(CNN) Scientists have discovered evidence that the impact of an asteroid as powerful as 10 billion World War II-era atomic bombs caused the extinction of the dinosaurs.

An artist's interpretation of the asteroid impact that wiped out all non-avian dinosaurs

The 7.5-mile (12-km) wide asteroid struck the Earth 66 million years ago and caused 75% of life on the planet to become extinct, according to research led by the University of Texas and published in the PNAS journal . It is thought the event triggered wildfires over 900 miles away, as well as sparking a devastating tsunami.

Many dinosaurs would have died that day, but others may have perished from the atmospheric fall-out that followed. Scientists think the earth cooled dramatically after sulfur was released into the atmosphere, blocking the sun and killing off life.

The new research was based on rocks collected in 2016 from the Chicxulub impact site off the coast of the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico.

Professor Sean Gulick, who led the study, told CNN: "For me personally, successfully collecting the cores from the peak ring of the Chicxulub crater was the fruit of years of proposal writing and planning made reality.

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