Dinosaur-killing asteroid splashed mile-high tsunamis that swept the entire world [View all]

After a giant space rock slammed into Earth 66 million years ago, it unleashed a massive tsunami that crashed into nearby coastlines.

by Tibi Puiu February 22, 2023 in Geology, News Reading Time: 5 mins read

The asteroid that struck Earth offshore Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula was simply devastating to all life on Earth, not just the dinosaurs. The cosmic impact unleashed the force of 10 billion Hiroshima A-bombs and ejected gigatons of sulfur and carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, which could have lowered surface air temperatures by a staggering 26 degrees Celsius (47 degrees Fahrenheit). This global winter lasted for years, enough to devastate plant life and everything else along the food chain. Around 75% of all animals and plant species went extinct, including the iconic dinosaurs (except for birds).

But it wasn’t just the blast and subsequent famine that wreaked havoc. In the immediate aftermath of the cosmic impact, a monstrous tsunami was triggered. Its waves went as high as a mile and ravaged the ocean floor for many thousands of miles from the impact site. In a new study, scientists have now conducted the first global simulation of the Chicxulub tsunami, which reveals new insights about the path and power these enormous waves took.

"This tsunami was strong enough to disturb and erode sediments in ocean basins halfway around the globe, leaving either a gap in the sedimentary records or a jumble of older sediments,” said lead author Molly Range from the University of Michigan, who conducted the research as part of the master’s thesis.

The ripples of an ancient giant tsunami



Range and colleagues, including physical oceanographer Brian Arbic and paleoceanographer Ted Moore, combed through the geological record from more than 100 sites across the world. Specifically, they looked at the K–Pg boundary, a thin layer of sediment deposited just after the asteroid impact that marks the end of the Cretaceous period and is about 66 million years old.

More:
https://www.zmescience.com/science/news-science/dinosaur-killing-asteroid-splashed-mile-high-tsunamis-that-swept-the-entire-world/