir Crater, it measures 5 miles wide and can be found today beneath the floor of the Atlantic Ocean off the west coast of Africa."[Our scans] reveal this crater in three dimensions for the first time - the first time we've ever been able to see inside an impact crater," scientist Dr Uisdean Nicholson told The Independent.

The asteroid that produced this mammoth crater was over 1,300ft wide - that's almost 8 times the size of the space rock that leveled part of Tunguska, Siberia back in 1908.

While it would not have been as destructive as the main asteroid that struck 66 million years ago, if it had struck at around the same time it may have been enough to push the dinosaurs over the edge to extinction.

It's also possible that these two space rocks were part of the same asteroid that perhaps broke apart into smaller pieces before colliding with the Earth.

Make no mistake, though - if something the size of this newly discovered second asteroid struck the Earth today, the result would be absolutely devastating.

Source: Independent | Comments (2)

Tags: Asteroid, Dinosaur