Scientists Say Impact Winter , From Asteroid May Have Caused , the Mass Extinction of the Dinosaurs.
66 million years ago, an asteroid smashed into Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula, erasing thee-quarters of life on the planet and ending the age of the dinosaurs.
Reuters reports that while the immediate collision was devastating, scientists now believe the climate catastrophe that followed may have had the most impact.
Years after the asteroid hit Earth, the skies darkened with thick clouds of debris while global temperatures plummeted.
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Researchers estimate that the total amount of dust was close to 2,000 gigatons, over 11 times the weight of Mt.
Everest.
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Researchers estimate that the total amount of dust was close to 2,000 gigatons, over 11 times the weight of Mt.
Everest.
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According to paleoclimate simulations, this massive amount of dust could have completely prevented photosynthesis from occurring for up to two years.
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According to paleoclimate simulations, this massive amount of dust could have completely prevented photosynthesis from occurring for up to two years.
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Cem Berk Senel, lead author of the study published in the journal 'Nature Geoscience,' says the cloud of dust remained in the atmosphere for 15 years.
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As a result, temperatures on the planet dropped about 27 degrees Fahrenheit.
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It was cold and dark for years, Philippe Claeys, Vrije Universiteit Brussel planetary scientist and study co-author, via Reuters.
This "impact winter" caused a chain reaction of extinctions, while plants died and herbivores starved, leaving carnivores without a food source.
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While the sulfur stayed about eight to nine years, soot and silicate dust resided in the atmosphere for about 15 years after the impact.
, Özgür Karatekin, Royal Observatory of Belgium planetary scientist and study co-author, via Reuters.
The complete recovery from the impact winter took even longer, with pre-impact temperature conditions returning only after about 20 years.
, Özgür Karatekin, Royal Observatory of Belgium planetary scientist and study co-author, via Reuters
