Explain why the scientific community was slow to accept the asteroid impact hypothesis.

QUIZSTUDENT HANDOUT________________________________________NAMEDATE1.What is the K-T boundary?2.If the rocks outside of Gubbio, Italy used to be at the bottom of an ocean, how are they now part of a mountain?3.Describe the differences scientists saw in the foraminifera found in rock layers above (after) and below (before) the K-Tboundary.4.Which of the following events are possible sources of high levels of iridium in sediments? Write ‘yes’ or ‘no’ next to each ofthe four possibilities. There may be more than one ‘yes’ response.An asteroid impactRainFossilized foraminiferaA supernova

5.Which of the following pieces of evidence prompted researchers to abandon the hypothesis that a supernova caused thehigh levels of iridium in the K-T layer? Select one response.

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QuizPublished October 2012Revised July 2014Page 1 of 3

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Why was the scientific community so slow to accept the asteroid impact 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.

How could an asteroid impact killed off so many different species?

Debris from the explosion was thrown into the atmosphere, severely altering the climate, and leading to the extinction of roughly 3/4 of species that existed at that time, including the dinosaurs. Many asteroids of this type are now known; their orbits pass through the inner solar system and cross Earth's orbit.

What is the asteroid impact hypothesis?

The Alvarez hypothesis posits that the mass extinction of the non-avian dinosaurs and many other living things during the Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event was caused by the impact of a large asteroid on the Earth.