Chicxulub impact crater

E45060

The Chicxulub impact crater is a massive buried structure in Mexico’s Yucatán Peninsula formed by an asteroid impact widely linked to the mass extinction event that wiped out the non-avian dinosaurs.

Jump to: Surface forms Statements Referenced by

Observed surface forms (1)

Surface form Occurrences
Chicxulub impact event 2

Statements (49)

Predicate Object
instanceOf astrobleme
impact crater
age about 66 million years
associatedWith Cretaceous–Paleogene mass extinction
extinction of many ammonites
extinction of many marine reptiles
extinction of non-avian dinosaurs
burialDepth several hundred meters below surface in many areas
buriedUnder younger sedimentary rocks
causeOf global environmental disruption
climateEffect longer-term climatic perturbations
short-term global cooling
country Mexico
diameter about 150 kilometers
discoveredBy Antonio Camargo
Glen Penfield
discoveryDate late 1970s
discoveryMethod geophysical survey
energyRelease on the order of 10^23 joules
evidence impact melt rocks
iridium anomaly
shocked quartz
geologicalBoundary Cretaceous–Paleogene boundary
geologicalPeriod Late Cretaceous
identifiedAsImpactStructure 1990s
impactEvent Chicxulub impact crater self-linksurface differs
surface form: Chicxulub impact event
impactingBody asteroid
impactorDiameter about 10 kilometers
languageOfName Yucatec Maya
linkedTo global ejecta layer
global iridium-rich K–Pg boundary layer
worldwide tektite deposits
locatedIn Gulf of Mexico
Yucatán Peninsula
state of Yucatán
locatedNear town of Chicxulub Pueblo
namedAfter Chicxulub Pueblo
nameMeaning “tail of the devil” in Yucatec Maya
oneOfLargest known impact structures on Earth
partOf North America
radius about 75 kilometers
researchProject International Ocean Discovery Program drilling project 364
significance key evidence for impact hypothesis of K–Pg extinction
structureFeature multi-ring basin
peak ring
studiedBy geologists
geophysicists
paleontologists
tsunamiGeneration mega-tsunamis in the Gulf of Mexico

Referenced by (3)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

Hell Creek Formation associatedWith Chicxulub impact crater
this entity surface form: Chicxulub impact event
Cretaceous–Paleogene boundary correlatesWith Chicxulub impact crater
Chicxulub impact crater impactEvent Chicxulub impact crater self-linksurface differs
this entity surface form: Chicxulub impact event