Size and morphlogy of the Chicxulub impact crater

The Chicxulub impact in Mexico has been linked to the mass extinction of species at the end of the Cretaceous period. From seismic data collected across the offshore portion of the impact crater, the diameter of the transient cavity is determined to be about 100 km. This parameter is critical for co...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Nature (London) 1997-12, Vol.390 (6659), p.472-476
Main Authors: Morgon, Jo, Warner, Mike, Brittan, John, Macintyre, Hamish, Buffler, Richard, Christeson, Gail, Nakamura, Yosio, Camargo, Antonio, Denton, Paul, Mackenzie, Graeme
Format: Article
Language:English
Online Access:Get full text
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Summary:The Chicxulub impact in Mexico has been linked to the mass extinction of species at the end of the Cretaceous period. From seismic data collected across the offshore portion of the impact crater, the diameter of the transient cavity is determined to be about 100 km. This parameter is critical for constraining impact-related effects on the Cretaceous environment, with previous estimates of the cavity diameter spanning an order of magnitude in impact energy. The offshore seismic data indicate that the Chicxulub crater has a multiring basin morphology, similar to large impact structures observed on other planets, such as Venus. (Author)
ISSN:0028-0836