Mexico’s Dino-Killer Asteroid Also Triggered Global Tsunami
(CNN) – When a city-size asteroid slammed into Earth 66 million years ago, it wiped out the dinosaurs – and sent a monster tsunami rippling around the planet, according to new research.The asteroid, about 8.7 miles (14 kilometers) wide, left an impact crater about 62 miles (100 kilometers) across near Mexico’s Yucatan peninsula.
In addition to ending the reign of the dinosaurs, the direct hit triggered a mass extinction of 75% of animal and plant life on the planet.When the asteroid hit, it created a series of cataclysmic events.
Global temperatures fluctuated; plumes of aerosol, soot, and dust filled the air; and wildfires started as flaming pieces of material blasted from the impact re-entered the atmosphere and rained down.
Within 48 hours, a tsunami had circled the globe – and it was thousands of times more energetic than modern tsunamis caused by earthquakes.Researchers set out to gain a better understanding of the tsunami and its reach through modeling.
