Chicxulub Impact Created Unique Marine Ecosystem in Yucatán

Yucatán, Mexico — An international team of micropaleontologists has uncovered a unique marine environment created by the impact of the Chicxulub asteroid, which struck the coast of Mexico’s Yucatán Peninsula 66 million years ago. The findings, published in the journal Nature Communications, reveal how the catastrophic event triggered intense environmental disruptions and led to the extinction of 76% of marine life.

A Catastrophic Event with Lasting Consequences

The asteroid impact, occurring between the Cretaceous and Paleogene periods, transformed the ancient Gulf of Mexico into a semi-enclosed sea subjected to intense hydrothermal activity. This was caused by significant fractures in the Earth’s crust resulting from the collision.

Hot, nutrient-rich fluids containing dissolved metals surged from the subsurface, stimulating the growth of bacterial phytoplankton and accelerating the ecosystem’s recovery. Researchers from Kyushu University in Japan and the University of Zaragoza in Spain identified this hydrothermal region by analyzing the isotopic ratios of osmium in rocks deposited during the first three million years following the impact.

Scientific Insights and Future Research

“The identification of a hydrothermal vent region was based on the behavior of osmium isotope ratios in rocks from the post-impact period,” the authors stated.

The team expressed plans to expand their research to areas farther from the Chicxulub crater. “We hope to conduct similar studies in more distant regions to clarify global ocean ecosystem recovery patterns and determine the factors that regulated them,” they concluded.

The discovery provides new insights into how marine ecosystems rebounded after one of Earth’s most devastating extinction events. Further studies may help scientists understand the long-term ecological consequences of large-scale asteroid impacts.