Researchers say they've solved a decades-long mystery. They said dust killed the dinosaurs - plain dust from pulverized rock - following an asteroid impact.
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Dust killed the dinosaurs? Most scientists agree that 66 million years ago, an asteroid smashed into Earth near Chicxulub, Mexico. And there's been general agreement that the asteroid impact sent debris skyward, blocking the sun and triggering a years-long global winter, which led to the dinosaurs' demise. But the details of this catastrophe have been unclear. Exactly what went into the air? Sulfur and soot? Or pulverized rock (silicates)? On October 30, 2023, the Royal Observatory of Belgium in Brussels said its researchers have now shown fine dust from pulverized rock to be one of the killing mechanisms. That rock dust blotted out the sun, causing a global winter up to 15 years long. And so – 66 million years ago – plants died from lack of photosynthesis (a process requiring sunlight that plants use to create their food). Many plant-eating animals died as a result. And animals that eat those plant-eaters ultimately also died. Eventually, 75% of all species on Earth went extinct. The team of scientists from various institutions across Belgium published their work in the peer-reviewed journal Nature Geoscience on October 30, 2023. The 2024 lunar calendars are here! Best Christmas gifts in the universe! Check 'em out here. Measuring dust from North Dakota The researchers came to their conclusions after studying sediment deposits in North Dakota in the Cretaceous-Paleogene boundary layer. This is the layer of Earth that coordinates with the time of the 5th mass extinction 66 million years ago, when…