Colossal 'planet killer' asteroid sparked mega-tsunami on Mars, and now we know where it landed - Livescience.com
Planetary scientists have pinpointed the likely location of a massive asteroid impact that triggered an enormous tsunami on the Red Planet around 3.4 billion years ago.A newly discovered impact crater on Mars was likely left by an enormous asteroid that slammed into the Red Planet around 3.4 billion years ago and may have triggered an 800-foot-tall "mega-tsunami." The colossal explosion was similar to the asteroid impact on Earth that wiped out the nonavian dinosaurs, a new study shows. .From about 3.5 billion to 3 billion years ago, Mars was covered by vast, shallow oceans.The first event likely occurred around 3.4 billion years ago, and the second likely emerged around 3 billion years ago as Mars' oceans began to dry up, according to NASA. .
The massive impact structure is also surrounded by 3.4 billion-year-old rocks.
This gargantuan impact structure has some key similarities with the Chicxulub crate, which was left by an asteroid impact that triggered a mass extinction event around 66 million years ago and wiped out the nonavian dinosaurs, the researchers wrote.The Chicxulub crater, located on Mexico's Yucatán Peninsula, is significantly larger than Pohl, spanning around 112 miles (180 km), and was birthed by a larger asteroid that was around 7.5 miles (12 km) across.The Chicxulub asteroid also landed on top of an ancient ocean on Earth that was around 656 feet (200 m) deep at the time.
—Mysterious mineral on Mars was spat out by an explosive eruption 3 billion years ago .