Scientists at the University of Louisiana in the United States have discovered traces of a giant devastating tsunami that arose as a result of the fall of an asteroid, which caused the final extinction of the dinosaurs. This is reported in an article published in the journal Earth & Planetary Science Letters. Science Alert briefly describes the research.
Researchers analyzed seismic images of the central part of Louisiana and found at a depth of 1,500 meters, the mega-bubble imprints left by a giant wave, which form a straight line to the Chicxulub crater in the Yucatan Peninsula. The ripple wavelength reaches 600 meters and the average height is 16 meters. This makes the fossilized ripples the largest ever documented by scientists.
Modeling showed that the waves that caused the ripples could reach a height of 1,500 meters, and the earthquake that provoked them should have been more than 11 on the Richter scale. The consequences were to be catastrophic both for marine organisms that were washed out on land, and for land organisms, which were washed away by the wave. The deadly megatsunami continued for several days, repeatedly reflecting off the shores of the Gulf of Mexico and gradually decreasing its amplitude.
Nevertheless, the main reason for the extinction of dinosaurs and other species was the large-scale climatic changes caused by the fall of the asteroid. According to recent studies, the fact that dinosaurs already experienced some decline, which made them more vulnerable to cataclysm, also played a fatal role.
