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Size and morphology of the Chicxulub impact crater

Nature volume 390, pages 472–476 (1997)Cite this article

Abstract

The Chicxulub impact in Mexico has been linked to the mass extinction of species at the end of the Cretaceous period. From seismic data collected across the offshore portion of the impact crater, the diameter of the transient cavity is determined to be about 100 km. This parameter is critical for constraining impact-related effects on the Cretaceous environment, with previous estimates of the cavity diameter spanning an order of magnitude in impact energy. The offshore seismic data indicate that the Chicxulub crater has a multi-ring basin morphology, similar to large impact structures observed on other planets, such as Venus.

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Figure 1: The Chicxulub seismic experiment.
Figure 2: Seismic reflection data along part of Chicx-A and Chicx-C; the data are unmigrated.
Figure 3: Seismic sections showing deformation of the target stratigraphy.
Figure 4: Reconstruction of the rim of the transient cavity.

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Acknowledgements

The reflection seismic data were acquired by BIRPS and funded by the Natural Environment Research Council and the BIRPS Industrial Associates programme. The project also received funding from the National Science Foundation, the Leverhulme Trust, the Royal Society, and the Royal Commission for the Exhibition of 1851. The data were acquired by Geco-Prakla and processed by Bedford Interactive Processing Services. We thank Petroleos Mexicanos for releasing their seismic data to us.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Geology, Imperial College, London, SW7 2BP, UK

    Jo Morgan, Mike Warner, John Brittan & Hamish Macintyre

  2. University of Texas Institute for Geophysics, Austin, 78759-8500, Texas, USA

    Richard Buffler, Gail Christeson & Yosio Nakamura

  3. Petroleos Mexicanos, CP86030, Villahermosa , Mexico

    Antonio Camargo

  4. University of Leicester, LE1 7RH, Leicester, UK

    Paul Denton, Graeme Mackenzie & Peter Maguire

  5. Geological Survey of Canada, K1A 0Y3, Ottawa, Canada

    Alan Hildebrand & Mark Pilkington

  6. BIRPS, Bullard Laboratories, University of Cambridge, CB3 0EZ, UK

    Richard Hobbs & Dave Snyder

  7. Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico , 04510, Mexico DF, Mexico

    Luis Marin, Gerardo Suarez & Alberto Trejo

  8. Lunar and Planetary Institute, Houston, 77058, Texas, USA

    Virgil Sharpton

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  1. Jo Morgan
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  3. the Chicxulub Working Group
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  9. Alan Hildebrand
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  14. Luis Marin
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  20. Alberto Trejo
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Mike Warner.

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Morgan, J., Warner, M., the Chicxulub Working Group et al. Size and morphology of the Chicxulub impact crater. Nature 390, 472–476 (1997). https://doi.org/10.1038/37291

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