Read the full UBC Science article here: Researchers identify class of “oddball” meteorite that killed the dinosaurs 

Research published in Science Advances earlier this month investigates the mysterious origins of the meteorite responsible for wiping out non-avian dinosaurs 66-million years ago. The international research team included scientists from Université de Paris Cité, University of Vienna, and Vrije Universiteit Brussels, including Dr. Philippe Claeys, who is currently visiting the Pacific Centre for Isotopic and Geochemical Research with Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences at UBC. 

The meteorite belonged to a group known as carbonaceous chondrites – a broad class with diverse elemental properties, leaving the origins of the meteorite largely unknown. Previous studies proposed that the meteorite might have contained high concentrations of sulfur, similar to some meteorites commonly found on Earth. Under this hypothesis, sulfur released during the impact would have played a central role in the severity of the resulting mass extinction. 

The researchers dove deeper into the meteorite composition by using advanced nickel-isotope analyses on samples from the thin layer of impact debris deposited around the globe. They found that the meteorite contained little volatile material. Sulphur therefore couldn’t be the expected “smoking gun,” shared Dr. Philippe Claeys. “The fine debris thrown into the atmosphere would have been the primary factor.”  

Meteorites with this non-volatile carbonaceous-chondrite composition only make up a tiny fraction of the meteorites ever sampled on earth, not to mention being 10-15 km wide, make it truly exceptional. “Being impacted by such a rare, distant projectile really underscores how unlucky the dinosaurs were,” says Dr. Claeys.  

The meteorite’s exact origin remains uncertain. Potential sources including debris from the outer Solar System or the region of the asteroid belt near Jupiter. Studying the composition of the dust the meteorite left behind helps scientist get closer to this answer.