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How convincing is the evidence that a meteorite killed the dinosaurs?
There is significant evidence to suggest that the extinction of the Dinosaurs, together with a significant proportion of life on Earth, occurred due to the impact of a comet or asteroid with our planet sixty five million years ago. Evidence that a large impact occurred is unquestionable since it left a 170 km diameter crater at Chicxulub, on the Yukatan Penisular. It also scattered debris over most of the Earth's question. What still remains controversial is whether the impact was directly responsible for the mass extinction of life or whether large volcanic eruptions that were occurring in India contributed to the extinction.
For more information on the K/T impact see our Virtual Exhibition.
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