Geology - Part 2

11 12, 2023

The Story of Earth’s Climate in 25 Discoveries

By Mike|2023-12-12T10:13:13+00:00December 11th, 2023|Book Reviews, Educational Activities, Geology, Main Page, Palaeontological articles|0 Comments

Delegates at COP28 continue their discussions on how to limit and make preparations for future climate change. These discussions, their success or failure will have consequences for all of humanity. Decisions made today will have implications for all future generations too. The publication of a new book that documents the history of our planet’s climate and its connection to life on Earth provides context and delivers a fresh perspective.

“The Story of Earth’s Climate in 25 Discoveries” is written by Donald R. Prothero. He is an incredibly talented American palaeontologist and geologist with a gift for communication. As adjunct professor of geological sciences at California State Polytechnic University (Pomona, California), the author is well qualified to explain the intimate connection between climate and life on Earth. However, unlike many scientists, Donald R. Prothero’s engaging writing style permits the general reader to understand and grasp sometimes difficult concepts.

Climate change book — *The story of our planet’s climate in twenty-five discoveries by Donald R. Prothero.*

Picture credit: Columbia University Press

Climate Change from a Deep Time Perspective

Our planet has undergone radical climate change throughout its history. Climate has changed dramatically from a “Snowball Earth” that led to a mass extinction event to sweltering jungles that stretched across the globe. Over deep geological time, climate has shaped the evolution of life on our planet. Furthermore, living organisms have shaped the Earth’s climate. We are not the first inhabitants to dramatically influence our planet’s climate. This new book documents these changes. It highlights how our climate has never changed so radically as it is changing now.

“The Story of Earth’s Climate in 25 Discoveries”

“The Story of Earth’s Climate in 25 Discoveries” takes the reader on a journey through Earth’s history. In this highly entertaining book, the author addresses questions such as Why do we have phytoplankton to thank for the air we breathe? What kind of climate was necessary for the rise of the dinosaurs, or the mammals, their successors? When and how have climatic changes caused mass extinctions?

Team members at Everything Dinosaur have enjoyed reading other books written by Donald R. Prothero. For example, we reviewed “The Story of the Dinosaurs in 25 Discoveries”.

Our review can be found here: A Review of “The Story of the Dinosaurs in 25 Discoveries.”

Today’s Climate Crisis

The author concludes this most informative publication with an examination of the Ice Ages and the Holocene Epoch. Our role in climate change is outlined and the perils we now face are explained.

Understanding why the climate has changed in the past, this timely book shows, is essential to grasping the gravity of how radically human activity is altering the climate today.

The Book Details

The Book: “The Story of Earth’s Climate in 25 Discoveries”

Publisher: Columbia University Press

Published February 2024 | Price: £32.00/$38.00 USD (hardback) | Pages: 472

ISBN: 9780231203586

Visit the website of Columbia University Press: Columbia University Press. Search on the website for the author or title to find the book.

6 11, 2023

The Fantastic Lyme Regis Fossil Festival 2024

By Mike|2023-11-11T11:29:52+00:00November 6th, 2023|Adobe CS5, Dinosaur Fans, Educational Activities, Geology, Main Page, Photos, Photos of Everything Dinosaur Products|0 Comments

The Lyme Regis Fossil Festival (2024) is scheduled to take place over the weekend of the 8th and 9th of June. Everything Dinosaur has received an official media pack providing further details about this exciting event. A spokesperson for the UK-based mail order company also confirmed that the preceding Friday would be allocated for schools and students.

The Lyme Regis Fossil Festival (2024)

The festival is organised by the Lyme Regis Museum with the support and assistance of key partners. These partners include the Charmouth Heritage Centre and the London Natural History Museum. The allocated venues are the Lister Gardens, the Jubilee Pavilion, the Marine Theatre and the Lyme Regis Museum. Aimed at families especially young children, there will be no entry fees.

Everything Dinosaur was involved in the inaugural event and has participated subsequently. Unfortunately, other commitments prevent team members from attending in 2024.

Art and Science in Palaeontology — *Prehistoric animal drawing fun at the Lyme Regis fossil festival. Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur.*

The photograph (above) was taken around 2016 during one of Everything Dinosaur’s visits to the festival. We provide lots of free drawing materials to mums and dads of budding young palaeontologists.

Visit the family-friendly Everything Dinosaur website: Everything Dinosaur.

A Free Event Aimed at Families

The Lyme Regis Fossil Festival is one this country’s leading palaeontological events. It brings together eminent scientists as well as top geological and palaeontological organisations. The two-day event celebrates the rich fossil heritage of the “Jurassic Coast”.

There are lots of free, family-orientated activities including shows, talks, fossil hunting walks, exhibitions and interactive displays. The organisers predict that there will be over 10,000 visitors to the Dorset town over the weekend of 8th/9th June 2024.

A model of a belemnite. — *The new for 2020 CollectA Belemnite model. Visitors to the festival can expect to see lots of belemnites and ammonites. Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur.*

Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur

The picture (above) shows the CollectA prehistoric life belemnite model. CollectA have introduced a range of figures representing iconic animals from the fossil record.

To view the CollectA prehistoric life model range: CollectA Deluxe Prehistoric Life Models.

Team members at Everything Dinosaur wish the organisers every success with their endeavours. Hopefully, the weather will behave, and it will be warm and dry over that weekend.

27 10, 2023

New £7 Million Grant to Explore Submerged Prehistoric Landscapes

By Mike|2023-11-23T10:56:48+00:00October 27th, 2023|Geology, Main Page, Photos, Teaching|0 Comments

University of Bradford researchers in collaboration with other leading institutions have been awarded a substantial grant helping them to explore prehistoric landscapes.

The Submerged Landscapes Research Centre, at the University of Bradford is embarking on an ambitious project to map the Baltic and the North Sea thanks to a grant of €8 million (just under £7 million GBP). This is the largest single grant ever awarded to Bradford University.

Sea levels were much lower 20,000 years ago during the Last Glacial Maximum. The grant will permit the scientists to explore ancient landscapes that are now submerged. The funding is from the European Research Council. This research will provide a deeper understanding of how our ancestors lived in these regions. Wind farm developments are making these locations more inaccessible for scientists.

University of Bradford exploring prehistoric landscapes — *Global sea levels were 130 metres lower 20,000 years ago. Picture credit: University of Bradford.*

European Union Research Funding

The EU has provided overall funding of more than €13.2 million for SUBNORDICA – a research collaboration between Moesgaard Museum, Aarhus University, the University of Bradford and the German research institute NIHK.

The scientists will be able to utilise the latest technologies to map and explore the seabed.

Exploring prehistoric landscapes. — *Underwater excavation, example from the NIhK excavation at Strande, Germany. Picture credit: Christian Howe.*

Generative AI and computer simulation will be employed to identify areas where long lost settlements may still survive and can be mapped.

Researchers at the University of Bradford’s Submerged Landscapes Research Centre will lead exploration in the southern North Sea along with partners in Holland (TNO), Belgium (VLIZ) and the University of York. The University of Bradford will also host the project’s computing infrastructure, providing modelling and AI support in the quest to explore prehistoric landscapes.

The grant comes from the European Research Council, set up by the European Union in 2007 to fund research excellence in projects based across Europe. The funding is part of the Horizon Europe programme and is part of an overall budget of more than €16 billion from 2021 to 2027.

A Scientific Collaboration to Explore Prehistoric Landscapes

The funding will permit closer collaboration and co-operation between the participating institutions.

Leading investigators celebrate the winning of a substantial grant. — *Leading Investigators: Dr Katrine Juul Andresen, Professor Vincent Gaffney, Dr Svea Mahlstedt, Dr Peter Moe Astrup. Picture credit: Katrine Juul Andresen.*

A spokesperson from Everything Dinosaur stated:

“The University of Bradford has been at the forefront of the mapping of ancient landscapes such as Doggerland and the Irish Sea. This funding will enable the team to use innovative technology and map a far greater area of European seascape.”

Visit the Everything Dinosaur website: Everything Dinosaur.

7 10, 2023

A Terrific Trilobite Tribute

By Mike|2024-01-02T14:30:38+00:00October 7th, 2023|Adobe CS5, Educational Activities, Geology, Main Page, Photos, Teaching|0 Comments

In 2015, Everything Dinosaur team members visited Wren’s Nest. This is a nature reserve and SSSI (Special Site of Scientific Interest). The exposed strata dates from the Silurian and it is full of fossils including the occasional trilobite. Whilst exploring this location, a photograph was taken of a trilobite tribute. A plaque honouring the “Dudley bug” (Calymene blumenbachii).

A trilobite plaque at the Wren's nest SSSI (Dudley). — *A trilobite plaque at the Wren’s nest SSSI (Dudley, West Midlands). Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur.*

Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur

Remembering the Trilobite

The Trilobita were remarkably abundant and diverse during the Palaeozoic. These ancient marine arthropods originated in the Cambrian. The last of their kind are believed to have become extinct at the end of the Permian.

The abundant fossils to be found at the Wren’s Nest nature reserve represent life on a Silurian reef approximately 420 million years ago. Team members have visited Wren’s Nest several times. This location was designated Britain’s first National Nature Reserve for geology (1956).

The motif is an inscription it reads:

“Scour the ground for geological litter my feet drenched in an ancient sea.”

Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur

The picture (above) shows a CollectA trilobite model.

To view the range of CollectA not-to-scale replicas and figures: CollectA Prehistoric Life Models.

Wren’s Nest Nature Reserve

Over 700 different types of fossil are known from Wren’s Nest. Over eighty are unique to this location and found nowhere else on the planet.

A spokesperson from Everything Dinosaur commented:

“Wren’s Nest is a geological gem. We recommend a visit, especially in the early summer months prior to the school holidays. In the height of summer this location can get extremely busy and there is limited nearby parking”

Visit the award-winning Everything Dinosaur website: Everything Dinosaur.

13 06, 2023

A Heteromorph Ammonite Fossil on Display

By Mike|2023-06-13T21:55:52+01:00June 13th, 2023|Dinosaur Fans, Everything Dinosaur Products, Geology, Main Page, Photos/Pictures of Fossils|0 Comments

Most ammonites had planispiral shells. However, throughout the course of the long evolutionary history of these remarkable and diverse cephalopods a huge variety of shell forms evolved. Everything Dinosaur team members spotted a stunning example of a heteromorph ammonite on display in the fossils gallery at the Manchester Museum.

Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur

Heteromorph Ammonites

If asked to draw an ammonite shell, most people would sketch a tightly coiled shell, in a single plane with the diameter of each successive whorl getting bigger. This is a description of a typical ammonite planispiral shell. This would be an example of a homomorph shell. During the Late Jurassic, several new types of ammonite began to appear with varying degrees of uncoiled shells.

CollectA Pravitoceras model. — *The colourful heteromorph ammonoid model – CollectA Pravitoceras.* This model was introduced by CollectA in 2021.

The picture (above) shows the colourful CollectA Pravitoceras ammonite model. This figure was added to the CollectA model range in 2021. The CollectA Age of Dinosaurs series includes numerous extinct invertebrates. Trilobites, nautiloids, belemnites and ammonites are included in this substantial range.

To view the range of CollectA not-to-scale figures: CollectA Age of Dinosaurs Popular Models.

These types of ammonites (heteromorph ammonites), became increasingly abundant during the Cretaceous and by the Late Cretaceous they were widespread and extremely diverse with a myriad of different types occupying marine environments.

Important Zonal Fossils (Heteromorph Ammonite Types)

Heteromorph ammonites were extremely numerous by the end of the Cretaceous. Many genera have become important zonal fossils. Both homomorph and heteromorph ammonites are used extensively by geologists for zoning strata and for relative dating of rock formations.

Visit Everything Dinosaur’s award-winning website: Everything Dinosaur.

6 05, 2023

Rare Fossil Sturgeon Scute Discovered in Morocco

By Mike|2024-01-02T20:22:49+00:00May 6th, 2023|Adobe CS5, Dinosaur and Prehistoric Animal News Stories, Geology, Main Page, Palaeontological articles, Photos/Pictures of Fossils|0 Comments

The discovery of a fossil sturgeon scute demonstrates that these “royal fish” were present in North Africa during the Late Cretaceous. The single, fossil scute is the first ever sturgeon fossil to have been found in Africa. The scute is a bony plate embedded into the sturgeon’s skin. Scutes provided a form of dermal armour that evolved to help protect these very ancient fish.

Sturgeon fossil scute. — *A digital photo of the sturgeon scute (also called buckler) specimen. Picture credit: University of Portsmouth.*

A Significant Fossil Discovery

The sturgeon (there are more than two dozen extant species), belongs to the Acipenseriformes Order, which probably originated in the Late Triassic. Sturgeon fossils which are very similar to extant species, are known from Upper Cretaceous strata. Historically, they are associated with cooler waters of the Northern Hemisphere. The specimen was discovered by Professor David Martill (University of Portsmouth). It proves that these magnificent fish were present in Africa.

Sturgeons were more widespread in the Cretaceous than previously thought.

A European sturgeon. — *An extant European sturgeon. Picture credit: University of Portsmouth.*

Professor Martill was exploring a well-known Moroccan fossil site during a field trip last November. He spotted a row of bony plates (bucklers) on a piece of rock and instinctively recognised the fossils represented the scutes from a sturgeon.

Discussing this significant fossil find, the Professor commented:

“It was a surprising discovery because all sturgeon species have been exclusively found in the Northern Hemisphere in the past. They’ve been located in North America, Europe, Russian Asia, Chinese Asia, but never in South America, Australia, Africa or India, which are the land masses that made up Gondwana, a supercontinent that existed around 336 million years ago and began breaking up around 150 million years ago.”

Extant sturgeon diagram. — *A drawing showing an extant sturgeon in lateral view. The different scutes are highlighted. Picture credit: University of Portsmouth.*

A “Royal Fish”

The sturgeon has long been prized for its meat and for its roe (eggs). The roe is commonly referred to as caviar. King Edward II of England declared that all sturgeon from the waters of Wales and England belong to the monarch. This declaration was made in the early 14th century. Since then, these fish have been regarded as “royal fish”.

Sadly, due to overfishing and pollution, many species of extant sturgeon are close to extinction.

Commenting on his African fossil discovery Professor Martill stated:

“Russian beluga caviar is one of the most expensive in the world. Little did we know that at one time an extremely rare African sturgeon could have been a source of this delicacy!”

Fossil Sturgeon Scute

Sturgeon are thought of as being “living fossils”, for they seem to have remained relatively unchanged since the time of Tyrannosaurus rex and Triceratops. Records from the 18th and 19th centuries indicate specimens reaching more than seven metres in length and weighing over 1.5 tonnes, but fish of this size are exceedingly rare today.

Professor Martill added:

“The very first sturgeons appear in the fossil record in the Late Triassic period in China. But the oldest true sturgeon ever discovered is probably a specimen in the Steve Etches collection from Dorset’s Jurassic Coast in England, which is mentioned in a book Steve and I wrote about fossils in the Kimmeridge Clay Formation.”

The discovery of a sturgeon fossil in Morocco complicates models of the geographical distribution of these fish during the Late Cretaceous.

A fossil sturgeon scute indicates that these ancient fish lived in Africa. — *A map of the continents at the end of the Cretaceous (66 million years ago). Sturgeon fossil localities are marked by solid black circles. Picture credit: University of Portsmouth*

The fossil specimen is now in the collection of the University King Hassan II, Casablanca.

Everything Dinosaur acknowledges the assistance of a media release from the University of Portsmouth in the compilation of this article.

The scientific paper: “A sturgeon (Actinopterygii, Acipenseriformes) from the Upper Cretaceous of Africa” by David M. Martill published in Cretaceous Research.

Visit Everything Dinosaur’s award-winning website: Everything Dinosaur.

4 05, 2023

An Amazing Coelacanth Fossil

By Mike|2023-12-12T08:44:19+00:00May 4th, 2023|Adobe CS5, Geology, Main Page, Photos/Pictures of Fossils|0 Comments

Our thanks to fossil collector and dinosaur model fan Robert who sent Everything Dinosaur a coelacanth fossil to add to our collection. The specimen is an example of Whiteia woodwardi, which is known from Triassic strata. The genus was both geographically and temporally widespread. Whiteia fossils are known from Madagascar (where this specimen comes from), as well as Indonesia and British Columbia (Canada).

The Canadian and Madagascan fossils are associated with Lower Triassic strata, whereas the Indonesian material (Whiteia oishii) is associated with Upper Triassic deposits (Norian faunal stage).

Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur

A Coelacanth Fossil

The fish remains were preserved inside a concretion. When this nodule was split open the fossilised fish was revealed. The skull is present (to the left of the photograph), and scales can be observed. The impression of a fleshy pectoral fin can be seen.

Coelacanths are an ancient group of lobe-finned fish (Sarcopterygii). It is thought that these fish first evolved in the Early Devonian, around 410 million years ago. Two species are known today, in the genus Latimeria.

Mojo Fun Coelacanth model. — *The beautifully painted and very blue Mojo Fun Coelacanth replica.*

The picture (above) shows a model of a Coelacanth. This figure is from the Mojo Fun model series.

To view the Mojo Fun models available from Everything Dinosaur: Mojo Fun Prehistoric and Extinct Models.

Everything Dinosaur Says Thank You

A spokesperson from Everything Dinosaur commented:

“We would like to thank Robert for his most generous gift. We did not have a Coelacanth specimen in our fossil collection. Thanks to Robert’s generosity we have this wonderful specimen, and we are looking forward to putting it into one of our fossil display cabinets.”

The spokesperson added:

“The Coelacanth fossil can be used in some of our outreach work. We highlight threats to animals today such as global warming and climate change and the Coelacanth, with its long fossil record helps us to explain about extinction and deep geological time.”

Visit Everything Dinosaur’s award-winning website: Everything Dinosaur.

8 01, 2023

A Rare Robin Hood’s Bay Fossil

By Mike|2024-01-02T14:09:25+00:00January 8th, 2023|Adobe CS5, Geology, Main Page, Photos/Pictures of Fossils|0 Comments

Recently, Everything Dinosaur was contacted by Lee who had collected a strange rock whilst visiting Yorkshire. Lee asked what the rock could be and sent in some photos. We contacted Lee and asked him to send in some more pictures, but this time including an object such as a coin that could provide a scale. In our email, we asked where this rock was found.

Robin Hood’s Bay Fossil

Lee commented that this rock was found at Robin Hood’s Bay on the north Yorkshire coast. This is a part of the world we know quite well and it is famous for its fossils. The Redcar Mudstone Formation dominates the geology of this part of the English coast and we suspect that the rock is mudstone and the unusual object is the remnants of a Jurassic shelly invertebrate.

Lower Jurassic

The shales, mudstones and sandstones that outcrop at Robin Hood’s Bay date from the Lower Jurassic (Sinemurian to Pliensbachian fauna stages) and we suspect that this fossil is around 195 – 185 million years old.

The specimen is heavily eroded, and we think it is being viewed as a cross-section. Ammonites are relatively common on this stretch of coastline as are Gryphaea fossils (Devils toenails) and crinoids. It is very difficult to identify this item, just from the photographs, however, we think that as there seem to be striations (lines) visible in the fossil that this is a highly eroded bivalve.

Any Suggestions

We know that many of our blog readers are enthusiastic fossil collectors. We would welcome any suggestions and help with the identification of this specimen.

For replicas of ammonites and belemnites take a look at this section of the Everything Dinosaur website: CollectA Prehistoric Life Models.

23 10, 2022

Fuelled by Dinosaurs Spotting a Funny Bumper Sticker

By Mike|2024-03-09T17:01:19+00:00October 23rd, 2022|Adobe CS5, Dinosaur Fans, Geology, Main Page, Photos|1 Comment

Sometimes dinosaurs can be spotted in the most unusual places. For example, an eagle-eyed Everything Dinosaur team member spotted a fuelled by dinosaurs sticker on a car parked next to our “dino van” at our warehouse the other day.

Fuelled by Dinosaurs — Fuelled by recycled dinosaurs. A decal spotted on a car which was parked next to Everything Dinosaur’s “dino van”. Not sure if the statement made is technically correct but we appreciated the sentiment. We note the Americanised spelling of “fueled”. Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur.

A Mistaken Assumption

The idea that petrol and other oil derived fuels are made up of the constituents of dead dinosaurs is a common assumption. Unfortunately, whilst it might please a petrol head to think that their super-charged, sports car is powered by long extinct animals like Triceratops and T. rex, this is not true. Fossil fuels such as petrol and natural gas are derived from the remains of (mostly) plant matter such as plankton (algae) laid down in a marine environment.

Most people understand that coal is derived from plant material, in the case of the UK, our plentiful and ubiquitous supplies of coal that fuelled the industrial revolution and industry until very recently largely consists of the remains of Carboniferous swamps and forests.

A carboniferous scene. — *By the Carboniferous, the insects were already highly diversified. These swamps formed the extensive coal measures associated with the UK. Picture credit: Richard Bizley.*

Fuelled by Dinosaurs

We are sorry car fans, for all you petrol heads out there, your vehicle is not powered by dinosaurs but by the ancient remains of some of the simplest, yet most important organisms on Earth – marine plankton.

Still, it’s a thought. Perhaps some clever car maker or another part of the oil or automotive industry will latch onto this misnomer and use it in their advertising. After all, not so long ago, a well-known brand of petrol advertised its fuel by stating put “a tiger in your tank”!

7 09, 2022

Newly Described Impact Crater in the Atlantic Might be Linked to Chicxulub Impact Event (New Study)

By Mike|2024-04-13T08:55:30+01:00September 7th, 2022|Adobe CS5, Dinosaur Fans, Geology, Main Page, Palaeontological articles|0 Comments

Researchers have found evidence of an extraterrestrial impact crater buried in sediments under the North Atlantic. The 5-mile-wide (8.5 km wide) crater, was caused by the impact of a bolide (crater forming body), at least 400 metres across. Detailed stratigraphic analysis indicates the crater was created at or very near the Cretaceous/Palaeogene boundary around 66 million years ago. This would make this collision potentially contemporaneous to the Chicxulub impact event. The scientists postulate that this impact was caused as part of a closely timed impact cluster or by the breakup of a common parent bolide.

Nadir Crater and contemporaneous impact events. — Map showing the crater location on the Guinea Terrace with inset world map showing locations of Chicxulub (Ch) in the Yucatan Peninsula, Boltysh (Bo) crater in the Kirovohrad Oblast of Ukraine and the Nadir (Nd). These geological features are thought to be contemporaneous – all impacts occurring approximately 66 million years ago. Picture credit: Nicholson et al.

Buried Below the Seabed

The crater is buried 300 to 400 metres below the seabed some 250 miles (400 km) off the cost of the west African country of Guinea. Writing in the academic journal “Science Advances”, the researchers from Heriot-Watt University (Edinburgh), the University of Texas at Austin and the University of Arizona think that this impact occurred at around the same time as the Chicxulub impact that has been linked to the end Cretaceous extinction event that wiped out the non-avian dinosaurs.

To prove their theory, seabed core samples will have to be taken from the site. Lead author Dr Uisdean Nicholson, a geologist at Heriot-Watt University, has already applied for funding to drill into the seabed to confirm that it’s a bolide impact crater and establish the precise age.

Area of damage on the seabed and the extent of the Nadir Crater. — The Cretaceous/Palaeogene Nadir Crater. (A) Seabed depth map of crater showing seismic line locations and the mapped extent of the crater rim and damage zone. (B) west to east seismic section (pre-stack depth migration – depth domain) across the crater, highlighting the crater morphology and damage zone, and the extent of subsurface deformation. Data courtesy of the Republic of Guinea, TGS and Western Geco. Picture credit: Nicholson et al.

Evidence of Impacts Extremely Rare

Evidence for extraterrestrial impact events is rare on planet Earth. Our dynamic geology and the effects of weathering have removed much of the physical evidence of even the largest bolide impact events in our planet’s long history.

However, for Dr Nicholson, seismic reflection data from the seabed immediately highlighted an unusual and unexpected geological anomaly.

Dr Nicholson explained:

“I’ve interpreted lots of seismic data in my time but had never seen anything like this. Instead of the flat sedimentary sequences I was expecting on the plateau, I found an 8.5 km depression under the seabed, with very unusual characteristics. It has particular features that point to an asteroid. It has a raised rim and a very prominent central uplift, which is consistent for large impact craters. It also has what looks like ejecta outside the crater, with very chaotic sedimentary deposits extending for tens of kilometres outside of the crater.”

This strange feature has been named the Nadir Crater, after a nearby seamount that lies to the west.

Other potential causes for this geological feature have already been discounted, Dr Nicholson added:

“The characteristics are just not consistent with other crater-forming processes like salt withdrawal or the collapse of a volcano.“

Impact Crater Potentially Linked to the Chicxulub Impact Event

The researchers suggest that the newly discovered Nadir crater could have formed by the break-up of a parent extraterrestrial body or from a series of Earth collisions by bolides.

Co-author Dr Sean Gulick, (University of Texas at Austin), stated:

“The Nadir Crater is an incredibly exciting discovery of a second impact close in time to the Cretaceous–Palaeogene extinction. While much smaller than the extinction causing Chicxulub impactor, its very existence requires us to investigate the possibility of an impact cluster in the latest Cretaceous.”

Detailed seismic stratigraphic and structural elements of the Nadir Crater — *Detailed seismic stratigraphic and structural elements of the crater. The central peak is shown and the central uplift resulting from the impact. Picture credit: Nicholson et al.*

Devastation of the Region

The researchers ran computer simulations in a bid to assess the consequences of an impact from a 400-metre-wide body crashing into water around 500 metres deep. The researchers suggest that the impact would have generated a tsunami over 1,000 metres high and an earthquake of 6.5 magnitude. Such forces would have had caused devastation.

Everything Dinosaur acknowledges the assistance of a media release from Heriot-Watt University and the open access paper published in Science Advances in the compilation of this article.

The scientific paper: “The Nadir Crater offshore West Africa: A candidate Cretaceous-Paleogene impact structure” by Uisdean Nicholson, Veronica J. Bray, Sean P. S. Gulick and Benedict Aduomahor published in Science Advances.