Scientists previously called the giant Chicxulub crater in the Gulf of Mexico as the site of the fall of the meteor that destroyed ancient life on Earth 65 million years ago. Including the existence of dinosaurs.
As proposed in the 1980s, the theory that dinosaurs became extinct because of meteor big controversy. But the Chicxulub crater findings confirm that theory.
Now new evidence obtained. The crater in the Ukraine who was thousands of years older than Chicxulub, suggests that dinosaurs may hit more than a meteorite.
Boltysh crater in Ukraine was first discovered in 2002. However, the timing is not certain if associated with Chicxulub impact.
In Boltysh, got a surprise. Found a second cavity formed in the crater that is believed to fall just after the Chicxulub meteorite.
This suggests that two separate attacks occurred thousands of years of meteor - as part of a vast meteor shower events.
The scientists determined the age of two meteor explosion Boltysh impact zone by examining the pollen and spores of plant fossils in a layer of mud in it.
One of them, fern. This plant is the first time grew in the area destroyed by a meteor hit. Fern leaves a layer of spores that become important evidence.
The researchers found the fern spores are in a layer one meter above the crater Boltysh - indicating that the attack occurred in the gap of two meteor ribuah years.
The findings are published in the journal of geology by a team led by Professor David Jolley from Aberdeen University.
One member of the team, Professor Simon Kelley of the Open University said scientists interpret the second layer occurs after the Chicxulub impact.
"It is very likely in the future we will find other evidence, the impact of the meteor shower," he said, as published by the Telegraph, Monday, August 30, 2010.
According to Professor Monica Grady, a meteorite expert at the Open University, the meteor shower can be caused by collision of celestial bodies that occur near Earth.
U.S. space agency (NASA) recently launched a program called "Spaceguard" which aims to monitor near-Earth objects as collision warning system of celestial bodies in the future.
