Report questions role of Mexico crater in mass extinction

WQAD ^ | March 1, 2004 | AP

[yonif]

Washington-AP -- New research casts doubt on the theory that a single asteroid wiped out the dinosaurs.

Scientists have often pointed to a crater in Mexico as the asteroid's impact point.

But Princeton University researchers say the impact that caused the crater occurred 300-thousand years before the dinosaurs were wiped out 65 (m) million years ago.

A report appears in this week's online edition of Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

At least one scientist doubts the group's findings. Richard Norris of the Scripps Institution of Oceanography says the Princeton researchers were working with incorrect site data.

[billorites]

Bush knew!

[DJtex]

I think that these researchers are just promoting controversy. The K-T (Cretaceous-Triassic) boundary is marked by a thin layer of Iridium, an element that is very rare on Earth and probably came from a meteor. Also, at the K-T boundary throughout the US are little "shocked-quartz" crystals that increase in size the closer they get to the Yucatan crater.

Still, I'm intrigued by the fact that the Deccan Traps, an enormous lava flow halfway around the Earth that went on for centuries, started about the same time as the asteriod hit and may have been caused by or contributed to the asteroid damage.

[Phsstpok]

New research casts doubt on the theory that a single asteroid wiped out the dinosaurs.

Scientists have often pointed to a crater in Mexico as the asteroid's impact point.

But Princeton University researchers say the impact that caused the crater occurred 300-thousand years before the dinosaurs were wiped out 65 (m) million years ago.

I think these guys are a little behind the curve. I've seen several pieces, I think endorsed by the original theorists, the Alvarez father son team, that talk about the Chicxulub event as one of many in an impact storm. This thinking has been tied to the controversial "Nemesis" theory, but whatever the cause there seems to be a periodicity of multiple impact events tied to mass extinctions.

[tet68]

Bush knew!

Proto-women and Neanderthal Minorities hit hardest!

[ForGod'sSake]

At least one scientist doubts the group's findings.

Yet another pi$$in' contest...

There's grant money in them thar craters!

FGS

[SunkenCiv]

Princeton has been a hotbed of anti-impactor GIGO. Some may remember the book by Charles Officer and Jake Page (see below) that claimed on the dust jacket that the sudden extinction by a large impact was "impossible". Dewey McLean used to run a website on which he claimed that the elder Alvarez basically ran him out of his own profession through threats.

And, let's not forget Aristotle, the Father of Nothing Doin', who stated ex cathedra that stones do not fall out of the sky. Even in 1994, with comet SL-9 about to crash piece by piece into Jupiter, the cover of Astronomy featured the title of an article inside that claimed there would be nothing to see from those impacts.

I was one of the lucky ones. I picked up this title off the remainder rack, cheaply, at the enormous chain bookstore.

The Great Dinosaur Extinction Controversy by Charles Officer with Jake Page

Basically, I hold such claims in contempt. Such folks are stuck claiming that it was just an amazing coincidence that a large impact happened right at that time, or, even worse, that all the impact did was set off worldwide volcanic eruptions, and those led, over 100s of 1000s of years, to the extinctions.

	Asteroids: Deadly Impact National Geographic
	Shoemaker: The Man Who Made An Impact by David H. Levy

[Swordmaker]

300,000 years... vs. 86,000,000

3.5 tenths of one percent

0.00348 - Quite frankly, I don't think that dating of something that old is quite that accurate.

Nose picking and admiration of the bugger.

[ForGod'sSake]

Even in 1994, with comet SL-9 about to crash piece by piece into Jupiter, the cover of Astronomy featured the title of an article inside that claimed there would be nothing to see from those impacts.

Fair and balanced? I'm no rocket scientist, but something tells me when a chunk of rock or ice or, say, Rosie O'Donnell hits the planet at mach 20+, $hit will happen. Most of it bad.

FGS

[farmfriend]

Gods, Graves, Glyphs
List for articles regarding early civilizations , life of all forms, - dinosaurs - etc.
Let me know if you wish to be added or removed from this ping list.

[Henchman]

...and I doubt that scientist! What about methane gas which he and the oceans emit; ice ages and all that good stuff?

[SunkenCiv]

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[SunkenCiv]

GGG managers are SunkenCiv, StayAt HomeMother & Ernest_at_the_Beach	join list or digest view topics view or post blog bookmark post a topic subscribe
Note: this topic is dated 3/01/2004. Blast from the Past. Just adding to the catalog, not sending a general distribution. Thanks yonif. To all -- please ping me to other topics which are appropriate for the GGG list.

[SunkenCiv]

Note: this topic is dated 3/01/2004. Thanks yonif.

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[SunkenCiv]

Note: this topic is from 03/01/2004. Thanks yonif.

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