The asteroid that killed the dinosaurs is widely believed to have struck at the Chicxulub crater on the Yucatán Peninsula in Mexico. This crater is about 180 kilometers (110 miles) across and is submerged under the Gulf of Mexico, with its rim partly exposed on land. The Chicxulub impact is the strongest-supported source for the Cretaceous–Paleogene (K-Pg) mass extinction event that ended the era of the non-avian dinosaurs about 66 million years ago.
Latest context (as of 2026): multiple lines of evidence—shock minerals, shocked quartz, tektites, global iridium layer, and crater dating—continue to reinforce Chicxulub as the primary impact site associated with the dinosaur extinction. Some recent studies also discuss the broader planetary context (such as possible secondary effects or other nearby structures) but the Chicxulub crater remains the central consensus. For quick updates, look for credible sources from NASA, peer-reviewed journals (Science, Nature, Geology), and major science outlets like Space.com or CNN Science coverage.[4][6][7]
Sources
Just where the deadly space rock came from is still up in the air.
www.space.comA killer asteroid slammed into Earth at 27,000 mph around 66 million years ago. Where is it now?
www.livescience.comon Earth. This Q&A will explore the evidence pinpointing the impact site and its lasting effects. I. The Chicxulub Crater: The Smoking Gun Q: Where did the asteroid that wiped out the dinosaurs actually hit the Earth? A: The overwhelming scientific consensus points to the Chicxulub crater, located on the Yucatán Peninsula in Mexico. This crater, partially submerged beneath the ocean, boasts a diameter of approximately 180 kilometers (110 miles), making it one of the largest impact structures...
lost.mybookinou.comSome of them landed in tree resin, which provided a protective enclosure of amber, keeping them almost as pristine as the day they formed
www.deccanherald.comA study reveals the chemical makeup of the Chicxulub asteroid that collided with Earth and resulted in the extinction of nearly all dinosaurs 66 million years ago.
www.cnn.compoints to the Chicxulub crater, located on the Yucatán Peninsula in Mexico. This crater, partially submerged beneath the ocean, boasts a diameter of approximately 180 kilometers (110 miles), making it one of the largest impact structures on Earth. Its discovery and subsequent analysis provided compelling evidence linking it to the Cretaceous-Paleogene (K-Pg) extinction event, which
aichat.physics.ucla.eduA "sungrazed" comet may be responsible for the extinction event around 66 million years ago.
news.sky.com