The crater is over 180 kilometers in diameter, forming one of the largest impact in the world, it is estimated that the meteor that formed the crater was at least ten kilometers in diameter. It was discovered by Glen Penfield and Antonio Camargo, geophysicists working in the Yucatan for Petroleos Mexicanos parastatal in search of oil deposits in the late 1970's. Initially, we were unable to find evidence relating to this unusual geological structure was in fact an impact crater, so the investigations were dropped.
Through contact with Alan Hildebrand, a Canadian geologist, Penfield and Camargo were able to obtain samples suggesting that the crater was the result of an impact.The evidence of crater impact origin include "shocked quartz, a gravity anomaly and the presence of tektites in the surrounding area. Also the presence of iridium and platinum as metal sometimes associated.
The age of the rocks and isotope analysis showed that this structure dates from the late Cretaceous period, about 65 million years. The main evidence is a thin layer of iridium found in sediments from the K / T boundary in several outcrops around the world. Iridium is a rare metal on Earth, but abundant in meteorites and asteroids.
Recently reaffirmed the hypothesis that the impact is responsible for the mass extinction of Cretaceous-Tertiary.
Indeed, the consequences of the clash highlights the extinction of various species, as suggested by the K / T, although some critics argue that the impact was not the only reason and others debate whether it was actually a single impact or whether theChicxulub collision involving a number of machines that could have impacted the Earth around the same time.
Chicxulub Puerto is a town in the state of Yucatan in the Gulf of Mexico coast, police in the municipality of Progress. Small coastal town of about 5000 inhabitants (to date) whose main activities are fishing, trade and tourism. It is located 8 km. east of the port of Progreso, 40 km. north-northeast of the city of Mérida (Yucatán) and 20 km.another location north of the same name, the county seat called Chicxulub Pueblo.
Therefore often mistaken for the small port of Chicxulub, the Chicxulub Pueblo inner city and the municipality of the same name. Three homonyms but distinguishable.
It is said that in 1531 their ships anchored there, Francisco de Montejo, also known by the Adelantado Montejo, however, no reliable references to ratify this mean.
Along with the nearby port of Chuburna, Chicxulub Puerto Yucatan watch was declared in 1663 by the government of Juan Francisco de la Rosa Esquivel and to defend the coast against pirates raid
The site where now stands the town of Chicxulub "deer taken" belonged "in the prehispanic era" - the province of Ceh-Pech, however, no data or evidence of the existence of settlements before the arrival of the Spanish. Although it is not known when it was founded the town of Chicxulub, it has been established which was already inhabited by indigenous and Spanish in 1549. This entry is Basz in finding an ancient document mentioning Don Julian Doncel as encomendero of this place, that year.
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