The Cretaceous–Paleogene boundary, formerly known as the Cretaceous–Tertiary boundary, is a geological signature, usually a thin band of rock containing much more iridium than other bands. The K–Pg bo
Badlands near Drumheller, Alberta, Canada, where glacial and post-glacial erosion have exposed the K–Pg boundary along with much other sedimentation (the exact boundary is a thin line not obviously visible).
Complex Cretaceous-Paleogene clay layer (gray) in the Geulhemmergroeve tunnels near Geulhem, the Netherlands. Finger is just below the actual K–Pg boundary.
Luis (left) and his son Walter Alvarez (right) at the K-Pg Boundary in Gubbio, Italy, 1981
Pingualuit aerial 2007
Chicxulub crater
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The Chicxulub crater is an impact crater buried underneath the Yucatán Peninsula in Mexico. The crater is named after the onshore inland community of Chicxulub Pueblo. It was formed slightly over 66 m
Cretaceous–Paleogene boundary
…species, including all dinosaurs except for some birds. Strong evidence exists that the extinction coincided with a large meteorite impact at the Chicxulub crater and the generally accepted scientific theory is that this impact triggered the extinction event. The word "Cretaceous" is derived from the Latin "creta…
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.
Stela in the main square of Chicxulub Puerto commemorating the impact