, July 19 -- Scientists have identified the rare type of meteorite that is believed to have struck Earth 66 million years ago, triggering the mass extinction that wiped out about 75 percent of all species, including all non-avian dinosaurs.

According to a new study published in Science Advances, the impactor was most likely a rare carbon-rich meteorite known as a CO chondrite, based on an analysis of nickel isotopes preserved in material left behind after the Cretaceous-Paleogene impact.

The international research team included scientists from the University of British Columbia (UBC), as well as research institutions in Paris, Brussels and Vienna.

Researchers said CO chondrites differ significantly from the meteorites commonly found on...