Scientists discover the origin of the asteroid that wiped out the dinosaurs

A new study published in the Scientific journal Science has detailed the origins of the asteroid that caused the Chicxulub crater, the impact crater left by the asteroid that ended the reign of the dinosaurs.

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Located off the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico, the Chicxulub crater is believed to have been created by a 6-mile-diameter asteroid 66 million years ago. The impact had a devastating effect on life on Earth, causing a mass extinction that wiped out the already declining dinosaur population. Researchers have written a new study examining the origins of the asteroid that killed the dinosaurs, tracing its origin to the outer reaches of the solar system beyond the solar system's largest planet, Jupiter.

Mario Fischer-GÜdde, who researches the formation of asteroids and planets at the University of Cologne, spoke to Mashable and said the dinosaur-killing asteroid was a “C-type asteroid,“, meaning it is composed primarily of carbon. Notably, C-type asteroids are the most common type of asteroid, accounting for 75% of all known asteroids.

The team discovered ruthenium, a rare element in the Earth's crust, in a thin layer of sediment created by this event. The team concluded that this ruthenium was created by the asteroid that killed the dinosaurs.

“We found that the composition of the asteroid that hit Chicxulub is consistent with that of carbonaceous meteorites, fragments of carbonaceous (C-type) asteroids that originally formed beyond the orbit of Jupiter.“, said Fischer-GÜdde