The cosmic impact with the asteroid that killed the dinosaurs created a giant tsunami almost a mile high, which further caused devastation. Its force sent a giant wave that sloshed parts of the globe that was very far, then left evidence of the cataclysmic deluge.
Evidence shows that 66 million years ago, this splashdown came with killing the dinosaurs and the wave even reached North America too. The remains of mega ripples were confirmed by scientists studying this ancient event.
A gigantic wave was sent crashing into the earth's surface, and those lines were hidden in sediments over time. In central Louisiana, the particular pattern was discovered using seismic imaging, in a study by the University of Louisiana, in Lafayette
A tsunami of gigantic proportions
Scientists have been investigating for decades, to search for definitive proof of the asteroid's catastrophic impact. It plowed in Mexico's Yucatán Peninsula, including discovering indicators of the scaring aftermath on the earth's surface, reported the Daily Mail.
The giant tidal waves that traveled for more than a thousand miles where the asteroid hit, was also the presence of wildfires as far as a thousand miles. Another effect was a gargantuan dust plume kicking up that covers the earth, blocking sunlight as well.
They investigated the dirt which was about five thousand feet underground, as the surface built up. They catch the point of impact using seismic imaging carried out by a petroleum company in the area. An accidental discovery of the fossilized ripples were half a mile apart and 50 feet high.
As the wave pushed out from the asteroid's original impact zone, the water even affected the bottom of the seafloor which causes remnants on the sediment when it settled. This created a giant tsunami almost a mile high unheard of in modern times.
Read Also: Early Earth Was Regularly Struck by City-Size Asteroids for a Few Billion Years After Its Formation
What happened next
The force of the tsunami was scraped as far as 200 feet deep on the sea floor on its way to land. It literally caused havoc on the sea and land reptiles. When the tidal waves struck the shore, the height was immense causing mega flooding on the coastlines.
When the direction of the ripples at 5,000 feet under central Louisiana is as predicted, the giant wave moved over the sea and land.
A clear line from the peak of these ripples headed to the Chicxulub crater is almost 1,000 miles away from the place surveyed by seismic imaging. This suggested that the spot was excellent for preserving ripples that otherwise would be covered under sediment.
The study lead, Gary Kinsland spoke to Science, who added that the ocean was really deep, that even regular storm waves cannot alter what has been changed down on the seafloor once the tsunami had receded.
There are more effects of the tsunami like earthquakes caused by the hit which is more than 11 on the Richter scale.
It would be near extinction in regions with washed animals on the land which caused them to drown. This would be another cataclysmic extinction event, leaving few animals surviving.
The tsunami would cause major change on the land and sea and would be moving to and fro for days until it settles. These findings are posted on the journal Earth & Planetary Science Letters.
Related Article: Early Earth Was Regularly Struck by City-Size Asteroids for a Few Billion Years After Its Formation
