It is widely believed that this impact led to the extinction of the dinosaurs 66 million years ago. After this event, 75% of Earth disappeared. species. But it was not the collision with our planet that was the most fatal for them.
– It was the largest asteroid to hit Earth in the last 500 million years. The explosion had the force of over a billion atomic bombs. But it wasn’t this that killed the dinosaurs and other species, it was what happened next, says Steve Brusatte, professor of paleontology and evolution at the University of Edinburgh.
It was the asteroid dust that was the most deadly
Belgians said extinction studies pay too little attention to the potentially trillions of tons of dust kicked up by the asteroid impact. After such an event, dust remains in the atmosphere for years, and sulfur and soot block light. As a result, it was winter all over the globe, so plants did not grow, which was fatal to the animals that fed on them, including dinosaurs.
To further investigate the consequences of the asteroid impact, scientists simulated the climate of the distant future. Data collected from particles from North Dakota, where a layer of dust had fallen, was also incorporated into the model. As it turns out, the asteroid dust could remain in the atmosphere for up to 15 years (sic!). This blocked the sun’s rays and stopped photosynthesis for two years. however, it cooled down by 15 degrees Celsius during this time.
Dust from granite and other rocks after the impact “most likely led to the last mass extinction by disrupting photosynthetic activity,” said Cem Berk Senel, one of the study’s authors, who works at the Royal Observatory of Belgium in Brussels. Simulations have shown that it blocks flint dust most effectively.
For several years, the Earth became dark and cold. The asteroid didn’t kill all the dinosaurs in one go, it was more like an assassin. It triggered a war of attrition that resulted in the extinction of three-quarters of species
– summarizes Steve Brusatte, who was not involved in the study described here.
Source: Gazeta
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