The Chicxulub Asteroid Impact and Mass Extinction at the Cretaceous-Paleogene Boundary
The Fall of the Dinosaurs According to the fossil record, the rule of dinosaurs came to an abrupt end ∼65 million years ago, when all nonavian dinosaurs and flying reptiles disappeared. Several possible mechanisms have been suggested for this mass extinction, including a large asteroid impact and ma...
Published in: | Science |
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Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |
Format: | Article in Journal/Newspaper |
Language: | English |
Published: |
American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)
2010
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Subjects: | |
Online Access: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1126/science.1177265 https://www.science.org/doi/pdf/10.1126/science.1177265 |
Summary: | The Fall of the Dinosaurs According to the fossil record, the rule of dinosaurs came to an abrupt end ∼65 million years ago, when all nonavian dinosaurs and flying reptiles disappeared. Several possible mechanisms have been suggested for this mass extinction, including a large asteroid impact and major flood volcanism. Schulte et al. (p. 1214 ) review how the occurrence and global distribution of a global iridium-rich deposit and impact ejecta support the hypothesis that a single asteroid impact at Chicxulub, Mexico, triggered the extinction event. Such an impact would have instantly caused devastating shock waves, a large heat pulse, and tsunamis around the globe. Moreover, the release of high quantities of dust, debris, and gases would have resulted in a prolonged cooling of Earth's surface, low light levels, and ocean acidification that would have decimated primary producers including phytoplankton and algae, as well as those species reliant upon them. |
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