Volcanic eruptions, asteroid impact and dinosaur survival and extinction...

Discussion in 'Earth Science' started by Gravage, Oct 1, 2011.

  1. cosmictraveler Be kind to yourself always. Valued Senior Member

    Messages:
    33,264
    But what if they also had been afflicted with a virus that made them weak from all the things happening around them at that time. I'd think a disease could have been spread throughout the community and would have killed of many spices.
     
  2. Google AdSense Guest Advertisement



    to hide all adverts.
  3. Gravage Registered Senior Member

    Messages:
    1,241
    this is indeed true, but how do geologists explain even greater eruptions than this like Siberian traps, now they have found out that 50 km wide asteroid which fell at the same time as Siberian traps exploded 250 million years.
    Anyway's, here is a documentary about Siberian traps-Earth's biggest eruption ever:
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6UOIMNczE7M&feature=related

    Now, what would happen if asteroid that fell on Antarctica at the same time 250 million years ago, proves to be true? Than we have 2 catastrophiv events-50 km wide asteroid plus eruption of Siberian traps that lasted for a million years! Let me repeat this eruption that lasted for a million years!
    Is there a crisis in science of geology?

    The same problem here is with asteroid impact and eruption of Deccan traps 65 million years ago.
    If anyone can help me with this, I'd be grateful.
     
  4. Google AdSense Guest Advertisement



    to hide all adverts.
  5. Gravage Registered Senior Member

    Messages:
    1,241
    See my response to Nietzschefan.
     
  6. Google AdSense Guest Advertisement



    to hide all adverts.
  7. Ophiolite Valued Senior Member

    Messages:
    9,232
    So? Not unique. Not unusual.

    No. Why do you think there is?

    What problem?

    I'll be happy to help if you will specify what is troubling you.
     
  8. Gravage Registered Senior Member

    Messages:
    1,241
    I'm only asking do we exactly know what wiped out the dinosaurs 65 million years ago and what did cause the Great Dying, the greatest mass extinction ever 250 million years ago?
    That's all. When I said geology is in crisis, I meant to say that I'm confused. Toba nearly wiped out human race and Siberian traps which is even bigger eruption, couldn't wipe out 95% of all species?
    That's what confuses me.
     
  9. bswearin Registered Member

    Messages:
    1
    Bolide impact and flood basalts are related

    Throughout this thread I keep reading how people mention asteroid impacts and flood basalt regions as if they were two separate events that just happened to coincide to wipe out life 250 mya and 65 mya. Google "antipode" and "impact" and you will see many reference materials showing the direct correlation between the two. There is even explanation as to why the Deccan Traps were slightly off a direct antipode from Chicxulub because of the angle of the Chicxulub impact and the resultant focusing of seismic waves from the impact at the offset antipode before India was shoved into Asia. There is a correlation between hotspots and asteroid impacts and as you can see with what still goes on under Hawaii and Yellowstone the basalt keeps rising at those weak points long after the massive, off the Richter scale, event that caused the crustal failure is over. Google "seismic focusing" as well and you will see that it is a common thing with other rocky planets in our solar system with the evidence in plain sight without the corrosive action of weather and water to hide it.
     
  10. Gravage Registered Senior Member

    Messages:
    1,241
    Than what is your point, you answer?
     
  11. Ophiolite Valued Senior Member

    Messages:
    9,232
    Thank you for clarifying. I think you would agree that there is a world of difference between 'geology is in crisis' and 'I am confused'.

    We currently do not know exactly what wiped out the dinosaurs, but the bolide impact was certainly a major contributor. Volcanic activity likely played a role in this too. Remember that science advances knowledge in a stepwise fashion and some of those steps are sideways or backwards. We know far more about the KT extinction today than we did ten years ago and more then then thirty years ago and so on. We will refine our understanding of the detailed character of the KT extinction. It is highly unlikely that anything we find will place 'geology in a crisis'.

    Toba nearly wiped out the human race because there were so damned few of us around.
     
  12. Gravage Registered Senior Member

    Messages:
    1,241
    Both asteroid and the eruption of Deccan traps were MAJOR contributors of Dinosaurs' extinction. The eruption of Deccan traps lasted for 30 000 years-this should not be ignored. the eruption of Deccan traps erupted
    They consist of multiple layers of solidified flood basalt that together are more than 2,000 m (6,562 ft) thick and covered an area of 1.5 million km2 and a volume of 4 million km3.

    Due to the volcanic gases and subsequent temperature drop, the formation of the traps is seen as a major stressor on biodiversity at the time. This is confirmed by a mass extinction topping 17 families per million years (about 15 families per million years above the average).
    Sudden cooling due to sulfurous volcanic gases released by the formation of the traps and localised gas concentrations may have been enough to drive a less significant mass extinction, but the impact of the meteoroid that formed the Chicxulub Crater (which would have made a sunlight blocking dust cloud that killed much of the plants and reduced global temperature, called an impact winter) made this one of the most pronounced mass extinctions in the Phanerozoic.
     
  13. Me-Ki-Gal Banned Banned

    Messages:
    4,634
    I think maybe buried eggs stand a better chance in the face of natural disaster . Mammals were food and from my understanding could not get a leg up until the big Nastiest were out of the picture

    I wonder if we ate Neanderthals after that Toba event went down . Is there any evidence of Neanderthals being eaten . If there was no plant life after and flesh was the only diet left would not all game animals be on the table . Stop it ! That is not discrimination . There gone ! we can talk about them that way
     
    Last edited: Oct 16, 2011
  14. Thdaoub Guest

    I am wondering what will happen if there are dinosaurs in the world now.
     
  15. Ophiolite Valued Senior Member

    Messages:
    9,232
    This is not the current consensus view of the epxerts who have studied the subject. Therfore, I shall take their carefully considered view over your rather emotive opinion. I say emotive, since you characterised this as being evidence of 'geology in a crisis'.
     
  16. greenboy Registered Senior Member

    Messages:
    263
    Dinos were around until the other day. All Human culture have records of them. So the asteroid thing is just another fairy taill...
     
  17. Walter L. Wagner Cosmic Truth Seeker Valued Senior Member

    Messages:
    2,559
    Really not much different than eating gorilla or chimpanzee, I suppose. But Neanderthals did not exist back in the days of the Deccan traps, and were co-existent with humans only going back a few hundred thousand years ago or so.
     
  18. Gravage Registered Senior Member

    Messages:
    1,241
    I know why is that: Because each of Siberian traps' eruption erupted over 2000 km3 of magma and pyroclastic material, while Deccan traps eruption weren't that big (actually 2 km thick) and are not pyroclastic.
     
  19. Ophiolite Valued Senior Member

    Messages:
    9,232
    Gravage, we seem to talking at cross purposes. I am not saying the Deccan traps had absolutely no role to play in the demise of the dinosaurs. Nor am I saying that the Siberian event was insiginficant. I am saying that regardless of what role these events played in their times none of it represents 'geology in a crisis'. That may seem like nitpicking, but it is not. The last time geology was in a crisis was when we were assessing the merits of what came to be called plate tectonics. Different world!
     
  20. Mrbroke2005 Registered Member

    Messages:
    3
    There isn’t a single fossil found above or near the K-T boundary so how could the asteroid have had anything to do with the extinction of the dinosaurs. It is however possible that it did cause the extinction of some to several of the marine life that was lost during that time.
    Then the fact that warm blooded animals may or may not have been eating the dinosaurs eggs and this is why they are extinct really has no foundation to stand on at all. There were several species of dinosaurs which ate others and including their own specie's eggs. This took place for millions of years and apparently had no consequence to any known species.
    But it is more likely that the abundant release of gases from the extremely active Deccan traps caused much of the problems. The topography of the earth was changing with the movement of continents through tectonic movement, which inevitably lead to changes in weather and average temperature as well. This would have also lead to an influx of new invading species into what were previously inaccessibly separate ecosystems. And with them would have came, new or new variations of disease and pest, which all on their own can cause pandemic conditions. So the most likely cause to the extinction of the dinosaurs is not one thing, but an intertwining of several pieces of the puzzle. Own their own they would not have been able to cause such an outcome, but together they were able to bring the one, two punch that brought such a dynasty to an end. I believe that there are too many possible cohorts which helped in tandem for us to completely understand or categorize. But most definitely the asteroid was not one.
     
    Last edited: Nov 2, 2011
  21. Mrbroke2005 Registered Member

    Messages:
    3
    Although the pinnacle of their deposits was lower than the Siberian traps, the Deccan eruptions covered an area the size of Texas. And more importantly it’s not necessarily the amount debris but more so the gases and the height and which the debris was ejected. Also newer dating techniques show that the eruptions of the Deccan traps took place in as little as 10,000 years and as much as 100,000. Also the eruption took place in such a manner that the overall environments of the planet were unable to completely recover in between eruptions which continued to compound the overall problems.
     
    Last edited: Nov 2, 2011
  22. Gravage Registered Senior Member

    Messages:
    1,241
    Than it means both asteroid impact and Deccan traps eruption were responsible for the dinosaur extinction?
    And what about 250 million years-Siberian traps?
    But now they found (several months ago) the possible proof of 500 km wide asteroid crater on Antarctica (but they need to go to Antarctica to confirm that), which was cause by the impact from at least 50 km wide asteroid?
     
  23. greenboy Registered Senior Member

    Messages:
    263
    Forget about the million of years story. The dinos were around for humans to paint them and engrave them on their buildings until the other day, ex.CHINA's dragons, flying serpents of the Mayas and this are only two examples they are all over historical records in Ancient cultures. Wake up and smell the dinos...
     

Share This Page