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Chicxulub crater
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The Chicxulub crater is an impact crater buried underneath the Yucatán Peninsula in Mexico. Its center is offshore, but the crater is named after the onshore community of Chicxulub Pueblo. It was formed slightly over 66 million years ago when a large meteorite, about ten kilometers in diameter, struck Earth. The crater is estimated to be 200 kilometers in diameter and 20 kilometers in depth. It is the second largest confirmed impact structure on Earth, and the only one whose peak ring is intact and directly accessible for scientific research.
Imaging from NASA's Shuttle Radar Topography Mission STS-99 reveals part of the diameter ring of the crater in the form of a shallow circular trough.
Artist's impression of the asteroid slamming into tropical, shallow seas of the sulfur-rich Yucatán Peninsula in what is today Southeast Mexico. The a
Artist's impression of the asteroid slamming into tropical, shallow seas of the sulfur-rich Yucatán Peninsula in what is today Southeast Mexico. The aftermath of the asteroid collision, which occurred approximately 66 million years ago, is believed to have caused the mass extinction of non-avian dinosaurs and many other species on Earth. The impact spewed hundreds of billions of tons of sulfur into the atmosphere, producing a worldwide blackout and freezing temperatures which persisted for at least a decade.
The center of the crater is near Chicxulub Puerto.
The center of the crater is near Chicxulub Puerto.
Stela in the main square of Chicxulub Puerto commemorating the impact
Stela in the main square of Chicxulub Puerto commemorating the impact
Shocked quartz
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Shocked quartz is a form of quartz that has a microscopic structure that is different from normal quartz. Under intense pressure, the crystalline structure of quartz is deformed along planes inside the crystal. These planes, which show up as lines under a microscope, are called planar deformation features (PDFs), or shock lamellae.
Photomicrograph of shocked quartz
Photomicrograph of shocked quartz
Photomicrograph of a shocked quartz grain (0.13 mm across) from the Chesapeake Bay impact crater, showing shock lamellae
Photomicrograph of a shocked quartz grain (0.13 mm across) from the Chesapeake Bay impact crater, showing shock lamellae