66 million years ago a giant asteroid hit the Earth creating a crater bigger than Hawaii. The impact wiped out all nonavian dinosaurs and most life on the planet. Researchers from The University of Texas at Austin and Imperial College London have drilled into the impact site off the coast of Mexico. What they found is telling us about how huge impacts like this help shape planets and possibly even provide habitat for the origins of life.
Here are 5 tweets that tell you what you need to know about the asteroid that killed the dinosaurs.
1. The asteroid that killed the dinosaurs may have punctured the Earth’s crust.
The asteroid that killed the dinosaurs may have punctured the Earth’s crust. https://t.co/PEazBVMNiO
— Discovery (@Discovery) November 18, 2016
2. It’s hard to imagine a mountain bigger than Everest being made and removed in minutes.
It’s hard to imagine a mountain bigger than Everest being made and removed in minutes #Chicxulub #Crater #Exp364 https://t.co/MMOLpx6XMm
— Jonathan Amos (@BBCAmos) November 17, 2016
3. The asteroid that helped wipe out the dinosaurs left a nasty scar on planet.
The asteroid that helped wipe out the dinosaurs left a nasty scar on planet Earth https://t.co/SwDFrrXWhS
— NYT Science (@NYTScience) November 18, 2016
4. Core from the impact reveals how enormous craters form.
Rock core from dinosaur-killing impact reveals how enormous craters form https://t.co/Q6XcpFjGNO pic.twitter.com/wGNrxltlVR
— Scientific American (@sciam) November 18, 2016
5. The crater that doomed the dinosaurs could have also sheltered new life.
The crater that doomed the dinosaurs could have also sheltered new life: https://t.co/6Ua5F5SMLX pic.twitter.com/U33WeCrKeE
— Discover Magazine (@DiscoverMag) November 18, 2016
