How big was the asteroid and how big was the crater?
Barringer Meteor Crater and Its Environmental Effects. Forty-nine thousand years ago, a large 30 to 50 meter diameter iron asteroid impacted the Colorado Plateau in northern Arizona. The resulting massive explosion excavated 175 million tons of rock, forming a crater nearly a mile wide and 570 feet deep.
Can you go see the Chicxulub crater?
You can visit the Museum of Science of the Chicxulub Crater in Merida, Mexico, to learn more about this crater. Scientists believe that the comet that created this crater is also responsible for creating the beautiful blue water sinkholes that dot the area around Merida.
How many millions of years of rock did they drill in 10 feet?
This core, from above the crater, is what the seabed normally looks like: layers of similar looking rock laid down very slowly. These ten feet of limestone took about 10-million years to accumulate.
How did the Chicxulub crater get buried?
At the time of impact, the Gulf of Mexico covered the northern part of the peninsula, so the impact occurred into a shallow sea. Sedimentation on the floor of the gulf filled in the crater and eventually buried it beneath several hundred to ~1 kilometer of sediment.
How big was the meteorite that hit Sudbury?
10 to 16 kilometres
A meteorite believed to be 10 to 16 kilometres in diameter hurtles from space striking the area now known as Sudbury, Ontario (700 kilometres away)! An impact crater 250 kilometres wide is created, which forms the second biggest known crater on our planet (Figure 2).
What is the largest impact crater in the US?
Considered to be one of the best-preserved “wet-target” impact craters in the world, the Chesapeake Bay Crater is the largest known impact site in the United States. When the asteroid struck the Earth, it is said to have caused a dizzying wave of water that reached 1,500 feet in height.
How big was the Chicxulub Comet?
Its center is located near the town of Chicxulub, after which the crater is named. It was formed by a large asteroid or comet about 11 to 81 kilometres (6.8 to 50.3 miles) in diameter, the Chicxulub impactor , striking the Earth.
Where did the Chicxulub asteroid hit?
Dinosaur Killing Asteroid hit Earth in Exactly the Wrong Spot. Sixty-six million years ago, an asteroid struck Earth in what is now the Yucatan Peninsula in southern Mexico. This event, known as the Chicxulub asteroid impact, measured 9 km in diameter and caused extreme global cooling and drought.
Is there a crater in Mexico?
Chicxulub Crater, Mexico. © Courtesy of harvepino – Fotolia.com. Located near the town of Chicxulub in Mexico, this crater has a story that is as interesting as it is ancient. The crater itself is buried beneath the Yucatán Peninsula and was formed through the impact of a large asteroid around 10 to 15 kilometers in diameter.