Produced by: BT Desk Designed by: Manoj Kumar
66 million years ago, an asteroid hit the Gulf of Mexico, causing mass extinction and wiping out around 60% of Earth’s species, including all non-avian dinosaurs.
New evidence suggests the asteroid came from beyond the outer Solar System, far beyond Jupiter, settling debates about its origin.
Palaeontologist Prof. Stephen Brusatte highlights the cosmic significance: "One day, dinosaurs were going about their lives, and the next, an asteroid from the far reaches of the Solar System changed the world forever."
The impact is captured in Earth's rock layers, known as the K-Pg boundary, which contains chemical clues from this pivotal moment in history.
Scientists have found high levels of platinum-group elements, like iridium and ruthenium, in these layers—rare on Earth but common in meteorites.
Some previously believed these elements came from volcanic activity, but new evidence shows that the isotopic signature aligns more with asteroids.
Researchers took samples from the K-Pg boundary, discovering that ruthenium isotopes were unlike those from Earth, further supporting an asteroid impact.
The ruthenium isotope signature closely matches carbonaceous chondrites, asteroids that form in the far reaches of the outer Solar System.
Brusatte marvels at the odds, saying it’s remarkable that this “bit of space junk” from such a distant part of space collided with Earth.
This asteroid's impact reshaped Earth’s history, leading to the extinction of species that had thrived for millions of years.