Dinosaur-killing impact crater might have been teeming with life
Researchers have discovered that the Chicxulub impact crater, which caused the extinction of non-avian dinosaurs, hosted a long-lasting hydrothermal system. This environment may have provided a refuge for microorganisms for millions of years following the asteroid strike.
Why it matters
It challenges the perception of the impact as purely destructive, suggesting that cataclysmic events can also create unique habitats for life.
Hot stuff Dinosaur-killing impact crater might have been teeming with life Hot, nutrient water might have lasted for over 5 million years after the impact.
4 Credit: MARK GARLICK/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY Credit: MARK GARLICK/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY Text settings Story text Size Small Standard Large Width * Standard Wide Links Standard Orange * Subscribers only Learn more Minimize to nav About 66 million years ago, the Chicxulub asteroid smashed into Earth, kicking up tsunamis and dropping hot debris that annihilated non-avian dinosaurs and many other species. But not everything it left in its wake was destructive. This space rock hit what is now the partially submerged Yucatan Peninsula, and at the bottom of the ocean, the impact generated enough heat to create a hydrothermal system that persisted for 8 million years and may have been a hotbed of life.
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