Mark 1333 | There was more than one asteroid that wiped out dinosaurs, scientists say (Global) 4/Oct/2024 @Mark1333 | Uploaded October 2024 | Updated October 2024, 1 hour ago.
It’s long been agreed that a huge asteroid smashed into earth and wiped out the dinosaurs – but scientists have now revealed that more than one crashed into the planet.

A smaller asteroid is believed to have crashed into the ocean near West Africa in the same era, creating another ‘catastrophic’ event.

The impact would have triggered a 2600 foot tall tsunami to rush across the Atlantic Ocean, Dr Uisdean Nicholson from Heriot-Watt University found.

The crater left from the second asteroid’s impact has been dubbed the Nadir crater, and it was first discovered in 2022.

The crater off the west coast of Africa is only 9km wide, compared to the 180km-wide Chicxulub crater in Mexico which ultimately wiped out the dinosaurs.

Dr Nicholson said: ‘Imagine the asteroid was hitting Glasgow and you’re in Edinburgh, around 50 km away. The fireball would be about 24 times the size of the Sun in the sky – enough to set trees and plants on fire in Edinburgh.’

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