Environment

Dinosaur Extinction Linked to Asteroid or Comet Impact Confirmed

by Michael Small | March 4, 2010 at 04:46 pm

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The Link Between Dinosaur Extinction and Space Impact has Been Confirmed

An international panel of experts are in agreement that the extinction of the dinosaur species was due to an impact crater caused from space debris.

The panel's investigation was the largest ever, looking into over 20 years of evidence.

The extinction wiped out more than half of all species on the planet, including the dinosaurs, bird-like pterosaurs and large marine reptiles, clearing the way for mammals to become the dominant species on Earth.

Their review of the evidence shows that the extinction was caused by a massive asteroid or comet smashing into Earth at Chicxulub on Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula.

Comet or Asteroid Caused Extinction of the Dinosaurs

The comet or asteroids that struck earth was roughly 10-15 km wide, and the impact when it struck would have been a billion times more powerful than the nuclear bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

The huge crater remains to this day, and measures 180km in diameter and surrounded by a circular fault about 240km in diameter.

The result of the impact would have been instant fires, earthquakes and tsunamis, followed by a global winter due to debris launched into the sky.