What Killed the Dinosaurs

         As the meteor just recently struck in Russia I found it fitting to read about the relationship between meteors and how dinosaurs reacted to them. This article starts off by presenting the possible ways in which dinosaurs were possibly forced into extinction. It is believed that a large meteor approximately 6 miles in diameter struck around the Yucatan Peninsula and the effects of it killed of the now extinct animals. The results would leave destructive wildfires, tsunamis, and pressure waves. The author of the articles believes that while this could have been the ending factor to why dinosaurs died it was the main cause. Volcanoes during this time had been going on for a while and could have been the start to these animals dying off. Looking at the ash layer in India where these massive volcanoes occurred could lead to the dates at which a possible cluster of eruptions evolved, thus leading to potential similarities at the decline of the dinosaurs. The article also states that at the time of the meteor there is no evidence of any non-avian dinosaurs leading us to believe those were extinct long before the meteor struck. Thus figuring out precise dates of the volcano could prove that the volcano along with the meteor were both reasons why the dinosaurs went extinct.




This pertains to the real world because of the current meteor that struck the Earth just yesterday. Although the meteor was only about 20 feet the catastrophic effect it on the surrounding area was devastating. By learning about the effects meteors have had on animals in the past could help us prepare for one in the future. For a land completely dominated with thousands different species of dinosaurs to be wiped out by one meteor, the world would be in utter chaos if it were to happen to humans.
I think it’s important we understand the Earth’s history and interactions with space to better prepare ourselves for what’s to come. We know that the meteor that hit the dinosaur era obviously caused damage whether directly or indirectly. We must know too that not only can outer planetary things detrimentally affect us but so can things on our planet as well. Volcanoes that lay dormant now could ultimately wipe out our entire planet. If we understand how these impacted life in the past we can hopefully change and work on things to better it in the future.

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2013/13/130212--chicxulub-asteroid-dinosaurs-volcano-mass-extinction-environment-science/