Part 1
Journal Pages 34-35
- Read and Sketchnote article "Crater of Doom"
- Answer the questions below on the bottom of page 33
Take notes on articles (Page 34- and top of 35)
- Paragraphs are numbered for reference notes
- Questions to answer are after the articles. Answer with a complete sentence. (Question/Answer form)
CRATER OF DOOM
66 million years ago
(1)
The asteroid that wiped out the dinosaurs 66 million years ago left a massive crater. Scientist are drilling into the Chicxulub crater to see what secrets it holds.
(2)
Today the crystal blue waters of the Gulf of Mexico look peaceful. Hidden beneath them though, is evidence of one of the deadliest events in Earth’s history.
(3)
Sixty-six million years ago a gigantic chuck of space rock crash-landed here. A “crater of doom” more than 100 miles across was left behind.
(4)
The asteroid’s impact (the force of its landing) caused shock waves 2 million times stronger than the most powerful man-made bomb. It sparked earthquakes, triggered gigantic waves and turned the Earth warm as a greenhouse and then cold as an icebox. The disaster is thought to be responsible for the deaths of 75 percent of Earth’s species, including most of the dinosaurs.
(5)
After weeks of drilling into the hidden crater, scientists have finally uncovered the rocks that may show them what happened.
The long-sought samples come from the crater’s peak ring.
(6)
A peak ring is a chain of mountains formed around an impact site. It forms after bedrock surges upward in the wake of an impact, and then collapses in a ring.
Scientist Sean Gulick is co-leading the investigation. The layers of rock that make up the peak ring may show us what happened that terrible day, he said.
Digging into Chicxulub
(7)
The crater has been named Chicxulub for the Mexican town nearby. Since it is centered offshore, scientists had to lower a drill through 50 feet of water and dig through more than 2,000 feet of dirt to get to it. They have dug backward through layers of Earth’s history, dropping millions of years with every few feet. At 1,500 feet below the ocean floor, they hit rocks from the period just after the mass extinction. These may be able to tell the tale of how life recovered after the disaster.
(8)
Evidence from the impact came just below that. First, there was a thick band of sand and stones deposited by the giant waves that rolled through the gulf. Then came a layer of breccia (a mix of blasted rock and melted earth that was thrown into the air by the asteroid.)
(9)
Then came the peak ring, which geologists expect will contain mostly granite from the deepest part of the Earth’s crust. Though researchers have drilled at the Chicxulub crater before, this is the first effort to inspect the main underwater portion. It is also the first time anyone has dug into the peak ring.
(10)
Gulick and his team hope that what they find will help them to better understand what happened during the impact and afterward. They also hope to learn more about the formation of peak rings. These strange structures, which have been spotted on the moon and Mars as well, are still only partially understood as they are difficult to study.
Life finds a way
(11)
Rock samples from the Chicxulub peak ring should also help answer another question: How soon was life able to re-establish itself in the wake of the disaster?
(12)
The samples are full of cracks that would have once been flooded by super hot, mineral-rich water. Researchers believe they might be able to find signs of ancient life embedded in those cracks. As hot and hellish as the spot must have bee 66 million years ago, some form of life may have been able to reassert itself, and even thrive.
(13)
The drilling project will continue through June, and scientists hope to dig nearly a mile below the sea floor. By the time they are done, they will have the most thorough account yet of one of the darkest days in Earth’s history.
(14)
Some may find the idea of such a devastating asteroid strike terrifying. For Gulick and his team, the event is awe-inspiring.
“it’s exciting to us,” Gulick said. He and the others find it fascinating that an impact can cause “this much destruction to the Earth”.
66 million years ago
(1)
The asteroid that wiped out the dinosaurs 66 million years ago left a massive crater. Scientist are drilling into the Chicxulub crater to see what secrets it holds.
(2)
Today the crystal blue waters of the Gulf of Mexico look peaceful. Hidden beneath them though, is evidence of one of the deadliest events in Earth’s history.
(3)
Sixty-six million years ago a gigantic chuck of space rock crash-landed here. A “crater of doom” more than 100 miles across was left behind.
(4)
The asteroid’s impact (the force of its landing) caused shock waves 2 million times stronger than the most powerful man-made bomb. It sparked earthquakes, triggered gigantic waves and turned the Earth warm as a greenhouse and then cold as an icebox. The disaster is thought to be responsible for the deaths of 75 percent of Earth’s species, including most of the dinosaurs.
(5)
After weeks of drilling into the hidden crater, scientists have finally uncovered the rocks that may show them what happened.
The long-sought samples come from the crater’s peak ring.
(6)
A peak ring is a chain of mountains formed around an impact site. It forms after bedrock surges upward in the wake of an impact, and then collapses in a ring.
Scientist Sean Gulick is co-leading the investigation. The layers of rock that make up the peak ring may show us what happened that terrible day, he said.
Digging into Chicxulub
(7)
The crater has been named Chicxulub for the Mexican town nearby. Since it is centered offshore, scientists had to lower a drill through 50 feet of water and dig through more than 2,000 feet of dirt to get to it. They have dug backward through layers of Earth’s history, dropping millions of years with every few feet. At 1,500 feet below the ocean floor, they hit rocks from the period just after the mass extinction. These may be able to tell the tale of how life recovered after the disaster.
(8)
Evidence from the impact came just below that. First, there was a thick band of sand and stones deposited by the giant waves that rolled through the gulf. Then came a layer of breccia (a mix of blasted rock and melted earth that was thrown into the air by the asteroid.)
(9)
Then came the peak ring, which geologists expect will contain mostly granite from the deepest part of the Earth’s crust. Though researchers have drilled at the Chicxulub crater before, this is the first effort to inspect the main underwater portion. It is also the first time anyone has dug into the peak ring.
(10)
Gulick and his team hope that what they find will help them to better understand what happened during the impact and afterward. They also hope to learn more about the formation of peak rings. These strange structures, which have been spotted on the moon and Mars as well, are still only partially understood as they are difficult to study.
Life finds a way
(11)
Rock samples from the Chicxulub peak ring should also help answer another question: How soon was life able to re-establish itself in the wake of the disaster?
(12)
The samples are full of cracks that would have once been flooded by super hot, mineral-rich water. Researchers believe they might be able to find signs of ancient life embedded in those cracks. As hot and hellish as the spot must have bee 66 million years ago, some form of life may have been able to reassert itself, and even thrive.
(13)
The drilling project will continue through June, and scientists hope to dig nearly a mile below the sea floor. By the time they are done, they will have the most thorough account yet of one of the darkest days in Earth’s history.
(14)
Some may find the idea of such a devastating asteroid strike terrifying. For Gulick and his team, the event is awe-inspiring.
“it’s exciting to us,” Gulick said. He and the others find it fascinating that an impact can cause “this much destruction to the Earth”.
Part 2
Answer the questions lower portion of page 35
Answer the questions lower portion of page 35
Use "Question-Answer" Form to answer the questions in you journal.
Study the pictures (above) to help formulate your ideas.
STATE EVIDENCE from the article. Use the paragraph number.
Be sure to use complete sentences.
1. Do you think that this meteorite caused the extinction of the dinosaurs? Explain your answer.
2. What is a "peak ring"?
3. State some of the evidence that has been found in this crater that supports the authors ideas.
4. Are there any patterns that can be seen in the Earth's core samples from the drilling? Explain your answer.
5. Do you think that a phenomenon such as this could happen again? Explain your answer.
Study the pictures (above) to help formulate your ideas.
STATE EVIDENCE from the article. Use the paragraph number.
Be sure to use complete sentences.
1. Do you think that this meteorite caused the extinction of the dinosaurs? Explain your answer.
2. What is a "peak ring"?
3. State some of the evidence that has been found in this crater that supports the authors ideas.
4. Are there any patterns that can be seen in the Earth's core samples from the drilling? Explain your answer.
5. Do you think that a phenomenon such as this could happen again? Explain your answer.