Why was the scientific community slow to accept the asteroid hypothesis?

Why was the scientific community slow to accept the asteroid hypothesis?

7. (Key Concept J) Explain why the scientific community was slow to accept the asteroid impact hypothesis. The asteroid hypothesis as the cause of the K-T mass extinction was not immediately accepted because at the time, geologists believed that the Earth changed slowly and gradually, without major catastrophes.

What evidence supports the asteroid impact hypothesis?

The asteroid impact theory is supported by quite a bit of evidence. For example, the fossil record shows that dinosaurs went extinct very suddenly. This is more consistent with a major disaster like an asteroid impact than it is with a gradual change in climate or volcanic activity.

Do you support the impact theory which explains the extinction of dinosaurs?

The Alvarez hypothesis was initially controversial, but it is now the most widely accepted theory for the mass extinction at the end of the Mesozoic Era. Paul says, ‘An asteroid impact is supported by really good evidence because we’ve identified the crater.

How does the asteroid impact hypothesis explain the extinction of the dinosaurs and other species?

How does the asteroid-impact hypothesis explain the extinction of the dinosaurs and other species? A strike by a 10-km asteroid would have caused tons of dust and debris to be blown into the atmosphere, blocking the sun for many years.

What is the meteorite impact hypothesis?

The study is the second in two months to question the validity of the meteorite impact theory, which suggests that a giant asteroid or comet struck the Earth with such force that it led to a massive, global extinction that scientists call the “Great Dying.” …

What is meteorite impact theory?

What is the evidence for the asteroid impact theory?

Evidence For the Asteroid Impact Theory High levels of iridium, a mineral which is rare on Earth but common in asteroids. Iridium is much more common in rocks from the Cretaceous Period than it is in rocks from any other time. A lot of ejecta, small pieces of rock thrown up by big collisions.

How are lunar meteorites different from Martian meteorites?

Lunar meteorites are achondrites that crashed to Earth from the Moon, while Martian achondrites crashed to Earth from our neighbor planet, Mars. Very few meteorites, only about 0.2 percent, come from Mars and the Moon. These achondrites are the results of Mars and the Moon’s own meteorite impacts.

Which is the best preserved meteorite crater in the world?

The best-preserved impact crater in the world is the Barringer Meteorite Crater, near Winslow, Arizona. There, more than 50,000 years ago, a meteorite weighing about 270,000 metric tons (300,000 tons) slammed into the Earth with the force of 2.5 million tons of TNT.

What is the evidence for the giant impact hypothesis?

Giant-impact hypothesis. The giant impact hypothesis is currently the favored scientific hypothesis for the formation of the Moon. Supporting evidence includes: Earth’s spin and the Moon’s orbit have similar orientations.