Asteroid That Caused Dinosaur Extinction Produced Massive Worldwide Tsunami, Scientists Say

The asteroid that resulted to the dinosaur extinction millions of years ago caused a massive tsunami across the Earth as well, according to a new study.

The asteroid in question crashed into Earth in the Yucatán Peninsula in Mexico, which is now known as the Chicxulub crater. According to the new research, the tsunami caused by the impact began in the Gulf of Mexico. It apparently didn't take long for it to spread to other parts of the globe at the time.

"The impact tsunami spread quickly out of the Gulf of Mexico into the Atlantic and through the Central American seaway into the Pacific within the first 24 hours," the abstract of the study presented on Dec. 14 at the American Geophysical Union's annual meeting read. "Wave reflection and refraction create a more complex tsunami propagation pattern by 48 hours post-impact."

The researchers, led by Molly Range from the University of Michigan, said that the impact of the asteroid caused a disruption in the global atmosphere and biosphere, as well as created a tsunami so massive that its effects were "felt across much of the world ocean."

According to LiveScience, Range said they believe the asteroid, about 9 miles wide, caused a kind of global tsunami that has never been seen in modern history.

The model Range and her colleagues created showed what likely happened 10 minutes after the asteroid hit the shallow water in the Peninsula. At first, no water entered the crater created by the impact due to its size and scope. However, water soon began to rush back into the crater, disturbing sediments over 6,000 kilometers (3,728 miles) from the origin of the impact.

Range and her advisors apparently created the model after realizing that no one had done research on the possibility of a tsunami resulting from the asteroid impact. They confirmed that a worldwide tsunami had happened after running the model.

"We found that this tsunami moved throughout the entire ocean, in every ocean basin," Range said.

The study is yet to be published in a peer-reviewed journal. It was first reported by EOS in December last year.