In 2021, a team led by Amir Siraj hypothesized that the Chicxulub impactor—the object that struck the Yucatán Peninsula sixty-six million years ago, precipitating the mass extinction of the dinosaurs—was likely a member of the class of long-period comets. As evidence, Siraj cited the carbonaceous chondritic composition of samples from the Chicxulub impact crater as well as of samples obtained from long-period comet Wild 2 in 2006.
Text 2
Although long-period comets contain carbonaceous chondrites, asteroids are similarly rich in these materials. Furthermore, some asteroids are rich in iridium, as Natalia Artemieva points out, whereas long-period comets are not. Given the prevalence of iridium at the crater and, more broadly, in geological layers deposited worldwide following the impact, Artemieva argues that an asteroid is a more plausible candidate for the Chicxulub impactor.
Based on the texts, how would Artemieva likely respond to Siraj’s hypothesis, as presented in Text 1?
Choose 1 answer:
Choose 1 answer:
(Choice A) By insisting that it overestimates how representative Wild 2 is of long-period comets as a class
A
By insisting that it overestimates how representative Wild 2 is of long-period comets as a class
(Choice B) By arguing that it does not account for the amount of iridium found in geological layers dating to the Chicxulub impact
B
By arguing that it does not account for the amount of iridium found in geological layers dating to the Chicxulub impact
(Choice C) By praising it for connecting the composition of Chicxulub crater samples to the composition of certain asteroids
C
By praising it for connecting the composition of Chicxulub crater samples to the composition of certain asteroids
(Choice D) By concurring that carbonaceous chondrites are prevalent in soil samples from sites distant from the Chicxulub crater
D
By concurring that carbonaceous chondrites are prevalent in soil samples from sites distant from the Chicxulub crater
1 answer
The best answer is:
(Choice B) By arguing that it does not account for the amount of iridium found in geological layers dating to the Chicxulub impact.
This choice aligns with Artemieva's argument that emphasizes the prevalence of iridium at the crater and in geological layers, suggesting that an asteroid is a more plausible candidate for the impactor compared to a long-period comet.
