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Chicxulub Crater

Short answer: The Chicxulub crater is a buried impact structure about 180 to 200 km across, centered near the town of Chicxulub on Mexico's Yucatán coast and extending under the Gulf of Mexico.

It formed about 66 million years ago when an object roughly 10 km wide struck Earth, and the impact is tied to the end-Cretaceous mass extinction. Nothing of the crater is visible at the surface. It lies under about 1 km of younger sediment, and a ring of sinkholes (cenotes) traces its outline. Pemex geophysicists Glen Penfield and Antonio Camargo found it while searching for oil. It was identified as the impact site in 1991. In 2016, IODP-ICDP Expedition 364 drilled its peak ring, and a 2024 ruthenium-isotope study concluded the impactor was a carbonaceous asteroid that formed beyond Jupiter, not a comet.

VideoWrite-up4 sources
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What should you know about Chicxulub Crater?

Quick facts. Each one stands alone and has a stable ID you can cite.

  1. The Chicxulub crater is buried under about 1 km of sediment.

    DD-693-F01 · Write-up · Exhibit A (Hidden scar)

  2. A 2024 study found the impactor was a carbonaceous asteroid, not a comet.

    DD-693-F02 · Write-up · Exhibit E (What hit)

Video transcript: Chicxulub Crater: A Crater You Can't See

DID YOU KNOW? The Chicxulub crater located on the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico, is a massive impact structure created around 66 million years ago by the collision of a large asteroid or comet with Earth. Measuring approximately 150 km, or 93 mi in diameter, it is linked to the mass extinction event that wiped out the non-avian dinosaurs and many other species at the end of the Cretaceous period. The impact released an immense amount of energy, triggering global wildfires, tsunamis, and a nuclear winter effect that drastically cooled the planet and disrupted ecosystems. NOW YOU KNOW!

Burned-in captions, read frame by frame (see transcript.md) · 30.2s Reel ·

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The write-up

A crater you can't see. The 66-million-year-old scar is buried under about 1 km of sediment.

  1. Exhibit A

    Hidden scar

    The crater is buried under about 1 km of younger sediment, half on land and half under the Gulf of Mexico. A ring of cenotes on the Yucatán marks its edge.

  2. Exhibit B

    How big

    Estimates put it at about 180 to 200 km across, larger than the Reel's 150 km. It's one of the largest confirmed impact structures on Earth.

  3. Exhibit C

    Found by oil explorers

    Pemex geophysicists Glen Penfield and Antonio Camargo noticed the structure in geophysical data in the late 1970s. In 1991, Alan Hildebrand and colleagues linked it to the end-Cretaceous impact, which Luis and Walter Alvarez's team had proposed in 1980.

  4. Exhibit D

    Drilling the peak ring

    In 2016, IODP-ICDP Expedition 364 drilled into the crater's peak ring offshore and recovered core down to about 1,335 m below the seafloor. It showed the ring was made of shocked, uplifted rock from deep down.

  5. Exhibit E

    What hit

    A 2024 ruthenium-isotope study found the impactor was a carbonaceous (C-type) asteroid that formed beyond Jupiter, which rules out a comet.

Questions people ask about Chicxulub Crater

About how wide is the Chicxulub crater?

About 180 to 200 km across.

Source: Write-up · Exhibit B (How big) · Wikipedia: Chicxulub crater; IODP Proceedings Volume 364: Chicxulub, Drilling the K-Pg Impact Crater

Can you see the crater from the ground?

It's buried under about 1 km of sediment.

Source: Write-up · Exhibit A (Hidden scar) · Wikipedia: Chicxulub crater; IODP Proceedings Volume 364: Chicxulub, Drilling the K-Pg Impact Crater

What did the 2024 ruthenium study conclude about the impactor?

It was a C-type asteroid from beyond Jupiter.

Source: Write-up · Exhibit E (What hit) · Fischer-Gödde et al. (2024), Ruthenium isotopes show the Chicxulub impactor was a carbonaceous-type asteroid, Science

Which group first spotted the structure?

Pemex geophysicists Glen Penfield and Antonio Camargo.

Source: Write-up · Exhibit C (Found by oil explorers) · Wikipedia: Chicxulub crater

In what year did Expedition 364 drill the peak ring?

2016.

Source: Write-up · Exhibit D (Drilling the peak ring) · Morgan et al. (2016), The formation of peak rings in large impact craters, Science; IODP Proceedings Volume 364: Chicxulub, Drilling the K-Pg Impact Crater

Test Your Knowledge

All quizzes →

5 questions, all from this case file. Answers are revealed instantly.

  1. About how wide is the Chicxulub crater?

    1. About 15 km
    2. About 180-200 km
    3. About 1,000 km
    4. About 5 km
    Show the answer

    Answer: B. About 180-200 km About 180 to 200 km across. Source: Write-up · Exhibit B (How big) · Wikipedia: Chicxulub crater; IODP Proceedings Volume 364: Chicxulub, Drilling the K-Pg Impact Crater

  2. Can you see the crater from the ground?

    1. No, it's buried
    2. Yes, as a deep bowl
    3. Only at low tide
    4. Only from a plane
    Show the answer

    Answer: A. No, it's buried It's buried under about 1 km of sediment. Source: Write-up · Exhibit A (Hidden scar) · Wikipedia: Chicxulub crater; IODP Proceedings Volume 364: Chicxulub, Drilling the K-Pg Impact Crater

  3. What did the 2024 ruthenium study conclude about the impactor?

    1. A carbonaceous asteroid
    2. An icy comet
    3. A metal meteor
    4. A piece of the Moon
    Show the answer

    Answer: A. A carbonaceous asteroid It was a C-type asteroid from beyond Jupiter. Source: Write-up · Exhibit E (What hit) · Fischer-Gödde et al. (2024), Ruthenium isotopes show the Chicxulub impactor was a carbonaceous-type asteroid, Science

  4. Which group first spotted the structure?

    1. Pemex oil geophysicists
    2. NASA astronauts
    3. Mayan astronomers
    4. Satellite engineers
    Show the answer

    Answer: A. Pemex oil geophysicists Pemex geophysicists Glen Penfield and Antonio Camargo. Source: Write-up · Exhibit C (Found by oil explorers) · Wikipedia: Chicxulub crater

  5. In what year did Expedition 364 drill the peak ring?

    1. 1980
    2. 1991
    3. 2016
    4. 2024
    Show the answer

    Answer: C. 2016 2016. Source: Write-up · Exhibit D (Drilling the peak ring) · Morgan et al. (2016), The formation of peak rings in large impact craters, Science; IODP Proceedings Volume 364: Chicxulub, Drilling the K-Pg Impact Crater

Cite this case file

Easterling, Marcus. "Chicxulub Crater." The Detail Department (DetailEnjoyer), case file DD-693, last updated Jan 14, 2026. https://detailenjoyer.com/case/chicxulub-crater/

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