HISTORY 

About 66 million years ago , a 10km wide asteroid slammed into earth without any warning. The catastrophic event occurred near CHICXULUB , which is now in Mexico . 

IMPACT

The impact was so powerful that it triggered a series of cataclysmic events. It unleashed an incredible amount of climate changing gases into atmosphere . The unfortunate event wiped out nearly 75% of life on the planet and specifically led to the extinction of non-avian dinosaurs.

   

DINOSAUR

STUDIES

Over the years several attempts have been made to study the impact , However two question have been provoked the researchers .

1.  " WHERE DID THE CHICXULUB IMPACTOR COME FROM  "?

2. "  HOW OFTEN DID SUCH IMPACT EVENTS OCCUR ON EARTH IN THE PAST " ?

Now scientists  may finally have answer to these intriguing questions.

The composition of rock layers on land and drill core samples indicates that the impacting body was similar to carbonaceous chondrite meteorites.

carbonaceous chondrite 

although the carbonaceous chondrite are relatively common in the solar system , none of them is close to the size needed for a chicxulub class event today. 

Moreover, earlier geological records revealed that very few carbonaceous chondrite are larger than a mile wide had hit earth so far.  So, the researchers decided to look for the siblings of the chicxulub impactor and to do so they took the aid of NASA's Pleiades SUPERCOMPUTER .  (super computer will be discuss in the next blog)

ROLE OF SUPERCOMPUTER:

From the previous knowledge we know that the formation between the orbit of mars and jupiter lies the main asteroid belt. It is home to larger carbonaceous chondrite asteroids left over from the formation of solar system billions of years ago .

Researchers used computer model to track how objects escape this belt .


Precisely the team tracked the trajectories of 130,000 simulated asteroids in the belt. Finally it was found that over he course of hundreds of millions of years, thermal forces allow these objects to drift into dynamical " escape hatches" . Allowing the gravity of other planets to push them into orbits that pass near the earth. With helps of computer they give special attention to asteroids located in the outer asteroid belt . This part of the belt is farther from sun. 

CONCLUSION


Surprisingly the simulation showed that 10km wide asteroids from this region strikes the Earth at least ten times more often than previously calculated . So, the dinosaur killing asteroid was a rare object from the outer region of the asteroid belt . Moreover, the asteroid belt is home of carbonaceous chondrite impactors , which further solidifies the clam . Among other theories this is the most promising one in the line with previous studies .  Such as gravitational  escape has been modeled to occur once every 250 million years . So there is possibility that a similar impact could wipe out most of humanity in the future. But, we still have almost 200 million years or so before it would happen again and hopefully , by then with the rising TECHNOLOGY we would have a defense mechanism that wasn't there last time !

Purpose of this Blog :

The main purpose is to relate technology and real problems . By use of technology one can get results more accurate , quick and can make precautions . 


by Faraz Malak