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Iridium is a chemical element; it has symbol Ir and atomic number 77. A very hard, brittle, silvery-white transition metal of the platinum group, it is considered the second-densest naturally occurring metal (after osmium) with a density of 22.56 g/cm 3 (0.815 lb/cu in) [8] as defined by experimental X-ray crystallography. [a] 191 Ir and 193 Ir ...
The type locality of this iridium anomaly is near Raton, New Mexico. [1] [2]Iridium is a very rare element in the Earth's crust, but is found in anomalously high concentrations (around 100 times greater than normal) in a thin worldwide layer of clay marking the boundary between the Cretaceous and Paleogene periods, 66 million years ago.
[5] [7] Iridium levels in this layer were as much as 160 times above the background level. [8] It was hypothesized that the iridium was spread into the atmosphere when the impactor was vaporized and settled across Earth's surface among other material thrown up by the impact, producing the layer of iridium-enriched clay. [9]
Alvarez hypothesis. The Alvarez hypothesis posits that the mass extinction of the non-avian dinosaurs and many other living things during the Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event was caused by the impact of a large asteroid on the Earth. Prior to 2013, it was commonly cited as having happened about 65 million years ago, but Renne and ...
The Cretaceous–Paleogene (K–Pg) boundary, formerly known as the Cretaceous–Tertiary (K–T) boundary, [a] is a geological signature, usually a thin band of rock containing much more iridium than other bands. The K–Pg boundary marks the end of the Cretaceous Period, the last period of the Mesozoic Era, and marks the beginning of the ...
The climate across the Cretaceous–Paleogene boundary (K–Pg or formerly the K–T boundary) is very important to geologic time as it marks a catastrophic global extinction event. Numerous theories have been proposed as to why this extinction event happened including an asteroid known as the Chicxulub asteroid, volcanism, or sea level changes.
The researchers found very low levels of iridium throughout the sample, except for at the K–T Boundary. This bolstered the impact hypothesis by demonstrating the scarcity of iridium in earth's crust over time, which is consistent with the interpretation that it originated with an unusual event. [83] The resonance structures of nitric acid
Because of this, the Alvarez team suggested that an asteroid struck the Earth at the time of the K–Pg boundary. [12] There were earlier speculations on the possibility of an impact event, [188] but this was the first hard evidence, [12] and since then, studies have continued to demonstrate elevated iridium levels in association with the K-Pg ...