Asteroid Theory example essay topic

296 words
Through extensive research, we can come to the conclusion that about 65 million years ago, many kinds of creatures roamed the earth. What ever became of dinosaurs? Where are these creatures today? As a result of various forms of evidence, different theories have been aroused to why these animals no longer exist in this place they once controlled. One presumption that has been brought up about the extinction of dinosaurs is the ever-popular "asteroid theory". Would it be possible that an entire species, present all over the world, could be totally annihilated by a giant meteorite?

The basic assumption of this theory is very unlikely. If it is so, that an asteroid was the reason for extinction, it is most likely an indirect cause. Assuming this theory is correct, when the asteroid crashed into the earth a huge amount of dust was thrown into the atmosphere. Thus, blocking out the sun's rays.

Sunlight is essential for the process of photosynthesis in plants. If the sunlight is blocked, photosynthesis cannot occur, causing the plants to die. Not only does the death of plants hurt the herbivores, but also it ravages the rest of the species. Carnivores fed on herbivores and other creatures, herbivores fed on plants- if the plant-eating dinosaurs died from lack of food, there were no other creatures for these carnivores to prey on. Also, believing if an asteroid was the cause, when it came crashing down to earth, other effects such as tsunamis, massive earthquakes, and global wildfires would occur all over the world.

These effects would wipe out a large percentage of the dinosaur population, making the asteroid theory seem very possible when trying to explain this phenomenon..