Asteroid That Killed Dinosaurs Also Caused Mile-High Tsunami, Scientists Say

Countless ancient species disappeared from the face of our planet after an asteroid hit it, causing massive climate disruption. But before that, many creatures were hit by a towering tsunami wave, destroying the modern-day American coast.

Researchers have discovered giant ripples underground in central Louisiana, suggesting an asteroid that caused the mass extinction of dinosaurs, triggered a massive tsunami too. According to the recent findings, the space rock, which is believed to have hit the Earth near the Yucatan Peninsula 66 million years ago, created a wave that may have been a mile high.

The scientists analysed a layer about 1,500 metres (just under a mile) beneath the ground and found well-preserved fossilised ripples spaced up to a half-mile apart. According to University of Louisiana geophysicist Gary Kinsland, the orientation of the mega-ripples aligned with the Chicxulub impact theory.

"The water was so deep that once the tsunami had quit, regular storm waves couldn't disturb what was down there", he noted.