CREATOR: @jaio_dosanjos

History - Extinction of the Dinosaurs

1. The extinction of the dinosaurs occurred approximately 66 million years ago during the Cretaceous-Paleogene (K-Pg) extinction event. 2. The most widely accepted theory for the extinction is the impact hypothesis, which suggests that a massive asteroid or comet struck the Earth, causing widespread devastation. 3. The impact site of the asteroid is now known as the Chicxulub crater, located off the coast of Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula. 4. The impact of the asteroid is estimated to have released energy equivalent to billions of atomic bombs, causing a chain of catastrophic events. 5. The impact created immense shockwaves, triggering earthquakes, tsunamis, and wildfires. 6. The impact also released massive amounts of dust, debris, and vaporized rock into the atmosphere, blocking sunlight and causing a global cooling effect known as "impact winter." 7. The combination of the impact effects led to a dramatic decrease in sunlight, disrupted the food chain, and caused widespread extinction across various species, including the dinosaurs. 8. It is estimated that approximately 75% of all species on Earth, including non-avian dinosaurs, became extinct during this event. 9. Some smaller animals and organisms managed to survive, paving the way for the eventual rise of mammals as the dominant land animals. 10. The K-Pg extinction event marked a significant turning point in Earth's history and allowed for new evolutionary opportunities that shaped the development of life on the planet.