The major reason and the way dinosaurs became extinct has been a debate among many scholars in the world. Dinosaurs are considered one of the fiercest animals that existed in the world. The animal had extraordinary survival features, some of which have not been seen before. The animal species is said to have existed 66 million years ago. Several theories have been formulated in a bid to understand what might have caused the extinction of the dinosaurs. Most of these theories revolve around climate change and other occurrences that took place in the world. The theories have different claims on what brought about the extinct of the dinosaurs. There is, therefore, a need to understand what brought the extinction of this animal. This paper will provide an analysis of how dinosaurs became extinct.
Was the Space Comet Responsible for The Extinction of Dinosaurs?
The comet ideology is just one of the many theories that scientist has formulated to have been the cause of dinosaurs’ extinction. The ideology normally referred to as the Nemesis theory is one that is derived from space activities. According to this theory, approximately 66 million years ago, a comet came close to the earth and might have caused the extinction of dinosaurs. The idea behind the Nemesis theory is that a comet always comes close to the earth every 26 million years (Archibald, 2011). The arrival of the comet close to earth comes along with a lot of debris. When this debris hit the earth, they cause significant changes in weather, which in turn can be responsible for the death of several animals. It is this debris that is cited for having responsibility for the extinction of dinosaurs. The most vulnerable animals including the dinosaurs were killed by the changes brought by the comet and the debris. The animals included pterosaurs, big marine reptiles, and dinosaurs. The dinosaurs were not able to withstand climate changes. The same climate changes are said to have also killed plants. Dinosaurs relied heavily on plants as their food and gradually starved without the specific types of plants that they survived (Archibald, 2011).
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The existence of the comet close to the earth stayed over a long period over which a lot of climatic changes were being experienced, which also aided in wiping out of the dinosaurs. The explanation is often meant to clear the notion that if the comet and the debris that were on the earth surface had only occurred for a short period then with the survival features of the dinosaurs, they would have survived the climatic changes (Brusatte et al., 2015). However, the changes occurred over a long period, which was able to wipe all the animals out.
Was It the Asteroids That Caused the Extinction?
The asteroids are also cited as a potential cause of the extinction of the dinosaurs based on the Mexico evidence. 66 million years ago, a crater was found in Mexico. The existence of the crater in Mexico has been proved based on evidence, but the time of the arrival being 66 million years ago is an approximation (Archibald, 1992). The large asteroid crater is thought to have caused the death of dinosaurs. It is therefore difficult to know if the asteroid crater was large enough to have killed all the dinosaurs.
The asteroid crater is a possible reason for the death of dinosaurs, but the evidence was only found in Mexico, making this explanation susceptible to a lot of questions. Scientists claim that the existence of the dinosaurs was evenly distributed. It is therefore difficult to assert whether the asteroid only affected Mexico or the world at large. One other reason that makes this theory weak is the fact that it is not known whether the asteroid crater occurred after the extinction of the dinosaurs or not. The exact way in which it caused the extinction has therefore been in question. However, even with the weaknesses of the theory, one thing is that the asteroid theory stands out to be a possible reason why there are no dinosaurs in the current world. The asteroid crater was found in the right place or spot to make scientist believe that it might have caused the extinction. The enormous crater was found in Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico. It was found in an area that is filled with rock. The rocks have, therefore contributed to the reasoning of possible ways that the asteroid must have caused the extinction of the dinosaurs and other animals (Brusatte et al., 2015). The rocks that are found in the Yucatan Peninsula are said to be rich in hydrocarbons, carbon dioxide, and sulfur. These gases were therefore associated with climate changes, which consequently caused the extinction.
The theory of impact of the asteroid crater is also associated with climate changes. The events, which took place in Mexico is said to have caused a drastic shift in climate able to cause death to animals such as dinosaurs. In order to assert the Mexico evidence and argument, the scientist found shocked quartz. These are rocks that resembled shockwave, with rearranged crystals (Archibald, 1992). The crystal suggested wildfire widespread and cooled molten rock that resembled glass-like spheres, these added on the weight of the asteroid crater argument that it must have caused the extinction.
Was the Iridium Metal the Cause of The Dinosaurs Extinction?
A thin iridium layer also called the K-T boundary offers another evidence of another reason for the extinction of the dinosaurs. The iridium metal is found underneath the earth's continent and earth oceans. This theory is often connected with the asteroid crater theory. It is believed that when the meteorite hit the earth approximately 62 million years ago, it had a significant impact. The impact is said to have been equivalent to the force of a nuclear bomb. It is the impact that is cited for having caused a massive cloud of iridium dust (Archibald, 2011). A lot of debris was also caused, which were released into the air. With the several things that were released into the atmosphere, several changes were witnessed and are currently being investigated to be possible causes of extinction of various animals and plant.
The debris that was released by the iridium dust is said to have caused a block on the sunlight. The block on sunlight is said to have lasted several years. Without sunlight, most of the plants that the dinosaurs had relied on for their survival died; hence, the animals had limited chances of survival. Dinosaurs are also said to have gradually grown weak overtime and died slowly. The theory has been supported based on several accounts. One of the accounts is based on the fact that the debris and other substances that were emitted into the air have been proven to have been thick enough to block the sunlight rays from effectively reaching the earth surface (Brusatte et al., 2015). The other account is based on the fact that plants and animals both need sunlight for survival. Dinosaurs' primary food planted and therefore, were easily eliminated when their source of food could not multiply easily.
One of the impacts of the comet that came close to earth was the distortion of the iridium layer. A lot of debris were released into the air besides the impact on the iridium layer (Brett-Surman & Farlow, 2012). The breakage of the layer, coupled with the debris and the gasses that were found in the atmosphere caused a massive shift in climate change. The climatic changes were therefore unfavorable to many dinosaurs which led to their death one by one. They were also not able to breed effectively and feed on their prey hence becoming extinct. The iridium metal is also another good perceived explanation of how dinosaurs became extinct.
Conclusion
The way dinosaurs became extinct is a mystery that remains unsolved. Some of the possible reasons discussed in this paper, including; volcanic activities, asteroids, and comet, offer a different and unique explanation of the extinction of the dinosaurs. We do not know the exact cause of what led to the extinction of the dinosaurs. However, even with the different approach of the theories that have been laid to resolve this issue, one common thing among all of them is the issue of climate change (Archibald, 2011). Climate change is the most possible and general reason for the extinction of dinosaurs (Bakker, 1995). One thing we are sure is our planet changed drastically and suddenly. When the changes happened, only the fittest animals survived, and the dinosaurs were simply not lucky enough (Brett-Surman & Farlow, 2012). Dinosaurs lived for several years on earth; the climate change was strong enough to wipe out all their food hence weakening their immunity (Simon, 2012).
References
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Archibald, J. D. (1992). Dinosaur extinction: how much and how fast?. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology , 12 (2), 263-264. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/02724634.1992.10011458
Archibald, J. D. (2011). Extinction and radiation: how the fall of dinosaurs led to the rise of mammals . JHU Press. https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/geological-magazine/article/j-d-archibald-2011-extinction-and-radiation-how-the-fall-of-dinosaurs-led-to-the-rise-of-mammals-xii-108-pp-johns-hopkins-university-press-price-3900-us6500-hb-isbn-978-0-8018-98905-1/6EA1FB66274A04673EF0EED43FC0C30F
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