Chicxulub Impact
The Chicxulub crater\xa0(IPA: [t\u0361\u0283ik\u0283u\u02c8lu\u0253]\xa0\u24d8\xa0cheek-shoo-LOOB) is an impact crater\xa0buried underneath the Yucat\xe1n Peninsula\xa0in Mexico. Its center is offshore, but the crater is named after the onshore community of Chicxulub Pueblo.[3]\xa0It was formed slightly over 66 million years ago\xa0when a large meteorite, about ten kilometers (six miles) in diameter, struck Earth. The crater is estimated to be 200 kilometers (120 miles) in diameter and 20 kilometers (12 miles) in depth. It is the second largest confirmed impact structure on Earth, and the only one whose peak ring\xa0is intact and directly accessible for scientific research.[4]