| MadSci Network: Earth Sciences |
Katie, the death of the dinosaurs, which happened about 60 million years ago, is one of the things that scientists are not quite sure about. Most scientists think that it was because of a large meteor striking the Earth. They have found a lot of evidence that shows that a very large meteorite struck the area near the Yucatan peninsula in Mexico at about the right time. Some scientists think that it was because of a series of very large volcanic eruptions that occurred in India at much the same time. These could have had a large effect on the Earth's climate, and the dinosaurs' food supply. Scientists do not really think the flood explanation can be a good one. Here is one problem with it: a giant flood could possibly kill the land dinosaurs, but why would it affect the marine dinosaurs -- the plesiosaurs and ichthyosaurs?
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