The simulations show that the asteroid hit Earth at an angle of about 60 degrees, which maximised the amount of climate-changing gases thrust into the upper atmosphere. Such a strike […]
Impact events
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Study Links Ocean Deoxygenation To Ancient Die-off
In a new study, Stanford researchers have strongly bolstered the theory that a lack of oxygen in Earth’s oceans contributed to a devastating die-off approximately 444 million years ago. The […]
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Pleistocene Comet Impact And Earth's Culture And Environment
Before the Taqba Dam impounded the Euphrates River in northern Syria in the 1970s, an archaeological site named Abu Hureyra bore witness to the moment ancient nomadic people first settled […]
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Asteroid Impact Enriches Certain Elements In Seawater
Asteroid strikes upset the environment and provide clues via the elements they leave behind. Now, University of Tsukuba researchers have linked elements that are enriched in the Cretaceous-Paleogene (KPg) boundary […]
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Atmospheric Erosion by Giant Impacts Onto Terrestrial Planets
We examine the mechanisms by which atmosphere can be eroded by giant impacts onto Earth-like planets with thin atmospheres, using 3D smoothed particle hydrodynamics simulations with sufficient resolution to directly […]
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Earth's Oldest Asteroid Strike Linked to Snowball Earth Thaw
Curtin University scientists have discovered Earth’s oldest asteroid strike occurred at Yarrabubba, in outback Western Australia, and coincided with the end of a global deep freeze known as a Snowball […]
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Creation and Evolution of Impact-generated Reduced Atmospheres of Early Earth
The origin of life on Earth seems to demand a highly reduced early atmosphere, rich in CH4, H2, and NH3, but geological evidence suggests that Earth’s mantle has always been […]
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Susceptibility of Planetary Atmospheres to Mass Loss and Growth by Planetesimal Impacts: the Impact Shoreline
This paper considers how planetesimal impacts affect planetary atmospheres. Atmosphere evolution depends on the ratio of gain from volatiles to loss from atmosphere stripping f_v; for constant bombardment, atmospheres with […]
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Impact Bombardment Chronology of the Terrestrial Planets From 4.5 Ga to 3.5 Ga
Subsequent to the Moon’s formation, late accretion to the terrestrial planets modified their silicate crusts and mantles. We combine dynamical N-body and Monte Carlo simulations to determine impact probabilities, impact […]
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Europe's Largest Meteorite Crater Was Home To Deep Ancient Life
Fractured rocks of impact craters have been suggested to host deep microbial communities on Earth, and potentially other terrestrial planets, yet direct evidence remains elusive. In a new study published […]