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The Day the Dinosaurs Disappeared: Inside the Chicxulub Impact

Mihaela Raileanu
5 min readJan 9, 2025

The day the world changed.

Illustration created by Imogen (AI)

It’s no longer news that, around 66 million years ago, Earth was involved in a catastrophic event that forever reshaped the planet’s face. The extinction of the dinosaurs is closely tied to that event, most likely caused by the impact of a massive asteroid, estimated to have been about 10 kilometers in diameter. According to what we know today, the impact happened near the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico, creating the Chicxulub crater. The name Chicxulub might sound a bit strange or even difficult to pronounce. It comes from the Mayan language, roughly translating to “the devil’s tail” or “tail’s end.” It’s the name of a small village near the impact site on the Yucatán Peninsula. Historically, it’s tied to the local culture and geography. As a result of the asteroid collision with Earth, dinosaurs went extinct, and one of the most significant mass extinctions in Earth’s history happened. In this article, I will mention the scientific evidence that confirms this event and how it reshaped life on Earth.

What is the Chicxulub Crater?

Illustration created by Imogen (AI)

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Mihaela Raileanu
Mihaela Raileanu

Written by Mihaela Raileanu

Researcher, writer, explorer of ideas. I write about films (Lord of the Rings, Game of Thrones) and how we can create a better world. Join for fresh insights!

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