An Asteroid Breakup 160 My Ago as the Probable Source of the K-T Impactor

Abstract

The terrestrial and lunar cratering rate is often assumed to have been nearly constant over the last 3 Gy. Different lines of evidence, however, suggest the impact flux from kilometer-sized bodies increased by at least a factor of 2 over the last 100 My.

Keywords

• Asteroid
• Breakup
• Probable
• Source
• Impactor