Researchers discovered that the asteroid that wiped out the dinosaurs originated from beyond Jupiter’s orbit, giving us new insight into the rare cosmic event that caused massive changes on Earth approximately 66 million years ago.

Geoscientists from the University of Cologne led a study to determine the origin of the huge space rock that permanently changed the climate. By analyzing samples of the rock layer boundary between the Cretaceous and Paleogene periods, scientists discovered that the dinosaur-killing asteroid formed outside Jupiter’s orbit during the early development of the solar system.

Dust particles released by the asteroid’s impact formed a layer of sediment around the globe. Due to its high concentrations of platinum-group metals, this sediment can be identified and sampled in many areas of the world.

The team discovered after analyzing the isotopic composition of the platinum metal ruthenium in the cleanroom laboratory of the University of Cologne’s Institute of Geology and Mineralogy.

“The asteroid’s composition is consistent with that of carbonaceous asteroids that formed outside of Jupiter’s orbit during the formation of the solar system,” said Dr. Mario Fischer-Gödde, first author of the study.

Additionally, the ruthenium isotope compositions were determined for comparison with other craters and impact structures of different ages on Earth. This data showed that fragments of S-type asteroids have hit the Earth almost exclusively within the last 500 million years. This contrasts the impact at the Cretaceous-Paleogene boundary, where asteroids originate from the inner solar system.

Professor Dr. Carsten Münker, co-author of the study, stated: “We found that the impact of an asteroid like the one at Chicxulub is a very rare and unique event in geological time. The fate of the dinosaurs and many other species was sealed by this projectile from the outer reaches of the solar system.”