Asteroid That Killed the Dinosaurs Also Triggered Global Tsunami (space.com) 26
The asteroid that struck Earth 66 million years ago, wiping out three-quarters of the planet's plant and animal life (most famously the dinosaurs), also triggered a worldwide tsunami with mile-high waves. Space.com reports: A new study led by University of Michigan scientists reveals that this tsunami scoured the ocean floor and left geologic traces as far away as New Zealand -- thousands of miles away from the impact site off what's now Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula. The findings come from the first simulation that models the global effects of the impact of the massive asteroid -- named the Chicxulub impactor -- upon Earth to reach publication. The team took findings from previous research and modeled the asteroid as an 8.7-mile-wide (14 kilometers) body traveling at 27,000 mph (43,000 kph). The researchers supported the computer modeling by investigating the geological record at 100 sites across the globe. In particular, the scientists looked at "boundary sections," which are marine sediments laid down just before and just after the Chicxulub impact and the mass extinction that ended the era of our planet called the Cretaceous period. This investigation supported the predictions the model had made regarding the path and power of the Chicxulub-generated tsunami.
Some of the most significant geological evidence found by the team was located 7,500 miles (12,000 km) away from the Chicxulub crater on the eastern shores of islands to the north and south of New Zealand. Here the scientists found heavily disturbed sediments called olistostromal deposits that were previously believed to be the result of local tectonic activity. [The researchers] found, however, that the age and location of these deposits put them directly in the path the team modeled for the Chicxulub-triggered tsunami. The team calculated the initial energy of the impact tsunami, finding that it was as much as 30,000 times greater than the energy of the 2004 tsunami generated by an Indian Ocean earthquake. The event, one of the largest tsunamis in modern history, killed more than 230,000 people. [...]
The simulation showed that 24 hours after the Chicxulub impactor had struck Earth, waves it launched had traveled almost the full extent of the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans and had just entered the Indian Ocean from both sides. Two days after the impact, tsunami waves had hit most of the world's coastlines. The team didn't estimate how much flooding these tsunami waves would have caused, but they did calculate wave heights in the majorly impacted regions. The simulations indicated that waves in the open ocean of the Gulf of Mexico would have been over 330 feet (100 meters) high. Meanwhile, waves in North Atlantic coastal regions and parts of South America's Pacific coast would have been 10 times smaller, at around 33 feet (10 m) high. As the tsunami waves approached shorelines in these regions and hit shallow waters, however, they would have soared dramatically in height again. The findings were published in the journal AGU Advances.
Some of the most significant geological evidence found by the team was located 7,500 miles (12,000 km) away from the Chicxulub crater on the eastern shores of islands to the north and south of New Zealand. Here the scientists found heavily disturbed sediments called olistostromal deposits that were previously believed to be the result of local tectonic activity. [The researchers] found, however, that the age and location of these deposits put them directly in the path the team modeled for the Chicxulub-triggered tsunami. The team calculated the initial energy of the impact tsunami, finding that it was as much as 30,000 times greater than the energy of the 2004 tsunami generated by an Indian Ocean earthquake. The event, one of the largest tsunamis in modern history, killed more than 230,000 people. [...]
The simulation showed that 24 hours after the Chicxulub impactor had struck Earth, waves it launched had traveled almost the full extent of the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans and had just entered the Indian Ocean from both sides. Two days after the impact, tsunami waves had hit most of the world's coastlines. The team didn't estimate how much flooding these tsunami waves would have caused, but they did calculate wave heights in the majorly impacted regions. The simulations indicated that waves in the open ocean of the Gulf of Mexico would have been over 330 feet (100 meters) high. Meanwhile, waves in North Atlantic coastal regions and parts of South America's Pacific coast would have been 10 times smaller, at around 33 feet (10 m) high. As the tsunami waves approached shorelines in these regions and hit shallow waters, however, they would have soared dramatically in height again. The findings were published in the journal AGU Advances.
Yet in the scheme of things... (Score:5, Interesting)
... even this asteroid was nothing compared to what was flying around in the early solar system. You only have to look at the face or the moon or mercury to see just how lethal things used to be. Its amazing life managed to get going at all and you have to wonder if it did start multiple times but got destroyed and the RNA/DNA system we're based on was the one that was just robust enough to survive these impactors.
Re: Yet in the scheme of things... (Score:1)
Not even close. Insects my friend, insects (Score:3)
Ants along would beat birds for biomass.
https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.10... [pnas.org]
Re: Not even close. Insects my friend, insects (Score:1)
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Insects arenâ(TM)t animals
Neither are birds, so what's your point?
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Birds are also animals.
Re: Not even close. Insects my friend, insects (Score:3)
This side piss- Er, argument, is pure Slashdot.
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Insects are animals.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/... [wikipedia.org]
Time to reclassify [Re: Yet in the scheme...] (Score:2)
It's past time that we should reclassify the theropods as aves.
The rest can stay dinosauria
Reverse view (Score:2)
... even this asteroid was nothing compared to what was flying around in the early solar system. You only have to look at the face or the moon or mercury to see just how lethal things used to be. Its amazing life managed to get going at all and you have to wonder if it did start multiple times but got destroyed and the RNA/DNA system we're based on was the one that was just robust enough to survive these impactors.
Maybe that's why life didn't get started in the early solar system? Maybe life was able to flourish precisely because the solar system had calmed down enough to start a family, e.g. more stable orbits, less random debris.
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Chaos reigned early on, that's for sure.
Odds are the Moon is formerly part of Earth but a Mars-sized planetoid smucked into Earth, tipped it 23.5 degrees, and tore off a good chunk while basically melting everything.
No shit Sherlock (Score:5, Insightful)
Diplodocus high etc (Score:2)
So thats why no schools are named after dinosaurs - deep impact reference
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Came here to say exactly this. Saw someone beat me to it. Left happy.
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Big rock flying fast into planet causes massive tsunami. More at 11.
Jesus Christ - why does mocking crap like this get modded insighful? It's not a matter of "Duh - a big wave was produced". It's that they calculated the range, timing, and height of the tsunami in oceans around the globe, and "supported the computer modeling by investigating the geological record at 100 sites". Do you think that's not an impressive scientific achievement?
Dinosaurs not quite extinct (Score:1)
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Surf's up! (Score:3)
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I could have ridden that wave!
Whatever you say Gil.
https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pm... [tvtropes.org]
Compared to DART... (Score:3)
DART's speed at impact was apparently 6 km/s.(https://dart.jhuapl.edu/Mission/Impactor-Spacecraft.php)
These scientists modeled the Chicxulub asteroid at 27,000 mph (43,000 kph) which is 11.944 km/s.
And beachfront properties lost billions in value! (Score:2)
I see the wheel turning again.
Global Tsunami (Score:2)
Except that Tsunami is a Japanese word and would not be invented for 65 million years. The dinosaurs called it a "glub, glub, glub".