Investigations of the Chicxulub Impact crater: past, present, future and some controversy

The Chicxulub Impact crater is the best-preserved multi-ring impact basin on Earth, and it has allowed scientists to study one of the most important and dramatic geological events in the Universe.  In this seminar, I will be talking about the history of the science that led to the discovery of the Chicxulub Impact crater in Northern Yucatan, and I will show some of the most relevant scientific evidence that supports the role of Chicxulub crater in the Cretaceous-Paleogene (K/Pg) boundary.   I will also take a look of the effects of the energy released by the impact on the environment. In this context, I will address some of the hypotheses that had challenged the latter.  Finally, this talk will present the present and near-future efforts to continue studying the cratering process within the Solar System.

Speaker: Dr. Mario Robelledo-Vieyra