The annihilator of the dinosaurs unleashed the fire thousands of kilometers away

Sep. 7 () –

The asteroid that wiped out the dinosaurs on Earth instantly started wildfires thousands of miles away from its impact zone, according to new findings.

The 10-kilometre-diameter impactor struck the Yucatan Peninsula in what is now Mexico at the end of the Cretaceous Period 66 million years ago, causing a mass extinction that wiped out more than 75% of living species.

Uncertainty and debate have surrounded the circumstances behind the devastating wildfires known to have been caused by the impact, with various theories as to how and when they started, and their full extent.

Analyzing rocks dating from the moment of impact, a team of geoscientists from the UK, Mexico and Brazil recently found that some of the fires broke out within minutes at most of the impact, in areas extending up to 2,500 kilometers or more from the impact crater.

The wildfires that broke out in coastal areas were short-lived, as the rip current from the megatsunami caused by the impact carried charred trees out to sea.

By studying fossilized tree bark, geoscientists found that the fires had already started when the trees were blown away shortly after the initial impact. They concluded that this was due to an epic fireball or heat from droplets of molten rock. that fell through the atmosphere immediately after impact.

Professor Ben Kneller of the University of Aberdeen’s School of Geosciences is among the co-authors of this international study, which included scientists from the Autonomous University of Mexico, the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, the University of Leeds and the Manchester University. The study was published in the journal Scientific Reports.

Professor Kneller says it’s a statement that “what triggered these wildfires and their extent and timing have been debated for quite some time.”

“Until now it has been unclear whether the fires were caused as a direct result of the impact or subsequently, as the vegetation killed by the post-impact darkness caused by debris thrown into the atmosphere was ignited by things like lightning strikes“.

“By bringing together this international team we were able to apply a unique combination of chemical, isotopic, paleontological, paleobotanical, chemical and spectroscopic techniques, along with geological mapping, firstly to confirm that the rocks we analyzed date precisely from the impact.”

“We then analyzed the fossilized bark that was still attached to the tree trunks to determine the extent of burning, and found that the bark was already charred when the trees were swept away by the impact-related tsunami. This shows that the fires must have started within minutes, at most, of the impact.”

“Ultimately, our research confirms how and when these devastating fires started and paints a vivid and rather frightening picture of what happened in the immediate aftermath of the meteor impact.”