Overview
- A University of Texas–led team measured Helium-3 in post-impact sediments at six sites across Europe, North Africa, and the Gulf of Mexico to refine the timing of early recovery.
- The commonly used marker species Parvularugoglobigerina eugubina first appears between roughly 3,500 and 11,000 years after the Chicxulub impact, with site-to-site variation.
- Several new foraminifera emerged in under 2,000 years, contradicting earlier timelines derived from assumed constant sedimentation and magnetic reversal extrapolations.
- The analysis indicates roughly 10 to 20 new plankton species arose within about 6,000 years, with taxonomic debates over species boundaries still noted by researchers.
- Authors interpret the rapid diversification as evidence of ecological resilience with potential relevance for understanding biological responses to modern environmental change.