Megaripples from Chicxulub Impact Found Throughout Gulf of Mexico
Nearly 66 million years after the Chicxulub asteroid strike triggered the Cretaceous–Paleogene (K-T) extinction, researchers are still uncovering remarkable evidence of its devastation. In 2021, scientists identified “megaripples” nearly a mile below the surface, indicating that the massive tsunami caused by the impact left behind geological formations as the waves crashed into the continental shelf.
Further investigations have now revealed evidence of megaripples spread across a 900-square-mile area in the Gulf of Mexico, with various formations observed along the upper shelf and in the deep sea. The Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event stands out among the five major mass extinctions that have affected Earth over the past 500 million years. Around 66 million years ago, a six-mile-wide asteroid struck just north of present-day Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula, generating tsunamis towering up to a mile high that surged outward from the asteroid’s catastrophic impact.
Utilizing seismic data obtained by Devon Energy, a team led by Gary Kinsland from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette discovered 52-foot-tall megaripples buried one mile underground, indicative of the end-Cretaceous period. These subterranean ripples likely formed as the asteroid-triggered megatsunamis disturbed sediment near the shoreline. The study further reveals that these megaripples, spaced roughly one kilometer apart, can be found both on the central Louisiana shelf and in the deeper waters of the Gulf.
These findings shed light on how the tsunami interacted with sediments on the paleo-shelf, with variations observed in megaripple formations along different parts of the seabed. The study, recently published in Marine Geology, underscores the importance of understanding these megaripples in modeling and predicting tsunami events, as well as enhancing our comprehension of the Chicxulub tsunami’s impact.
“Covered with megaripples extending from the paleo-slope to the paleo-bathymetry, where Gulf storms likely eroded them post-formation,” the research team stated in a press release. This discovery enhances scientists’ understanding of the impact of the Chicxulub tsunami on the area and offers a remarkable illustration of how tsunamis interact with continental shelves. It also serves as a valuable resource for preparing for potential asteroid encounters in the future as Earth continues its journey through the universe.”
