It is now understood that the accretion of terrestrial planets naturally involves giant collisions, the moon-forming impact being a well known example. In the aftermath of such collisions the surface […]
Impact events
Posted inImpact events
Mapping the Demise of the Dinosaurs
About 65 million years ago, an asteroid or comet crashed into a shallow sea near what is now the Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico. The resulting firestorm and global dust cloud […]
Posted inImpact events, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography
Toxic Ocean Conditions During Major Extinction 93.9 Million Years Ago
Oxygen in the atmosphere and ocean rose dramatically about 600 million years ago, coinciding with the first proliferation of animal life. Since then, numerous short lived biotic events — typically […]
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astrogeology, Impact events, Moon, Panspermia, Press Release
Building Blocks of Early Earth Survived Collision That Created Our Moon
Unexpected new findings by a University of Maryland team of geochemists show that some portions of the Earth’s mantle (the rocky layer between Earth’s metallic core and crust) formed when […]
Posted inComets and Asteroids, Extinction events, Impact events, Press Release
Ocean Asteroid Impact Could Deplete Earth’s Protective Ozone Layer for Years
An asteroid crashing into the deep ocean could have dramatic worldwide environmental effects including depleting the Earth’s protective ozone layer for several years, a Planetary Science Institute researcher has found.
Posted inArtemis & Lunar Exploration, Astrochemistry, Astrogeology, Comets and Asteroids, Icy Worlds, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Impact events, Mapping, Geodesy, Cartography, Bathymetry, Moon, Press Release
Caltech Team Finds Evidence of Water in Moon Minerals
That dry, dusty Moon overhead? Seems it isn’t quite as dry as it’s long been thought to be. Although you won’t find oceans, lakes, or even a shallow puddle on […]
Posted inAstrogeology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Extinction events, Fossils & Paleontology, Impact events, Press Release
Tiny Shelled Creatures Shed Light On Extinction And Recovery 65 Million Years Ago
An asteroid strike may not only account for the demise of ocean and land life 65 million years ago, but the fireball’s path and the resulting dust, darkness and toxic […]
Posted inComets and Asteroids, Extinction events, Fossils & Paleontology, Habitable Zones, Impact events, Press Release
NASA Study Shows Asteroids May Have Accelerated Life on Earth
A NASA-funded study indicates that an intense asteroid bombardment nearly 4 billion years ago may not have sterilized the early Earth as completely as previously thought. The asteroids, some the […]
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astronomy & Telescopes, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Impact events, Interstellar, Meteorites & Asteroids, Press Release
Researchers Discover Extraterrestrial Gases in Buckyballs
Extraterrestrial gases, including helium, are trapped in “buckyball” molecules in a layer of sedimentary clay found in many places on Earth, according to a paper to be published March 28, […]