Asteroid could have thrust Earth into darkness for 2 YEARS

After roaming the planet for 165 million years, it is thought the dinosaurs were wiped off the face of the planet when an asteroid crashed into Earth 66 million years ago. The impact of the asteroid would have thrown up huge amounts of debris, and new computer simulations have revealed the extent to which this affected our planet. The findings suggest that Earth would have been plunged into darkness for as long as two years. The impact of the asteroid would have thrown up huge amounts of debris, and new computer simulations have revealed the extent to which this affected our planet (artist's impression) The team used computers to model what Earth might have looked at the end of the Cretaceous Period, after a large asteroid struck what is now the Yucatán Peninsula, beneath the gulf of Mexico. The simulations found 15,000 million tons of soot would have been sent into the atmosphere after the asteroid hit, forming a barrier between the Earth and sunlight.