I was born during a time when this was a huge issue (i.e. when arguments about Pluto's planethood were only a mild doubt, when the global warming issue was actually more the "hole in the ozone layer" and "the danger of CFCs" issue... back then). The main theory then was that dinosaurs were wiped out by an asteroid that then caused a secondary 'holocaust' of dust that pretty much suffocated the world. But everybody was quick to say that this hadn't been verified.
I saw this on the news last night. I guess the different layers of rock all over the road which correlate seem to indicate it could be true. Since it is the most compelling evidence, I guess I'll believe it until new evidence emerges.
This asteroid should go to prison for dinosaur genocide! I want justice! >
[quote=TheWebsite]But the evidence gathered for the study published in Science showed that marine and land ecosystems were destroyed rapidly in the KT extinction, leading the scientists to rule out volcanic activity as the culprit, because its effects would have whittled away at dinosaurs and other species over time.[/quote]
Well, there were two main theories, so since the volcanic activity one is ruled out, then the more-credible theory is the asteroid. I'm no geologist, but something like a volcano would still allow some species of dinosaurs to survive. Even if the activity levels were high, the volcano couldn't cover the entire earth AND kill off marine life at the same time.
Another clue that the KT extinction was caused by a huge asteroid and not volcanic activity was evidence in geological records of "shocked" quartz in rock layers at KT boundary levels around the world.
[quote=TheWebsite]Quartz is "shocked" when it is hit very quickly by a massive force -- such as a 15-kilometer-wide asteroid traveling 20 times faster than a bullet.[/quote]
They didn't explain this part. Is Quartz literally shocked, or does it change properties when hit?
[quote=TheWebsite]The asteroid hit Earth 20 times faster than a speeding bullet and exploded into a deadly mix of hot rock and gas which would have "grilled any living creature in the immediate vicinity that couldn't find shelter,"[/quote]
The valcano theary is basically that the intence smoke and such was enough to block out the sun thus creating the ice age, the same effect as the metior.
The valcano theary is basically that the intence smoke and such was enough to block out the sun thus creating the ice age, the same effect as the metior.
I get that. What I don't get is how these volcanoes, even put together, could cause such catastrophe. One, volcanoes are either active, dormant, or extinct. Two, once one is active, it is not constantly active. It is similar to a switch. Active, dormant; active, dormant. Or are we to assume that the undersea volcanoes also had a part in this destruction?
Nah, I ttly vote asteroid, despite proof already given
this is ridiculous the asteroid is obviously the reason they died, like research has shown there has been proof of asteroid causing "shocked earth" meaning something really shook the earth, imagine your cell phone vibrating and then imagine a plastic bullet hitting your cell phone, the quartz was shocked in a quick manner not a slow but constant matter, one volcano managing to kill all life is to far fetched and the ash would not last long enough in the air to kill practically all living things, it would take the kick up of part of the earths crust to make enough dust thick enough to kill all those dinosaurs, any scientist will say that the asteroid is the most excepted reason, but using the evidence of you never know doesn't cut it for me, idk about you.
one volcano managing to kill all life is to far fetched
Actually, no it's not. Volcanoes like Yellowstone could be the culprit as Yellowstone would be an extremely powerful explosion. Not only that, things can snowball. Somewhere near Crete a few thousand years ago a volcano blew up and half the mountain formed into a landslide that dropped into the sea below. Consequently a tsunami was created and everyone who'd escaped to create after signs of an imminent eruption died.
ash would not last long enough in the air to kill practically all living things
Actually, if the explosion is big enough volcanic ash can linger high in the atmosphere for many, many years.
any scientist will say that the asteroid is the most excepted reason, but using the evidence of you never know doesn't cut it for me, idk about you.
In the 1400s it was dogma that we lived in a geocentric universe. Just because the meteorite theory is widely accepted it's not necessarily true.
one volcano managing to kill all life is to far fetched
The most powerful volcanic eruption ever was the second most powerful explosion on Earth, bested only by the Cxiculub(or however you spell it) Impact. Also, considering that it dumped out enough ash to completely block out the sun, it looks even less crazy. Considering that it created an entire canyon just due to the explosion, notthe pyroclastic flow, ash, or lava . . . .
Anyway, the side effects of a massive caldera like the La Garita (the one I talked about up thar), the Yellowstone one, or the Siberian Traps having a huge eruption are vast and very well could kill us all.
While the asteroid theory is the most plausible right now, it would be stupid to rule out a volcanic eruption. Even the 2nd most powerful eruption ever - Mt. Toba in Indonesia - reduced prehistoric humanity to as low as only 1,000 breeding pairs worth of people. And it wasn't even close to being the most powerful ever. If another monstrous La Garita-caliber eruption was to happen soon, it very well wipe out humanity, and it would've been able to wipe out the dinosaurs.
