Scientists have found that the dinosaur-destroying apocalyptic meteorite immediately ignited forest fires thousands of kilometers from its impact zone.
The roughly six-mile-wide object struck the Yucatan Peninsula in what is now Mexico at the end of the Cretaceous period 66 million years ago.
Its devastating impact triggered a sudden mass extinction of the dinosaurs, bringing the dinosaurs to an abrupt end.
It also killed nearly three-quarters of the plant and animal species that lived on Earth at the time, scientists said.
The debate revolves around the circumstances behind the devastating wildfires known to have been caused by the strike.
So far, there are several theories about how and when they started, and how influential they are.
Analysing rocks dating back to the impact, a team of scientists from the UK, Mexico and Brazil found that some fires started within minutes of the impact at best.
The area affected by the glaze was 2,500 kilometers (1,553 miles) or more from where the Earth was hit.
In a newly published study, the team said the coastal wildfires were short-lived, as the recoil of a huge tsunami washed away charred trees offshore.
By studying the fossilized bark, they found that the fire had already started when the tree was washed away shortly after the initial impact.
They concluded that this was due either to a giant fireball or to the heat from the molten rock droplets falling from the atmosphere immediately after impact.
Professor Ben Kneller, from the University of Aberdeen’s School of Geosciences, is one of the co-authors of the latest study.
He said: “Until now, it was unclear whether the fires were caused directly by the impact or subsequently, as the dark-killed vegetation following the impact from debris thrown into the atmosphere was ignited by things such as lightning strikes.
“We were able to apply a unique combination of chemical, isotopic, paleontological, paleobotany, chemical and spectroscopic techniques, as well as geological mapping, to first confirm that the rocks we analyzed were accurately from the impact.
“We then analysed the fossilized bark that was still attached to the trunk to determine the extent of the burn and found that the bark had been charred as the tree was swept away by the impact-related tsunami.
“This suggests that the fire must have started within minutes of impact.
“Ultimately, our study confirms how and when these devastating fires began, and paints a vivid and terrifying picture of the immediate aftermath of the meteorite impact.”
The research was supported by Shell Brazil under the Brazilian government’s Science Without Borders programme and published in the journal Scientific Reports.
It involved scientists from the Autonomous University of Mexico, the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, the University of Leeds and the University of Manchester.
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