New exhibit: Drill core from the Cretaceous/Tertiary boundary

The RiesKraterMuseum has received a valuable new exhibit: A drill core from Bavaria that contains exactly those geological layers of sediment that were formed around the time of the mass extinction of the dinosaurs some 66 million years ago.

The special thing about the drill core from the Latten Mountains (south of Bad Reichenhall): At that time, its layers were formed in a geographical region that was spatially located between the site of the huge asteroid impact (Chicxulub-Crater, Mexico) and the site of one of the largest volcanic eruptions in Earth’s history (Deccan Trap, Indian subcontinent). Traces of both events have therefore been clearly preserved as deposits in the form of characteristic, compacted dust layers and can therefore be easily placed in a chronological relationship.

The drill core makes these depositional sequences, which are very important for understanding the mass extinction, optimally accessible for precise scientific investigations and directly visible to museum visitors. It is therefore a very valuable object for research and a unique exhibit.

On March 13, 2024, the new exhibit was handed over to the director of the Ries Crater Museum, Prof. Stefan Hölzl, by Dr. Roland Eichhorn, head of the Geological Service of the Bavarian State Office for the Environment (LFU), in the presence of Mayor David Wittner. The drill core will be on permanent display there.