A new study challenges the long-held belief that massive sulfur releases from the Chicxulub impact crater 66 million years ago were the primary cause of the dinosaur extinction. Using groundbreaking measurements, researchers found that the amount of sulfur released was significantly less than previous estimates, suggesting a milder 'impact winter' and potentially contributing to the survival of some species.
Previous studies have posited that the mass extinction that wiped the dinosaurs off the face of the Earth was caused by the release of large volumes of sulfur from rocks within the Chicxulub impact crater 66 million years ago. A new study questions this scenario. Using groundbreaking empirical measurements of sulfur within the related Cretaceous-Paleogene boundary layer, the international team has demonstrated that the role of sulfur during the extinction has been overestimated.
Most previous studies considered sulfur as the most crucial factor in driving the cooling and extinction after the impact event. However, estimates of the volume of sulfate aerosols released from the vaporization of the impacted rocks in Mexico have varied widely over two orders of magnitude from one study to another.
The scientists revealed that a total of 67 ± 39 billion tons of sulfur were released, approximately five times less than previously estimated in numerical models. This suggests a milder"impact winter" than previously believed, leading to a less severe temperature decline and faster climate recovery, which could have contributed to the survival of at least 25% of species on Earth following the event.
DINOSAUR EXTINCTION CHICXULUB IMPACT SULFUR IMPACT WINTER CLIMATE CHANGE
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