Re: Questions about K-T Impact Theory

In article <e65nnf$fpo$1@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>, Paul Ciszek wrote:
In an article about the Wilkes Land Crater somewhere (a good cite, I
know) someone suggested that huge volcanic erruptions have been
correlated with large impacts on at least two occasions.
Correlations have been *suggested*, but by no means convincingly
demonstrated.

*Both* sides could be right--the volcanoes did in the Dinos, and the
volcanoes were triggered by the impact.

<SIGH> For the several-th time this week ... In the Anjar area
of west India, the onset of Deccan volcanism occurred and started
laying down lava beds alternating with rubble and soil beds at
approximately 100,000 year intervals. In the 3rd and 4th rubble beds
(counting up from the base, around 0.5 million years *after* the onset
of volcanism) are *several* high-iridium beds, which appear to be
correlatable with the Chixulub impact. At other places in Anjar
province and elsewhere in western India dinosaur bones and (less
obviously, but more likely to indicate live dinosaurs) dinosaur
eggshell fragments are found in inter-lava beds considerably above the
onset of Deccan vulcanism.
Deductions : the onset of Deccan vulcanism predates the Chixulub
impact ; the onset of Deccan vulcanism predates the birth of at least
one generation of dinosaurs ; the relation between the extinction of
the dinosaurs and the Chixulub impact is not defined (on the basis of
this evidence.
Room for manoeuver is built into the "Deductions".
--
Aidan Karley, FGS
Aberdeen, Scotland
Written at Wed, 07 Jun 2006 10:59 +0100, but posted later.

.

Quantcast