Dinosaur-killing Chicxulub asteroid formed in Solar System’s outer reaches
https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-024-02647-4
Scientists have discovered that the asteroid responsible for wiping out the dinosaurs 66 million years ago originated from beyond Jupiter, in the outer reaches of the Solar System. By studying geochemical evidence from the impact site in Chicxulub, Mexico, researchers were able to analyze rare isotopes of ruthenium and concluded that the asteroid came from a carbonaceous region rich in volatile chemicals, unlike the inner Solar System’s silicate-rich asteroids. This evidence also refutes the long-standing theory that the impactor was a comet. The findings highlight the complex origins of the event that led to the mass extinction of the dinosaurs and reshaped life on Earth.
