Researchers have recently confirmed the presence of a smaller asteroid that accompanied the massive asteroid responsible for the dinosaurs’ extinction 66 million years ago. This second asteroid collided with the ocean near West Africa, creating a significant crater on the sea floor. The impact was catastrophic, generating a tsunami that reached at least 800 meters in height and swept across the Atlantic Ocean.
Discovery of Nadir Crater
Dr. Uisdean Nicholson from Heriot-Watt University discovered the Nadir crater in 2022. Initially, the cause of this large underwater hole was uncertain. However, Nicholson and his team are now confident it was created by an asteroid crashing into the ocean floor.
While they cannot pinpoint the exact timing of this event or determine if it occurred before or after the asteroid that struck Mexico and formed the Chicxulub crater, they believe this smaller asteroid also impacted near the end of the Cretaceous period, around the time of the dinosaurs’ extinction. As it entered the atmosphere, it likely transformed into a massive fireball.
Analyzing the Impact
Nicholson provides a vivid analogy to illustrate the scale of the impact: “Imagine the asteroid hitting Glasgow while you’re in Edinburgh, about 50 km away. The fireball would appear 24 times larger than the Sun in the sky, capable of igniting trees and plants in Edinburgh.”
After the impact, an extremely loud blast of air would have occurred, followed by ground shaking comparable to a magnitude 7 earthquake. It is believed that significant amounts of water were expelled from the seabed and later fell back, leaving distinct marks on the ocean floor.
It is uncommon for two large asteroids to enter the Earth’s atmosphere in such a close timeframe, and researchers are still puzzled as to why this happened.
Asteroid similar to Nadir could shed light on dinosaurs’ extinction
The asteroid that created the Nadir crater measured between 450 and 500 meters wide and struck Earth at a velocity of approximately 72,000 kilometers per hour. The closest historical event of similar magnitude was the Tunguska event in 1908, where a 50-meter asteroid exploded above Siberia.
The Nadir asteroid is roughly comparable in size to Bennu, a well-known asteroid considered a potential threat to Earth. NASA estimates that Bennu could collide with Earth on September 24, 2182, although the likelihood of this happening is slim, at one in 2,700.
No asteroid impacts of this magnitude have been documented in recorded human history. Scientists typically analyze worn craters on Earth or images of craters from other planets to gather insights. To better understand the Nadir crater, Nicholson and his team utilized high-resolution 3D data provided by TGS, a geophysical company.
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