The dinosaur era ended around 66 million years ago when a massive asteroid collided with a shallow sea near Mexico, forming a city-sized crater. However, the precise sequence of events that resulted in the extinction of 75 per cent of Earth's species in the years following this catastrophic impact has remained a mystery.
Here's what the latest study reveal
Previous research suggested that the impact's release of sulphur, combined with soot from widespread wildfires, ushered in a global winter as temperatures plunged. However, as per the latest study published in Nature Geoscience journal, the primary cause may have been fine dust created from pulverised rock propelled far into the Earth's atmosphere in the aftermath of the impact.
The study further revealed that the fine dust partially eclipsed the sun's beams, preventing plants from carrying out photosynthesis, a critical biological process for supporting life, for over two years after the cataclysmic event.
Planetary scientist and lead author of the report, Cem Berk Senel, a postdoctoral researcher at the Royal Observatory of Belgium, was quoted by CNN, stating, "Shutting down photosynthesis for nearly two years after impact posed severe challenges (for life). It destroyed the food web, causing a chain reaction of extinction."
Researchers used the power of technology to do some number-crunching
Scientists used the technology's power to perform some number crunching. The researchers created a new computer model to simulate global climate after the asteroid hit. The computer model was built on the previously available data on Earth's climate at the time, as fresh data from sediment samples gathered from the Tanis fossil site in North Dakota, which captured 20 years following the strike.
In the latest study, the scientist also analysed the data from the samples of silicate dust particles propelled into the atmosphere in a plume before returning to Earth.
After 15 years, the dust particles finally settle on the Earth's surface. According to experts, the global climate may have cooled by up to 15 degrees Celsius over this period.
