Re: Dinosaur Extinction Theories

[Tompaleo@xxxxxxx]

>I suppose that there is one central tennet I am driving at here and it
>would be interesting to get the opinions of other members of the >group on
>this issue. Do you consider that the extinction of the dinosaurs is >linked
>to the K-T extinction or that they were merely coincident.> >Parsimony would
>lead me to accept the former over the latter proposition. Accepting >this

My opinion is similar to yours. I strongly feel that based on geochemical,
stratigraphic, paleontologic, geologic and yes astronomical evidence, that at
LEAST the K-T event was a mass extinction and that the dinosaurs  died out
because of the event. 
At least as can be accurately determined at this time the dinosuars,
ammonites, rudists, mosasaurs, plesiosaurs, pterosaurs, many birds and
mammals (marsupials) and many types of plankton and forams all went together
within a short, ie. stratigraphically indistinguishable, period of time.
Further, many studies indicate that at least in the case of the dinos and
ammonites, that they were doing well right up to the end.

My 2 cents (or shillings :-)  worth).

                                       Regards,
                                       Thomas R. Lipka
                                       Paleontological/Geological Studies