#iridiumlayer

[lucasciences]

The day that the dinosaurs died 66 million years ago marked the end of the Cretaceous. A large asteroid ☄️ 6-9 miles wide slammed into the Earth near modern day Yucatan Peninsula. . The impact caused tidal waves that created shallow seas north (swipe), and glass droplets 💧 rained from the sky when vaporized rock condensed and fell back to the surface. . Analysis of fossils from Tanis, North Dakota (top) reveal that fish 🐟 such as sturgeon and paddlefish were still alive when the impact occurred since microtektites formed from the ejecta were concentrated in their gills. . And the asteroid? It vaporized also, and most of it settled as the iridium layer in the soil that marks the end of the Cretaceous and the beginning of the Paleogene during which mammals and eventually humans flourished. . Credit: RdePalma et al (2019) PNAS. . #paleontology #cretaceous #endofdinosaurs #jurassic #iridiumlayer #iridium #tanis #fossils #extinctionevent https://www.instagram.com/p/B-A_u5qJSLo/?igshid=wdrcy3bodqc5