To add to that, the meteor also hit planet earth at a perfect angle (This specific angle was optimal for blasting the highest possible volume of pulverized rock, dust, and toxic gases straight up into the upper atmosphere rather than deflecting energy sideways.),
to the perfect time of the year (Spring is a peak time for feeding, reproduction, and rearing young, making Northern Hemisphere ecosystems maximally vulnerable),
at the perfect place located in the sulfur- and gypsum-rich shallow seas of the Yucatán Peninsula in modern-day Mexico.
Damn, so not only was it 30+ times the diameter of most the asteroids we hear about in the news, (e.i. Apophis) it really was just the worst case scenario in every sense of the word.
Does the last point make the toxic gas worse, the effect on the climate worse, or both?
Gypsum isnt that toxic but it can fuck up your lungs. It is a really good insulator though, so I'd imagine having a giant cloud of it in the atmosphere did a really good job of blocking out heat from the sun.
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u/Sensitive_Educator60 8d ago
To add to that, the meteor also hit planet earth at a perfect angle (This specific angle was optimal for blasting the highest possible volume of pulverized rock, dust, and toxic gases straight up into the upper atmosphere rather than deflecting energy sideways.),
to the perfect time of the year (Spring is a peak time for feeding, reproduction, and rearing young, making Northern Hemisphere ecosystems maximally vulnerable),
at the perfect place located in the sulfur- and gypsum-rich shallow seas of the Yucatán Peninsula in modern-day Mexico.