Tag: Asteroid Impact
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Asteroid Strike Revisited: A Multidisciplinary Journey Through AMNH’s Impact Exhibit
Introduction: A Fresh Lens on a Global Extinction New York’s American Museum of Natural History has opened a groundbreaking exhibition that invites visitors to walk through the event that reshaped life on Earth: the asteroid impact that ended the Cretaceous period and led to the extinction of the non-avian dinosaurs. The Impact exhibit blends geology,…
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New AMNH Exhibit Reimagines the Dinosaur-Killing Asteroid Impact
A Fresh Look at a Jurassic Pop Quiz When the asteroid that struck Earth around 66 million years ago is mentioned in classrooms or documentaries, the narrative often lands as a single, dramatic punchline: a colossal rock, a deadly explosion, and the sudden end of the age of dinosaurs. The American Museum of Natural History’s…
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Scientists Confirm 5-Mile-Wide Nadir Crater Beneath Atlantic Ocean Floor
Unveiling a Hidden Giant: The Nadir Crater Scientists have confirmed the existence of a colossal asteroid impact crater buried 300 meters beneath the Atlantic Ocean floor. Named the Nadir Crater, this 5-mile-wide structure is a striking reminder of a cataclysmic event that reshaped life on Earth about 66 million years ago. The discovery relies on…
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Scientists Confirm 5-Mmile Wide Nadir Crater Beneath Atlantic Ocean Floor
New Discovery: A Giant Crater Hidden Beneath the Atlantic In a striking fusion of ocean science and planetary history, researchers have confirmed a massive 5-mile-wide asteroid crater buried beneath the Atlantic Ocean floor. Measuring roughly 8 kilometers across, the Nadir Crater is the product of a colossal 66-million-year-old impact that reshaped our planet’s late Cretaceous…
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Nadir Crater: Secrets of a 5-Mile Undersea Asteroid Impact Revealed
Introduction: A Hidden Giant Under the Atlantic In a striking discovery, scientists have confirmed a colossal asteroid crater buried 300 meters beneath the Atlantic Ocean floor. Referred to as the Nadir Crater, this 5-mile-wide feature provides new clues about the cataclysm that helped end the era of the dinosaurs 66 million years ago. The revelation…
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A Flash, a Boom, a New Microbe Habitat: Life After an Asteroid
Introduction: When a Cataclysm Opens a Microbial Door Asteriod impacts are planetary scale events that typically wipe out surface life. Yet, beneath the dust, debris, and heat, a different story can unfold: the formation of new habitats where microbes might cling to life in the aftermath. This paradox—catastrophe fostering opportunity—drives a growing field of research…
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A Flash, a Boom, a New Microbe Habitat
Introduction: A New Beginning After Destruction When a sizable asteroid slams into a planetary surface, the immediate destruction is brutal. The impact vaporizes rocks, ejects material into space, and blankets the surroundings in heat and shock. Yet geologic and biological history shows a paradox: cataclysmic events can also create opportunities for life. In the wake…
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Giant northern asteroid crash reshaped the Moon and left radioactive clues, study finds
The Moon’s oldest wound may trace back to a northern strike Billions of years ago, a colossal asteroid plowed into the Moon, carving out the South Pole–Aitken basin—the solar system’s biggest and oldest known impact site. A new study led by planetary scientist Jeffrey Andrews-Hanna of the University of Arizona, published in Nature, argues that…
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Giant Northern Asteroid Crash May Have Made the Moon Radioactive, New Study Suggests
Revisiting the Moon’s oldest scar A new Nature study led by planetary scientist Jeffrey Andrews-Hanna from the University of Arizona revisits a landmark event in our solar system’s history: the giant impact that created the Moon’s largest basin, the South Pole–Aitken (SPA) basin. This colossal feature stretches about 1,931 kilometres from north to south and…
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A Giant Asteroid Struck Australia 11 Million Years Ago. So Where Is the Crater?
Uncovering a Hidden Impact: Tektites as Time Capsules A recent study reveals that Australia holds a dramatic record of an ancient asteroid strike, not as a crater, but as tiny pieces of natural glass called tektites scattered across South Australia. The glass fragments are remnants of an event believed to have melted surface rocks and…