About 66 million years ago, an asteroid hit the earth violently. The impact made a very large effect and according to researchers has wiped out 75% of life on this earth. Including, ending 165 million years of the dinosaur era.
Of course, it changes the order of the earth. So, what will happen after the big disaster? What happened after three-quarters of life on earth was lost and the dinosaurs were wiped out? It turns out that many amazing things happened after the asteroid hit. Anything? Let’s see.
1. The formation of a 200-kilometer wide crater called Chicxulub Crater.
As reported by Live Science, the asteroid that hit Earth 66 million years ago had a diameter of 12 kilometers and was traveling at a speed of 716 km/sec. The impact caused a super explosion of 100 million megatons in magnitude! or 2 million times more powerful than the tsar bomb, the most powerful bomb in human history, which has a power of 50 megatons.
The 12-kilometer wide asteroid impact also created a 200-kilometer wide crater with a depth of 20 kilometers! The crater is known as the Chicxulub Crater which is located on the Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico.
2. Successive disasters are increasingly threatening the life of the earth
Not only creating a crater, the asteroid collision also caused a series of disasters. Reporting from Astronomy, the asteroid impact did not only wipe out the flora and fauna that were nearby. But it also threw rock and dust into space that fell in several places and covered the Earth’s atmosphere.
As a result, sunlight is difficult to enter, plants are difficult to photosynthesize, and finally animals are difficult to get food. Not only that, Reporting from Science, the asteroid impact also caused an earthquake that could be felt almost all over the earth and a 1,500-meter-high tsunami that hit North America.
3. Ferns are pioneers of plants that green the earth
After the collision, only species that have high survivability and adaptability can survive. As reported by Science, after the collision spores of the type of ferns managed to survive and dominate the earth for 200,000 years.
After 200,000 years post-collision, then palm plants began to appear and share their place with ferns. Then, 700,000 years later, legumes or legumes came into existence and became protein-rich food for animals.
4. Ray-finned fish become living creatures that dominate the ocean.
Prior to the asteroid impact, the oceans were dominated by ammonites, a type of mollusk that lived in the sea, and dinosaurs such as mosasaurs, ichthyosaurs, and the like. However, after the impact, the marine ecosystem became completely different.
Reporting from the Smithsonian Magazine, the lack of sunlight that entered after the impact made the plankton population in the sea decrease. As a result, the ammonites lacked food and affected marine dinosaurs. The absence of the two rulers of the ocean, made the type of ray-finned fish to take over the oceans. As a result, they continued to evolve, evolve, and now 95% of fish species are stingrays.
5. The beginning of the dominance of mammals.
Although the asteroid impact was able to destroy the dinosaurs and other large animals, it was a different story with small mammals. Small mammals hiding in rock crevices keep them safe from the impact of the asteroid impact.
As reported by Science, after the impact there were only mammals no bigger than mice. It wasn’t until 100,000 years later that raccoon-sized mammals began to appear and their populations doubled. 200,000 years later, otter-sized mammals (about 25 kg) appeared. Until finally mammals continued to grow until they were as big as elephants today.
6. Actually dinosaurs are still alive you know now, but as birds.
Did you know that birds that live today are direct descendants of dinosaurs? Well, how come? As reported by the Natural History Museum, birds belong to the group of avian dinosaurs or avian dinosaurs (birds).
So, how did they survive the calamity 66 million years ago? First, they are smaller in size, so they are easier to find shelter, require less food, are more adaptable, and they can fly so it is easier to escape from disasters.
So, those are some of the things that happened after the dinosaurs went extinct. After the extinction 66 million years ago, life on earth slowly recovered and produced life as diverse and beautiful as it is today.