Second Space Rock Struck Earth After the One That Killed the Dinosaurs
upstart writes:
Second Space Rock Struck Earth After the One That Killed the Dinosaurs:
About 66 million years ago, Earth took a one-two punch, according to a new study.
First came a space rock 6-miles-wide that struck present-day Mexico. The impactor, named Chicxulub, contributed to the demise of the dinosaurs, along with 50% to 75% of life on Earth.
Then, 650,000 years later, a mile-sized asteroid known as Boltysh struck. The rock carved out a 15-mile-wide crater into what is now central Ukraine.
Scientists once thought both Boltysh and Chicxulub contributed to the mass extinction that doomed the dinosaurs. But according to the study published Friday in the journal Science Advances, Boltysh likely impacted Earth long after the last victims of the extinction died out.
[...] While it's unlikely Boltysh exacerbated the die-off, Pickersgill said the second impact may have delayed Earth's recovery from the catastrophic extinction.
Journal Reference:
Annemarie E. Pickersgill, Darren F. Mark, Martin R. Lee, et al. The Boltysh impact structure: An early Danian impact event during recovery from the K-Pg mass extinction [open], Science Advances (DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.abe6530)
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