Seven years ago, Chen Fang from Xinjiang stumbled upon the shape of the Sichuan Basin in the 'Chinese Satellite Imagery Map,' which sparked his curiosity about the natural phenomenon's origins. After seven years of research, he proposed a bold hypothesis: the Sichuan Basin may have formed as a result of a planetary impact on Earth. This collision not only explains the basin's unique shape but may also be linked to the extinction of the dinosaurs.
According to Chen, approximately 65 million years ago, a large planet with a diameter of about 20 kilometers, carrying immense energy, struck the Earth from the southeast at an angle of 30° to 40° towards the southwest, creating the Sichuan Basin, which has a diameter of nearly 500 kilometers and covers an area of 230,000 square kilometers. This impact also led to numerous geological phenomena, such as the significant folds of the Hengduan Mountains, the Yarlung Tsangpo Grand Canyon, and the rapid uplift of the Tibetan Plateau. Together, these events form a complex and spectacular geological tapestry.
Chen further points out that this impact event may be associated with the extinction of the dinosaurs. Around 65 million years ago, the Earth underwent a series of significant geological changes, including the formation of the Sichuan Basin and the uplift of the Tibetan Plateau. These events occurred nearly simultaneously, coinciding with the critical period of dinosaur extinction. Therefore, Chen believes that the planetary impact could be one of the causes of the dinosaurs' demise.
