![]() ![]() There are still arguments about just how short the event was. The K-T extinctions were worldwide, affecting all the major continents and oceans. This extinction event marks a major boundary in Earth's history, the K-T or Cretaceous-Tertiary boundary, and the end of the Mesozoic Era. At the same time, most plankton and many tropical invertebrates, especially reef-dwellers, became extinct, and many land plants were severely affected. The End of the Dinosaurs: The K-T extinctionĪlmost all the large vertebrates on Earth, on land, at sea, and in the air (all dinosaurs, plesiosaurs, mosasaurs, and pterosaurs) suddenly became extinct about 65 Ma, at the end of the Cretaceous Period. Paleontology in the News: Web pages of current interest.New references on Extinction that have appeared since History of Life was published.Updates and Web links for the essay on Extinction.New references on the KT Extinction that have appeared since History of Life was published.Updates and Web links for the essay on the KT Extinction.See also a separate essay devoted to the general topic of major extinctions, and for an outline of Richard Cowen's oral presentation.Īt the Geology Department at the University of California, Davis, Richard Cowen tries to maintain other Web pages of interest: Information and updates on the 3rd edition. Available from Blackwell Science, 238 Main Street,Ĭambridge, Massachusetts 02142, telephone 80. This is a freshman-level textbook published by Blackwell Science. Blackwell Scientific Publications, Cambridge, Massachusetts. Illustrations are missing from this Web version of the chapter.Ĭowen, R. You may print out a copy for personal or educational use, and you may link to this site. THIS ESSAY, written in 1999, is a chapter from my book History of Life, published by Blackwell Science, Boston, Massachusetts, 2000. The KT extinction Tracking the Course of Evolution THE K-T EXTINCTION by Richard Cowen NOTE: This is page 1 of a three-page document. ![]()
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