K/T extinction event

The Cretaceous–Tertiary extinction event, now called the Cretaceous–Palaeogene extinction event,Because the term "Tertiary" is out of date. was about 65.5 million years ago. It may be called the K/T extinction event or K/Pg event for short. This is the famous event which killed most of the dinosaurs at the end of the Cretaceous period.

It was a large-scale mass extinction of animal and plant species. The event marks the end of the Mesozoic era and the beginning of the Cainozoic era.With "Tertiary" being discouraged as a formal time or rock unit by the International Commission on Stratigraphy, the K/T event is now called the Cretaceous–Palaeogene extinction event by many researchers. 

 Effects 
Dinosaur fossils are only found below the K/T boundary. This shows they became extinct before or during the event. Mosasaurs, plesiosaurs, pterosaurs and many species of plants and invertebrates also became extinct.

A collection of Mammalian class and bird class got through the event with some extinctions. The survived, became widespread, and varied during their later evolutionary radiation.

 Causes 
The K/T extinctions were so sudden and far-reaching that they must have been caused by something instantaneous and powerful. One theory is that increased volcanic activity was to blame. Another theory says that one or more massive asteroid or meteor impacts caused the K/T extinction.

How quickly animals died out around the world is an important clue. Patterns in rocks also suggest causes. There are several impact craters and massive volcanic activity in the Deccan Traps in India dated to about the same time as the extinctions. Those impacts and volcanoes would have reduced sunlight and hindered photosynthesis, disrupting Earth's ecology.

The best supported theory is that the meteorite strike in the Yucatan was the main cause of the extinction at the end of the Mesozoic era.

 Craters 
There were several impact events across the Cretaceous/Tertiary boundary, such as the Chicxulub crater in Mexico, Boltysh crater in Ukraine, Silverpit crater in North Sea, and the Shiva crater offshore western India.Chatterjee, Sankar et al 2003. Paper No. 60-8, Seattle Annual Meeting of Geological Society of America. The Shiva Crater: implications for Deccan volcanism, India-seychelles rifting, dinosaur extinction, and petroleum entrapment at the K/T boundary .Mullen, Leslie 2004. Astrobiology Magazine.Deep impact -- Shiva: another K-T impact? 

The Shiva crater is a sea floor structure under the continental shelf in the Indian Ocean, west of Mumbai, India. It was named by paleontologist Sankar Chatterjee after Shiva, the Hindu god of destruction and renewal.

 Related pages 
List of extinction events
Chicxulub

 References 

Category:Dinosaurs
Category:Meteorites
Category:Extinction events
Category:Mesozoic