Wait a second!
More handpicked essays just for you.
More handpicked essays just for you.
Cause and effect essay on asteroids that caused the extinction of dinosaurs
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
Approximately 65 million years ago, about two-thirds of all species on Earth, including dinosaurs, became extinct in one of the planet’s largest mass extinction events. There are many theories in investigating what could have caused the majority of species being ruled out. It had to have been from a catastrophic asteroid that lead to major climate change. With the research Luis Alvarez made trying to prove his hypothesis it supports that an asteroid key have been the key trigger. What caused the wipe out from these species was the certain events that led one after the other. After doing some research it goes to show, that it wasn’t declared by survival of the fittest, rather survival of the luckiest.
Luis Alvarez, a physicist widely known for
…show more content…
Yucatán still holds evidence from the impact till this day now. Cenotes are sinkholes that were formed from chemical weathering of limestones that undermined the surface of rock that later collapsed (Stanley, Lucjaz 440). Cenotes surround Yucatán Peninsula, preferentially around the crater. This is how iridium from the impact's fiery explosion was able to be spread all over the world, followed by settling to produce a thin layer of this rich sediment closely on all depositional envionments (Stanley, Luczaj 440). Using similar techniques to date the dramatic changes in the record of microscopic fossils, researchers have found that the impact from the asteroid and the dinosaur extinction could have occurred nearly …show more content…
Within Keller et. al. article, they argue that volcanoes is the most probable reason for the demise of these creatures. He discusses the geographical forms of the Deccan volcanoes in India in order to prove his point. Within India, the Deccan volcanoes, which have the height of around 3500 kilometers. This immense height was caused from million of years of the cooling lava. One single eruption of these volcano causes a lava flow of around 1000 km, making it the longest lava trail in the world. This information was discovered prior to any of the astroid theories. The magnitude in which these volcanoes erupt can cause immense amounts of damage to everything around them. Regardless of their strength and height, dinosaur still cannot swim in lava, thus beginning the mass extinction of these creatures. Within this study, Keller et al. utilizes biostratigraphy. This is a method in which each layer of rock is tested to see if the oldest layer can be traced back to the time of the mass extinction. Even though this process is used frequently, it is difficult to estimate because of the amount of variable that could cause inconclusive
The possibility if a meteor strike as the cause of extinctions is discarded, something that most specialists agree on. There is no evidence of any meteor crater big enough or recent enough to be accountable for it; there are no “elements that are common extraterrestrially but less so on Earth, such as iridium, and no sign of a tsunami or other phenomena following the impact.” The extinctions where also very selective and occurred over a very long period of time. If a “one shot” catastrophe had been the cause it would have affected all species at the same time and in similar
The question of what caused the extinction of megafauna during the Late Pleistocene period is one that archaeologists have struggled to answer for decades, but why should it matter? Discovering with certainty the cause of megafaunal extinction would simultaneously prove or disprove any of the proposed implications of each existing theory regarding this massive extinction.
The eradication of species numbers average at a toll close to one hundred percent of earths total living creatures. “It is the Earth's most severe known extinction event, with up to 96% of all marine species and 70% of terrestrial vertebrate species becoming extinct” (Sahney, and Benton 759). Not only where marine and terrestrial species effected but this catastrophic event is the only recogni...
There has been a debate about what happened to the dinosaurs since they were discovered. There are many thoughts of what happened to the dinosaurs, the two main theories behind the extinction are scientific and religious. Proof for both theories do exist and debates between scientists are still going on to which one really happened. It is a mystery as much for Evolutionists as it is for Creationists about the extinction of the dinosaurs. The fossil record of dinosaurs was poorly know for a long period of time. During this time period was when the dinosaurs were thought to have gone extinct. The scientific reason for their extinction was that there was a giant asteroid that caused chain reaction and wiped out the dinosaurs. Some scientists say the dinosaur’s extinction came quickly. Evolutionists say the dinosaurs went extinct 65 million years ago. Creationists say that the dinosaurs weren’t able to survive the Earth after the flood. Both of the theories have supporting evidence and that is why there is an ongoing debate over what really happened to the dinosaurs. (WGBH Educational Foundation and Clear Blue Sky Productions, Inc. et al., 2001)
regions of the earth can indicate which rock layer is older than the other. Trilobite fossils
Throughout Earth’s history there have been many changes. These changes have consisted of temperature fluctuations, atmospheric differentiations, extinctions of various plant and animal life, etc. Over time everything seems to have evolved in some way form or fashion. However, the Permian Era extinction was different from all the rest. This extinction affected every form of life, but especially the marine life. Researchers have stated that 93-97% of all Earths species went extinct during this period of time. This essay will explain how a once blossoming progressive era turned into Earths most catastrophic event.
The disaster theory, Gould claims, is an example of good science. It has testable evidence and has an impact on studies in other fields of science, it develops further and explains why the extinction of dinosaurs occurred simultaneously with other events. This theory suggests that a large comet hit the Earth sixty five million years ago, causing the cloud of dust to rise into the sky and to block sunlight. As a result, world temperatures went down significantly, the ice age bega...
At yellow stone, if the substance is plunged into catastrophe, this means that humans could become distinct. Super volcanoes cause unimaginable forces and affect everything in ways that humans cannot begin to imagine. There are many pieces of evidence that prove that Super volcanoes do exist. The first is that all animals were infected, from the orchard, abruptly, ten million years ago. These included bones of fossilised rhino, horses, camels, and lizards.
...asted about a million years. The eruption was not violent compared to others, but it was able to send ash as high as the stratosphere. So another theory is that shifting of the tectonic plates caused the Deccan Traps to erupt, causing the release of massive amounts of carbon dioxide out of the earths crust. This went on to create a global greenhouse effect that cooked the planet. This along with climate change from continental drift could have caused the K-T event. Paleontologist Richard Cowen believes the evidence of an asteroid impact is so strong that there is no point to explain that evidence as solely volcanic effects. We should concentrate on the fact that the K-T boundary coincided with two different, yet very dramatic events.
Several mass extinctions have occurred during the Earth’s history. The Cretaceous – Tertiary Boundary (K-T) Extinction caused the loss of at least three-quarters of all species known at that time including the dinosaurs. The cause of this mass extinction is a controversial subject among scientists but the fossil evidence of it’s occurrence is abundant.
Volcanoes can be one of the most destructive forces on Earth. It is estimated that some
From modern examples and records we know that volcanic activity can set of a chai...
slow extinction, or did it happen all of the sudden? These questions bring rise to many
"Massive Volcanic Eruptions Could Have Killed Off the Dinosaurs." Wired.com. Conde Nast Digital, 15 Dec. 2008. Web. 12 Mar. 2014.
The Jurassic period is known as one of the most interesting periods of time in earth’s history, mainly for the awe-inspiring creatures many of which have gone extinct, the most remarkable being the dinosaurs. Life in the ocean during this time was also extremely diversified and amazing for the creatures it beheld. The Jurassic occurred from 199.6 to 145.5 million years ago, following the Triassic Period and preceding the Cretaceous Period within the Mesozoic Era. The supercontinent of Pangea began to drift apart during this time. Right before the Jurassic period began, a major extinction event occurred wiping out much of the life on earth. The events that unfolded afterwards gave life to a new planet.