Skip to main content

Lund University Publications

LUND UNIVERSITY LIBRARIES

Ruthenium isotopes show the Chicxulub impactor was a carbonaceous-type asteroid

Fischer-Gödde, Mario ; Tusch, Jonas ; Goderis, Steven ; Bragagni, Alessandro ; Mohr-Westheide, Tanja ; Messling, Nils ; Elfers, Bo Magnus ; Schmitz, Birger LU ; Reimold, Wolf U. and Maier, Wolfgang D. , et al. (2024) In Science (New York, N.Y.) 385(6710). p.752-756
Abstract

An impact at Chicxulub, Mexico, occurred 66 million years ago, producing a global stratigraphic layer that marks the boundary between the Cretaceous and Paleogene eras. That layer contains elevated concentrations of platinum-group elements, including ruthenium. We measured ruthenium isotopes in samples taken from three Cretaceous-Paleogene boundary sites, five other impacts that occurred between 36 million to 470 million years ago, and ancient 3.5-billion- to 3.2-billion-year-old impact spherule layers. Our data indicate that the Chicxulub impactor was a carbonaceous-type asteroid, which had formed beyond the orbit of Jupiter. The five other impact structures have isotopic signatures that are more consistent with siliceous-type... (More)

An impact at Chicxulub, Mexico, occurred 66 million years ago, producing a global stratigraphic layer that marks the boundary between the Cretaceous and Paleogene eras. That layer contains elevated concentrations of platinum-group elements, including ruthenium. We measured ruthenium isotopes in samples taken from three Cretaceous-Paleogene boundary sites, five other impacts that occurred between 36 million to 470 million years ago, and ancient 3.5-billion- to 3.2-billion-year-old impact spherule layers. Our data indicate that the Chicxulub impactor was a carbonaceous-type asteroid, which had formed beyond the orbit of Jupiter. The five other impact structures have isotopic signatures that are more consistent with siliceous-type asteroids, which formed closer to the Sun. The ancient spherule layer samples are consistent with impacts of carbonaceous-type asteroids during Earth's final stages of accretion.

(Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; and , et al. (More)
; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; and (Less)
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
in
Science (New York, N.Y.)
volume
385
issue
6710
pages
5 pages
publisher
American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)
external identifiers
  • pmid:39146402
  • scopus:85201502764
ISSN
1095-9203
DOI
10.1126/science.adk4868
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
aeec6a39-ffaa-4294-b249-580081c7b8e9
date added to LUP
2024-10-30 14:03:44
date last changed
2025-07-10 12:36:05
@article{aeec6a39-ffaa-4294-b249-580081c7b8e9,
  abstract     = {{<p>An impact at Chicxulub, Mexico, occurred 66 million years ago, producing a global stratigraphic layer that marks the boundary between the Cretaceous and Paleogene eras. That layer contains elevated concentrations of platinum-group elements, including ruthenium. We measured ruthenium isotopes in samples taken from three Cretaceous-Paleogene boundary sites, five other impacts that occurred between 36 million to 470 million years ago, and ancient 3.5-billion- to 3.2-billion-year-old impact spherule layers. Our data indicate that the Chicxulub impactor was a carbonaceous-type asteroid, which had formed beyond the orbit of Jupiter. The five other impact structures have isotopic signatures that are more consistent with siliceous-type asteroids, which formed closer to the Sun. The ancient spherule layer samples are consistent with impacts of carbonaceous-type asteroids during Earth's final stages of accretion.</p>}},
  author       = {{Fischer-Gödde, Mario and Tusch, Jonas and Goderis, Steven and Bragagni, Alessandro and Mohr-Westheide, Tanja and Messling, Nils and Elfers, Bo Magnus and Schmitz, Birger and Reimold, Wolf U. and Maier, Wolfgang D. and Claeys, Philippe and Koeberl, Christian and Tissot, François L.H. and Bizzarro, Martin and Münker, Carsten}},
  issn         = {{1095-9203}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{6710}},
  pages        = {{752--756}},
  publisher    = {{American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)}},
  series       = {{Science (New York, N.Y.)}},
  title        = {{Ruthenium isotopes show the Chicxulub impactor was a carbonaceous-type asteroid}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1126/science.adk4868}},
  doi          = {{10.1126/science.adk4868}},
  volume       = {{385}},
  year         = {{2024}},
}