Impact of an asteroid on the Yucatan - Yucatan impact - Artist view - Artist...

Impact of an asteroid on the Yucatan - Yucatan impact - Artist view - Artist view of the impact of the asteroid that would have fallen on the Yucatan peninsula about 65 million years ago. This asteroid 10 km in diameter would be responsible for the disappearance of dinosaurs. An asteroid 5-10 miles across impacts in the Yucatan to end the age of dinosaurs 65 million years ago. A fine layer of clay, rich in the element iridium - more concentrated in meteorites than in terrestrial rocks - marks the geological boundary between the Cretaceous and Tertiary eras. This clay layer is believed to have precipitated out of a plant-blanketing cloud of dust that was ejected into the atmosphere by the impact and subsequent fires. The dust darkened and cooled the earth so much that many species became extinct