the impact
an object from space
section titled “an object from space”approximately 66 million years ago, a large asteroid impacted the earth.
it was not a minor or local phenomenon.
it was a planetary-scale event, capable of altering the climate, destroying complete ecosystems and triggering one of the greatest biological crises in the entire history of life.
where it occurred
section titled “where it occurred”the impact occurred in the region that today corresponds to the yucatan peninsula, in present-day mexico.
there remained a gigantic structure known as chicxulub crater.
for a long time this crater remained hidden under sediments and was difficult to recognize, but today it constitutes one of the most important proofs to understand the end of the cretaceous.
the magnitude of the collision
section titled “the magnitude of the collision”the object that impacted the earth had several kilometers in diameter.
when colliding with the surface, it released an enormous amount of energy.
the scale of the event was so enormous that it is difficult to compare with current phenomena.
it was not a simple explosion.
it was a collision capable of:
- vaporizing materials
- melting rocks
- launching fragments to enormous distances
- altering the atmosphere globally
a planetary wound
section titled “a planetary wound”the impact not only opened a gigantic crater.
it also ejected immense amounts of dust, ashes, vaporized rock and other materials into the atmosphere.
part of these materials fell back on the surface.
part remained suspended in the atmosphere.
and part contributed to triggering environmental processes that would continue long after the initial collision.
an instantaneous event with lasting effects
section titled “an instantaneous event with lasting effects”the impact itself was instantaneous.
its consequences, no.
what happened at that moment was only the beginning of a much broader chain of effects.
that is why, to understand the extinction at the end of the cretaceous, it is not enough to think about the asteroid strike.
you have to understand everything that came after.
more than a sudden end
section titled “more than a sudden end”the impact marked the beginning of the crisis.
but the extinction was not solely the result of the direct collision.
the real disaster occurred when the entire planet began to respond to that event.
the sky changed. the climate changed. the light decreased. ecosystems began to collapse.
the impact was the spark that triggered the rest.