Snapshot of extinction: Fossils show day of killer asteroid
Posted March 29, 2019 4:56 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
WASHINGTON — New research captures a fossilized snapshot of the day nearly 66 million years ago when an asteroid smacked Earth, fire rained from the sky and the ground shook far worse than any modern earthquake.
It was the day that nearly all life on Earth went extinct, including the dinosaurs.
The researchers say they found evidence of the Mexico asteroid impact in North Dakota. They found fish with hot glass in their gills from flaming debris that showered back down on Earth. University of Amsterdam’s Jan Smit says his colleagues discovered charred trees, evidence of an inland tsunami, melted amber and even dinosaur footsteps from just before their demise.
The study was released Friday by the journal Proceedings of National Academy of Sciences.
Seth Borenstein, The Associated Press
