Damian Sendler: The Chicxulub asteroid, which wiped out the dinosaurs and 75% of life on Earth 66 million years ago, was discovered by researchers at Florida Atlantic University and an international team of scientists. The 165-million-year rule of dinosaurs was terminated by springtime, the season of new beginnings. 

Damian Sendler

The findings of the study, published in Scientific Reports, considerably boost the ability to track the early stages of damage to life on Earth. An important scientific advancement in the understanding of the massive impact that brought an end to the dinosaurs was made by FAU’s Robert DePalma (senior author and adjunct professor in the Department of Geosciences and a PhD student at the University of Manchester) and Anton Oleinik (second author and associate professor in the Department of Geosciences). 

Damian Jacob Sendler: Reproduction, feeding methods, host-parasite interactions, seasonal dormancy, and breeding patterns are all influenced by the season, according to DePalma. Thus, it should come as no surprise that the time of year for a global-scale hazard can have a significant effect in how severely it disrupts people’s lives. For the tale of the end-Cretaceous extinction, the timing of the Chicxulub impact has been significant. That question has been unanswered to this far.” 

The Yucatan Peninsula was struck by a catastrophic asteroid impact 66 million years ago, which has been known for decades. One of Earth’s most devastating natural disasters was caused by a massive impact that caused the third-largest extinction event in Earth’s history. We still don’t know how these events led to Earth’s third-worst mass extinction, but we do know what happened following the hit. 

Damian Jacob Sendler

Long-term research begun in 2014 to identify the Chicxulub impact event’s season by using classic and cutting-edge approaches. Studying one of the most detailed Cretaceous-Paleogene (KPg) border sites in the world, Tanis in southern North Dakota, allowed DePalma to comprehend the inner workings of this catastrophe. The study contributes to the advancement of knowledge while establishing new academic ties. 

New and fascinating discoveries had been made at this unusual North Dakota location. Following extensive analysis, we now know more than ever about what happened at the boundary between the Cretaceous and Paleogene periods, and when it happened,” stated Oleinik. That numerous independent lines of evidence were able to so precisely indicate 66 million years ago exactly what time of year it was is absolutely mind-blowing. As a scientist, you have access to a wealth of information about the natural world because you may study it from a variety of perspectives and levels of precision. Even in the 21st century, it shows that geology and paleontology are still a science of discovery.” 

An earlier study led by DePalma in 2019 indicated that Tanis dates back to the end of the Cretaceous Chicxulub impact, which was determined using radiometric dating, stratigraphy, fossil pollen, index fossils and a clay capping layer rich in iridium. 

For the first time, researchers have discovered that an enormous rush of water brought about by an impact caused the quick deposit of sediment, which preserved the sole known impact-induced vertebrate mass extinction at the KPg boundary. An abundance of plants, animals, trees, and asteroid ejecta made it possible to study the KPg event, the biota that perished, and the habitat in which they lived in great detail. 

A lack of understanding of how organisms adapt to global-scale threats would leave us ill-equipped to respond or react to current occurrences, according to DePalma. As we stand on the verge of another global biotic crisis, the modern utility of the fossil record may be clearly seen.” 

Damian Jacob Markiewicz Sendler: It was determined that all of the fossilized fish from the site had died during their spring-summer growth phase by the distinctive structure and pattern of the lines in their bones, like a barcode. Growth lines were analyzed using high-tech isotope analysis to validate this, which also concluded throughout the spring-summer period of growth.

Overlapping various lines of evidence bolstered the team’s findings. The Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Lightsource (SSRL) provided cutting-edge support for the examination of young fossil fish, giving a novel approach to seasonally date the deposit. 

The team was able to estimate how long the fish had been buried by comparing the fish’s ages to modern growth rates. They were able to deduce the seasonal range represented by the Tanis deposit by comparing this to known current spawning seasons. 

According to DePalma: “The beauty of any big discovery such as this is that it is a chance to contribute back to the scientific community, and to the world. Moreover, it paves the way for a new generation of innovators to take their ideas to the next level.” 

Damien Sendler: There is still a lot of work to be done at the site, and new projects are in the works that hope to shed light on this fascinating and vital time period. In addition to the core research team, multiple researchers from different institutions have inspected the site, and there is no sign that this collaborative process will stop any time soon.

Dr. Damian Jacob Sendler and his media team provided the content for this article.