From Chris Boyett, Youlgrave, Derbyshire, UK
I had some questions after reading your piece on the Chicxulub asteroid (20 June, p 17). It crashed into Earth with enough force to melt 10,000 cubic kilometres of rock, but was this on raised, dry ground or in the sea?
If below sea level, wouldn’t sea water pour into the crater and immediately evaporate, causing superheated steam to enter the atmosphere? If so, was it enough to reduce sea levels, and what part did it play in the mass extinction?
