Rare Outer-Solar-System Meteorite Linked to Dinosaur Extinction
TL;DR
A new Science Advances study identifies the asteroid that wiped out the dinosaurs as a rare CO carbonaceous chondrite from the outer Solar System. By comparing nickel isotopes in Cretaceous-Paleogene boundary rocks from Denmark, Spain, and Italy with meteorite samples, researchers pin down CO as the likely impactor, a tiny fraction of carbonaceous chondrites. The result suggests sulfur from the rock wasn't the main culprit; instead, the vast debris cloud blocking sunlight caused the mass die-off, with Jupiter occasionally letting such rocks slip through.
- The Rock That Killed The Dinosaurs Was One of The Rarest Types in The Solar System – Which Made It Even Deadlier ScienceAlert
- The Dinosaurs Were Killed By An “Oddball” Asteroid That Might Change How We Think The Extinction Unfolded IFLScience
- Scientists identify the rare meteorite that killed the dinosaurs 66 million years ago ScienceDaily
- Researchers identify class of “oddball” meteorite that killed the dinosaurs The University of British Columbia
- Dinosaurs May Have Been Wiped Out by ‘Oddball’ Space Rock Sci.News
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