‘Lid’ of asteroid dust smothered and burned the dinosaurs, say scientists
Heat and fire may have caused the mass extinction of Cretaceous creatures The post ‘Lid’ of asteroid dust smothered and burned the dinosaurs, say scientists appeared first on Physics World .
New research suggests that the mass extinction event that wiped out the dinosaurs 66 million years ago was caused by an asteroid impact, specifically a dust layer that smothered and burned the planet. This theory was revived by husband-and-wife scientists Brandon and Alexandria Johnson, who found that the asteroid triggered a near-impermeable layer of dust that blocked out almost all radiation, leading to extreme heat and wildfires.
The dust layer, composed of tiny particles similar to wildfire smoke, trapped radiation within the atmosphere, allowing only a minuscule 10^-286 upwards transmittance. This heat pulse quickly killed any creatures unable to shelter or burrow, causing widespread wildfires and the collapse of plant life. The darkness that followed would have caused a collapse of the food chain in the oceans, resulting in oceanic extinctions.
The Johnsons' findings may lead to further research, such as more detailed geological studies and combustion experiments to better understand the wildfires' impacts.
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