GoKawiilChicxulub crater's hydrothermal system lasted 8 million years, study finds
Analysis of 2016 rock core samples from the Chicxulub impact crater shows that the asteroid strike 66 million years ago created a hydrothermal system beneath the Yucatan Peninsula that persisted for about 8 million years, four times longer than previous estimates of 2 million years. Researchers led by geologist Annemarie Pickersgill of the University of Glasgow found the impact melted rock as deep as 35 km, which became porous and allowed heated seawater to circulate for millions of years.
GoKawiil's interpretation of the reporting above, not reported fact.
A long-lived hydrothermal system in the crater could have provided a warm, mineral-rich refuge for microorganisms in the aftermath of the extinction event, suggesting the same impact that wiped out most life may also have created conditions favorable to it. This revised timescale may prompt scientists to reconsider how such impact-generated systems on Earth, and potentially other planets, could support or seed life over extended periods.
- The Chicxulub impact created a hydrothermal system beneath the crater that lasted roughly 8 million years
- New rock analysis quadruples earlier estimates of the system's lifespan
- Such long-lasting post-impact environments may have supported microbial life despite the mass extinction above
Source: arstechnica.com, 2026-09-30
Published there as: “Dinosaur-killing impact crater might have been teeming with life”
Read the original report → The summary and analysis above are GoKawiil's own, written from reporting by the source above. Facts and quotes belong to the original publisher.