Re: Dinosaur Extinction Theories

[Tompaleo@xxxxxxx]

> >  ... Any scenario that focuses purely on the
> > dinosaur extinction at the K-T boundary is almost certainly >>doomed to
 >> failure because they do not assess the whole problem; the mass
>>extinction
> > of many different types of animal and plants in very different
 >> environments. Personally, I use this as a yard stick in assessing >>any
> > extinction scenario proposed for the K-T extinction. ...

>Quite so.  I, too, use this yardstick.  That is why the causes
>I currently consider viable are:

>	- the Deccan volcanism
>	- the marine regression
>	- a meteorite impact (?at Chix.)


Did anyone get the posting of impact/mass extinction refs I poste that was
synchronous with the paleonet loop impact?  In it I mention a Sandia Labs
supercomputer analysis of a hypervelocity impact ca. 65 Ma in the Yucatan
whereby the shock effects are focused AT the antipode which according to the
article, was at the Deccan plateau resulting in the flood basalts observed.
 If correct (and proveable)  it satisfies criterion 1 and 3 of Stan (above).

>Most others fail to cover the whole span of extinctions.

I still argue that this is the ONLY possible way that the extinction event
occurred (for the K-T at least) assuming there was a mass extinction and the
most proveable or testable if even circumstancially!
Until then, volcanism and marine regression are secondary.

                                   Regards,
                                   Thomas R. Lipka
                                   Paleontological/Geological Studies