Astronomers say they may have reached the origin of the asteroid, which ended the era of the dinosaurs, who lived on Earth, millions of years ago.
The British newspaper “The Independent” reported, in a report on the reason for the end of the era of dinosaurs on Earth, that astronomers said that an asteroid hit the Earth 66 million years ago and made a giant crater known as “Chiksholub Crater”.
Scientists explained that the asteroid was 6 miles wide (about 10.8 km) and hit the Earth 66 million years ago, and this caused the end of the era of dinosaurs on Earth, which lasted about 180 million years.
Scientists believe that the asteroid, which struck Earth at that time, was the cause of what is known as the “Chiksholub Crater”, which researchers link to the end of the dinosaurs.
The crater is located on what is now the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico.
Scientists were able to examine samples of ancient rock remains and fossils in the region, and concluded that their components are similar to the components of 3 percent of the components of asteroids that fall to Earth.
The newspaper pointed out that scientists discovered from their research that the asteroid that hit the Earth came out of the main belt of asteroids, which lies between the planets Mars and Jupiter.
Scientists find origin of asteroid that killed the dinosaurs – and another one could be on its way https://t.co/wUUDFcDlaq
— The Independent (@Independent) August 10, 2021
And she continued, “Asteroids with a diameter of more than 10 km depart from this path, and strike the Earth once every 250 million years, a rate that is 10 times the rate that scientists previously determined.”