OREANDA-NEWS. The fall of the asteroid can be considered as the main cause of the extinction of the dinosaurs. This conclusion was reached by scientists from the University of Texas at Austin, who found evidence that, in their opinion, finally confirms the most popular version of the disappearance of giant lizards from the face of the Earth. Researchers have discovered meteorite dust in the Chikshulub crater, the age of which corresponds to the time of the mass extinction of the dinosaurs.

Information about this is published in the scientific journal «Science Advances». Chikshulub is located on the Yucatan Peninsula. It is one of the largest asteroid impact tracks on Earth. The crater's diameter reaches 180 kilometers and partially goes under water, where it is hidden under the bottom sediments of the Gulf of Mexico.

Experts extracted rock samples and found the presence of iridium, which is rare in the earth's crust, but is found in abundance in some types of asteroids. Iridium is found in deposits of the same age all over the Earth, and in the crater it is contained in the dust, that settled a few years after the asteroid. The highest concentrations of iridium were recorded in samples taken from the summit of the peak ring — the highest point of the crater.