Why in news
A 10-15 km wide asteroid struck Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula 66 million years ago.
The collision caused a global catastrophe that wiped out about 75% of Earth's species, ending the age of dinosaurs, as per the new Analysis
Yucatán Peninsula
The Yucatán Peninsula is a peninsula in southeastern Mexico.
It is bordered by the Gulf of Mexico to the north and the Caribbean Sea to the east and south.
The peninsula is home to a variety of ecosystems, including tropical rainforests, mangrove forests, and coastal lagoons.
The Yucatán Peninsula is a popular tourist destination, known for its beautiful beaches, ancient Mayan ruins, and cenotes (natural swimming holes).
C-type Asteroids
Carbon-rich with high concentrations of carbon and other volatile materials.
Leftover building blocks of the outer solar system’s gas and ice planets
Most common type of asteroid.
S-type Asteroids
Mostly made of silicate minerals and metals; stony in nature.
Primarily formed in the inner solar system
Less common than C-type asteroids
M-type Asteroids
Metallic, mostly iron and nickel.
Rare, often believed to be remnants of differentiated bodies that underwent partial melting
All meteorites falling onto the earth, which are fragments from both C-type and S-type asteroids, originate from the asteroid belt
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