Since the discovery of ancient dinosaur fossils, scientists have gone through extensive research to reveal the conditions of their lives on Earth and how many of them truly resided on our planet all those years ago. Yet despite all of our research, there is yet one baffling question we continue to ask today- which is, what exactly caused these daunting creatures to become extinct? Many theories were produced, supported by data collected from discovered fossils, including our own environment, which eventually lead to more prominent conjectures. One of them being the cause of an asteroid striking Earth millions of years ago, resulting in drastic changes throughout the planet’s environment. In order to attest this theory, there needs to be some form of evidence, which can be found through the remnants left here on Earth.
The discovery of a massive crater impact was found on the coast of Yucatan Mexico, now referred to as the Chicxulub crater, measuring “180 kilometers across, and occuring about 65 million years ago.” Writer Ker Than continues with the theory in their article, What Killed Dinosaurs: New Ideas about the Wipeout. They mention that in addition to the meteor’s impact, a series of catastrophic events followed, consisting of wildfires, large tropical storms, and discarded bit of asteroids plummeting directly towards our atmosphere. (Ker Than, 1) Any species close enough to the impact was immediately wiped out, but as for any other life residing beyond the initial collision, they had to face the consequences following afterwards. Particulate matter clung within the atmosphere thus blocking out the sun, causing decay in vegetation and harsh weather conditions.
As a result of the devastating affects this meteor left behind, a boarder of sediments was found circulating around the entire planet, typically known as the K-T boundary. It’s name is the abbreviated term for the specific era in which this occurred, the K being known for the Cretaceous period, and the T standing for the Tertiary period- “geologists have dated this period to about 65.5 million years ago.” (K-T Boundary, 1) Amidst the discovery of the K-T boundary, traces of iridium were found within its sediments, which an element found more commonly in space rocks. Studied by physicist Luis Alverez and geologist Walter Alverez, they determined that the concentration of the element was much higher than normal, “between 30-130 times the amount of iridium you would expect.” We also know that the geographical location of where the meteor struck explains why the boundary is much thicker in American and thinner in Italy. Additionally, since its crater was found near the Yucatan Peninsula, it would therefore make sense that higher traces of iridium are detected around America.
Other theories also suggest that high rates of volcanism was the cause of the dinosaur’s mass extinction. This theory also aligns with the discovery of iridium found along the K-T boundary. Chung-Tat Cheung explains more in depth within their article, Dinosaur Extinction. The traces of iridium originated from the planet’s core, and once the eruption took place, magma was then discharged along the surface, reaching about “1.5 miles (2.4 kilometers) thick over 1 million square miles (2.6 million square kilometers) of India.” Bob Strauss includes his input within his article, 6 Alternative Dinosaur Extinction Theories That Don’t Work. Although vital information disproves this theory, since five-million years is unaccounted for between the beginning of the eruption and the end of the Cretaceous period. (Strauss, 1) In a sense, both theories prove that the dinosaur’s extinction was the cause of both geology and astronomy. If in fact, a meteorite had collided into Earth all those years ago,the aspect of astronomy was in place, cataclysmically changing to the planet’s surface. Same can be said about a potential volcano eruption- which ties into the geologic aspect.
Meteors can typically be referred to as shooting stars, since they are known to have the capability of touching Earth’s atmosphere- the only difference is that it’s soon described as a meteorite once it reaches the planet’s surface. These instances only occur if the meteor is large enough to survive the harsh conditions of our atmosphere. What causes these rocks to break apart, is the process of entering a vacuumless environment to one that contains air. Typically, asteroids and meteors originate from the asteroid belt, between the two planets of Mars and Jupiter.
It’s also important to note, that given how plausible it was for a meteor to cause the extinction of dinosaurs- who’s to say we aren’t years, or even months away from another potential disaster? According to Marcia Smith of Space Policy online, Nasa receives an annual budget of over 21 billion dollars (https://spacepolicyonline.com/news/its-over-trump-signs-fy2019-appropriations-bill/, 1) A portion of this budget applies towards tracking the whereabouts of nearby meteors that have the potential of harming our planet. As of now, NASA has yet to detect any imminent threats, but their continual search has been a recurring practice since they began searching for near-Earth objects in 1970. Elizabeth Howell includes her input on NASA’s search for dangerous space anomalies in her article, Asteroid Defense: Scanning the Sky for Threats From Space. Within her article, it’s mentioned how, “congress directed NASA in 1994 to find at least 90 percent of potentially hazardous NEOs larger than 1 kilometer (0.62 miles) in diameter, which NASA fulfilled in 2010.
Congress also asked NASA in 2005 to find at least 90 percent of potentially hazardous NEOs that are 140 m (460 feet) in size or larger.” It was indicated that they were unable to complete within the deadline- near the year 2020, due to lack of funding. It’s important that our government continues providing income because as of 2014, NASA created a Planetary Defense Coordination Office, in which they conduct “tabletop'' exercises’ with its partners to simulate threatening asteroids and an appropriate response.”
The production of these simulations may prove to be helpful if, in fact, we did encounter any similar fateful experiences. But there is also the possibility of avoiding any potential impacts altogether. Bruce Betts devices a list within his article, Five Steps to prevent Asteroid Impacts.
The first and foremost plan of action, is to seek out and find any deadly asteroid in space that appears threatening to our planet. What follows this step, is to begin tracking the asteroid’s trajectory and where it's heading. Using tools such as telescopes, we can follow its predicted orbit.
The next thing to do, is to characterize the asteroids in order to specify things such as, “spin rate, and compositions.” Deflection would be our next course of action. Although there’s been various deflections techniques set up, they must undergo further testing in order for them to become fully developed. Theoretically, deflection can occur via gravity with the use of advanced spacecrafts engaging asteroids to a further location. The object can be broken apart forceful impact, or annihilated. The final step would depend on our ability to coordinate and educate. Within the article it’s mentioned that the effects of an asteroid striking Earth would affect us globally. Which is why it's important that we are able to coordinate any plan of action internationally, thus increasing our likelihood of surviving the impact.
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