英属哥伦比亚大学及来自巴黎、布鲁塞尔和维也纳的研究人员通过分析白垩纪-古近纪撞击事件遗留材料中的镍同位素，确定了6600万年前杀死恐龙的小行星属于CO型碳质球粒陨石1。这颗来自太阳系外部地区的陨石直径约为10至15公里1，以64,000公里/小时的速度撞击地球1，在现今位于墨西哥尤卡坦半岛下方形成了希克苏鲁伯陨石坑1。此次撞击引发了约75%物种的灭绝1，包括所有非鸟类恐龙。
研究表明，陨石本身的硫磺含量可能并非灾难的主要驱动因素，相反是撞击产生的大量细微碎屑进入大气层才是关键因素1。CO型陨石在地球采集的陨石中极为罕见，仅占碳质陨石的约5%1，且其硫含量远低于其他陨石类型1。这一研究成果已发表于《Science Advances》期刊1。
Researchers from the University of British Columbia, Paris, Brussels, and Vienna have determined that the asteroid responsible for the extinction of dinosaurs was a rare carbonaceous chondrite of the CO type.1 By analyzing nickel isotopes in material left behind from the Cretaceous-Paleogene impact event, the international team established the precise composition of the space rock that struck Earth 66 million years ago.1 The impact triggered the extinction of approximately 75% of all species on the planet, including all non-avian dinosaurs.1
The meteorite, which measured between 10 and 15 kilometers in diameter, collided with Earth at a speed of approximately 64,000 kilometers per hour.1 The impact created the Chicxulub crater, now located beneath Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula.1 Contrary to previous assumptions, the research suggests that the sulfur contained within the meteorite itself was not the primary driver of the catastrophic consequences; rather, the vast quantity of fine debris ejected into the atmosphere during the collision proved to be the decisive factor.1 CO-type carbonaceous chondrites represent only a small fraction of meteorites collected on Earth, accounting for approximately 5% of all carbonaceous meteorites, and contain significantly lower sulfur levels compared to other meteorite types.1 The findings were published in the journal Science Advances.1
评论
还没有评论，欢迎留下第一条。