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How Did Dinosaurs Get Extinct According To The Asteroid Theory?

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Akshay Kalbag Profile
Akshay Kalbag answered
The asteroid theory was propounded by Luis Alvarez. He came up with a strange theory to prove that all the dinosaurs were killed off by the collision of an asteroid with the surface of the earth about 65 million years ago.

Asteroids contain about 100, 000 times more iridium than the layers of rock discovered by Alvarez that date back to 65 million years ago. The iridium also killed many plants and animals that existed on the earth around the same time as the dinosaurs. It seems absurd that the iridium killed the dinosaurs instantly, while the rest of the life forms died gradually.

Even volcanoes contain dangerously high levels of iridium, but the molten matter that oozed out of them when the volcanoes collided with the asteroid did not spread onto the Earth's surface all at once as we are made to believe by Alvarez.

There are sedimentary deposits dating back to over millions of years ago on the deep core of the sea. The magnetic field of the earth flips or changes its direction every 500, 000 years. When scientists matched the patterns of dinosaur bones found in the magnetic field of rocks extracted from New Mexico with those found in the site mentioned in Alvarez's theory, they found that he had incorrectly suggested that when the iridium layer appears, the dinosaur bones do not disappear, but they simply move on to the next magnetic zone instead.
Mark Mottian Profile
Mark Mottian answered
Nobody knows for sure how dinosaurs became extinct. However, scientists ponder the theory that an asteroid hit Earth and destroyed the dinosaurs. If the dinosaurs survived after the blast, then they would either die of starvation or the atmosphere must have poisoned them.
Evelyn Vaz Profile
Evelyn Vaz answered
The asteroid theory states that nearly sixty five million years ago, an asteroid crashed into the Earth, which was the cause of the extinction of dinosaurs.

This theory was found eligible, because large amounts of iridium were found in the Yucatan Peninsula. This was also found in the asteroid when it hit the earth.

Today, scientists believe that this is one of the most accurate theories ever stated. Since this occurred during the end of the Cretaceous period, it was a time of continental drift and volcanic.

However, there are many other different theories that state the extinction of dinosaur. Some of the theories are as follows:
  • The volcanoes killed them.
  • The marine regression theory states that dinosaurs became extinct due to the decreasing ecosystem. And it is believed that if the land system is disturbed then the oceanic system is also disturbed and it was during this time that many sea animals died out.
Erik King Profile
Erik King answered
Dinosaurs were wiped out by a meteor that hit in the Gulf of Mexico (the Gulf of Mexico is a crater formed by the meteor). The meteor caused huge climate change which wiped out all the dinosaurs.
Anonymous Profile
Anonymous answered
They were hit by a meteor, which caused a huge dust cloud which blocked out the sun and changed the climate.
Amman Aamir Profile
Amman Aamir answered
About 180 million years ago the reptiles ruled the earth. In fact, there were so many of them and they were so powerful, that this period is known as the Era of Reptiles. The scientific name for this period is Mesozoic Era.

The largest of all the reptiles were the dinosaurs, and the largest dinosaurs were probably the biggest animals that ever walked the earth!

Yet, about 65 million years ago, the dinosaurs died out - probably because a meteor hit the Earth and caused severe climate change.

The first dinosaurs were probably no bigger than a turkey, and they walked on their hind legs. In time, some of them grew heavier and longer.
One of the giants was called  the Brontosaurus. This dinosaur was 20 to 25 metres long and weighed about 38 tonnes. Other kinds of dinosaurs include the Tyrannosaurus, which was a monster about 14 metres long and 6 metres high.
Anonymous Profile
Anonymous answered
They were killed mostly by the massive amounts of dust thrown into the atmosphere by the meteor. After the plants died from lack of sunlight they starved to death.
Anonymous Profile
Anonymous answered
Dinosaurs got extinct by the weather getting too cold for them from all the volcanoes erupting for millions of years.
amber Jhon Profile
amber Jhon answered
There are a number of theories which explain the extinction of dinosaurs.
  • One theory says that this happened because of the changes in the climate of the earth.
  • One theory suggests that dinosaurs extincted because of diseases which was a contagious and epidemic disease, which finished all of the dinosaurs in the world.
  • The major theory which explains extinction of dinosaurs is known as the Asteroid Theory. The Asteroid Theory suggests that a huge comet collided with earth almost 65 million years ago. This created dust in the atmosphere and as a result, sunlight did not reach the Earth. This damaged the plants and animals on the Earth. As a result dinosaurs became extinct.
Anonymous Profile
Anonymous answered
A huge build up of volcanic activity around 65 million years ago could have produced such large eruptions that plants and animals were burned by lava, choked on ash or just died of starvation as the food sources were being destroyed.

The dinosaurs were not lucky enough to survive. Those creatures that did survive adapted to their new environments and are recognizable as some of the animals we see today such as birds and crocodiles.
Anonymous Profile
Anonymous answered
The theory is that the after-effects of the explosion blocked out the sun, killed plant life, and they starved to death.

Most experts subscribe to this theory because hardly any fossils are found above the Iridium layer. I think they were extinct before that, or there would be a lot of fossils in that layer of Iridium, much like the people of Pompeii being in the layer of ash.
Jacquelyn Mathis Profile
No one knows how really, there is speculations about several things, and the main thing is that a meteor hit the Earth. Others think they starved, so, like I said, no one knows for sure. Hope this helps, good luck finding out.
sumu chauhan Profile
sumu chauhan answered
Millions of years ago dinosaurs became extinct because of the harmful climate in which they could not survive and thus died.
Anonymous Profile
Anonymous answered
The extinction was caused by the acid-like ashes from the meteoroids that poisoned most of the dinosaur race, and others died from the intensifying fires.

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