The dinosaurs died a cold death after the asteroid chilled Earth by 26 degrees, study finds

Sixty six million years ago an asteroid hit our planet like a six-mile-wide bullet – causing an explosion seven billion times bigger than the Hiroshima bomb.

The asteroid hit Earth at 40 times the speed of sound – and the impact spelt the end of the age of the dinosaurs, researchers say.

New computer simulations have shone light on the cold, dark death of the dinsosaurs – and the beginning of the rise of the mammals, which culminated in humankind’s reign.

Tiny droplets of sulphuric acid formed high in the air – blocking the sunlight, and causing long-lasting cooling, which probably led to the death of land-living dinosaurs.

‘The big chill following the impact of the asteroid that formed the Chicxulub crater in Mexico is a turning point in Earth history,” says Julia Brugger from the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK).

MORE: Uniformed civilian ‘Traffic Wombles’ may soon be given the same powers as traffic police

MORE: Conman jailed after racking up £124,000 at luxury hotels using a cancelled credit card

‘We can now contribute new insights for understanding the much debated ultimate cause for the demise of the dinosaurs at the end of the Cretaceous era.

To investigate the phenomenon, the scientists for the first time used a specific kind of computer simulation normally applied in different contexts, a climate model coupling atmosphere, ocean and sea ice.

They build on research showing that sulfur- bearing gases that evaporated from the violent asteroid impact on our planet’s surface were the main factor for blocking the sunlight and cooling down Earth.

In the tropics, annual mean temperature fell from 27 to 5 degrees Celsius

‘It became cold, I mean, really cold,’ says Brugger. Global annual mean surface air temperature dropped by at least 26 degrees Celsius.

The dinosaurs were used to living in a lush climate. After the asteroid’s impact, the annual average temperature was below freezing point for about 3 years.

Evidently, the ice caps expanded. Even in the tropics, annual mean temperatures went from 27 degrees to mere 5 degrees.