by Chanin Storm

Created on: April 07, 2009

Analysis of Dinosaur Extinction Theories

Why are humans so curious about the beasts, the dinosaurs that roamed the earth over 65 million years ago? We know so little about them, and yet they are considered a special addition to the history and evolution of the world. Dinosaurs, great and small, were decimated long before homo-erectus ever walked upright across the continents. Not only were the dinosaurs destroyed, but so were 65% of all other types of flora and fauna on the Earth.

Young and old, big and small, all have their theories about the destruction of the dinosaurs and each one is as probable as the next. However, taking a scientific look at the theories, many believe they have found the real reason for the extinction. They try to give evidence to prove their theory is right and discredit all other theories. There are approximately four extinction theories that have led the way in recent years and from the evidence given seem to be more probable than some of the other more outlandish theories.

To be fair, we will look at each of the four theories in alphabetical order. After reviewing the information, the process of deciding which theory seems most probable is left with the reader. That is one of the great things about theories, some theories seem more likely, but none can be ruled out, especially when the event occurred over 65 million years ago.

Arctic Spillover Theory
This theory is based on the theory of the Mesozoic continental drifts that would have isolated the Arctic Ocean for a time. During this isolation, the waters around the world would have become colder with the water in the Arctic area freezing. As temperatures rose, the Arctic spilled back into the other oceans, creating a glacial layer over the earth, or a type of deep freeze, which in turn destroyed the inhabitants of the Earth.

Asteroid Theory
Another theory based on the idea of an Ice Age, or as it is often called, nuclear winter, comes from the asteroid theory. The idea is that the asteroid would have hit the Earth throwing dust into the atmosphere and blocking all the rays of the sun, which would cause the temperature to drop and thereby create a chain reaction in the destruction of plant life leading to the death of the dinosaurs. The initial blast of the asteroid would also likely cause catastrophic natural disasters, such as fires, tsunamis, earthquakes, and other such events. All of which, in one way or another, would have aided in the extinction of the dinosaurs.

Ozone Depletion Theory
The

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