Around 66 million years ago, a massive asteroid struck Earth in the area now known as Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula. Many scientists believe that the impact of the asteroid, which resulted in a crater named Chicxulub after a village near the epicenter, led to a mass extinction that included dinosaurs.
Scientists have spent many years researching the crater and today, drilling is playing a key role in helping deliver solid answers. The International Ocean Discovery Program’s (IODP) Expedition 364 aims to address several questions related to the Chicxulub impact crater by drilling into the structure to recover cores from and above the peak ring.