TRIBUNNEWS.COM — An asteroid impact with the earth is said to be the cause of the extinction of the dinosaurs 66 million years ago.
The incident is considered to be the worst natural phenomenon that has occurred on earth in history.
A 9.6 km wide asteroid, called Chicxulub, hit the waters, which are now called Mexicoto trigger a mass extinction that killed more than 75 percent of the species on Earth.
Reporting from National Geographic, at that time, an unexpectedly strong earthquake shook and rolled the Earth’s crust.
Also read: Why Meteors Can Fall to Earth?
A tsunami over 45 meters high hit the coast of North America.
In addition, forest fires raged hundreds of km away from the impact site.
This is caused by the searing heat of the asteroid’s initial impact plume and the blast of debris that followed.
Also read: 4660 Nereus, an Asteroid with a Length of 330 Meters will Enter Earth Orbit on December 11, 2021
How big was the asteroid that wiped out the dinosaurs?
Reporting from Space.com, Chicxulub Crater with a width of about 144 km and a depth of 20 km provides a rough idea of the size of the asteroid that wiped out the dinosaurs.
Harvard astrophysicists Amir Siraj and Avi Loeb have performed calculations and estimated that the incoming object may have been about 7 km wide.
However, it is assumed that the asteroid is part of a long-period comet. (Lulu Lukyani)
This article has appeared on Kompas.com with the title “SHow Big Are Asteroids Destroying Dinosaurs? “
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