Posted: Apr 15, 2019 3:57 pm
Svartalf wrote:
I've heard that even if the Chicxulub meteor spewed the matter the marks the Cretaceous Eocene limit, the actual transition between the two was caused by massive volcanic activity, that left us traces like the Deccan traps.
Not exactly. Recent work by Deplama et al (a thread exists on this forum discussing these finds) in the upper Hell Creek of Montana reveals strong evidence that the environment was not in crisis to the point of a mass extinction event until the bolode impact. In fact the site they are working has tektites in situ, which place a time stamp on the extinction event of the very day the bloide fell. From what I gather this single deposit shows the aftermath of a massive tsunami wherein marine organisms were swept inland a great distance, and intermixed with the detritus are terrestrial animals soon to be made extinct by the follow on effects of said bolide. This informs us that the end Cretaceous event is directly tied to the day a hunk of space debris the size of Mt. Everest slammed into the earth.
RS