Abstract
Evidence is presented indicating that the extinction, at the end of the Cretaceous, of large terrestrial animals was caused by atmospheric heating during a cometary impact and that the extinction of calcareous marine plankton was a consequence of poisoning by cyanide released by the fallen comet and of a catastrophic rise in calcite-compensation depth in the oceans after the detoxification of the cyanide.
This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution
Access options
Subscribe to this journal
Receive 51 print issues and online access
$199.00 per year
only $3.90 per issue
Buy this article
- Purchase on Springer Link
- Instant access to full article PDF
Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Russell, D. A. Syllogeus 12, 11–23 (1977).
De Laubenfels, M. W. J. Paleont. 30, 207–212 (1956).
Alvarez, L. et al. LBL Rep. 9666, UC Berkeley (1979).
Urey, H. C. Nature 242, 32–33 (1973).
Napier, W. M. & Clube, S. V. M. Nature 282, 455–459 (1979).
Birkelund, T., Bromley, R. G. & Christensen, W. K. Cretaceous–Tertiary Boundary Events (University of Copenhagen, 1979).
Perch-Nielsen, K. in Cretaceous–Tertiary Boundary Events Vol. 1 (eds Birkelund, T. et al.) 115–135 (University of Copenhagen, 1979).
Alvarez, W. et al. Bull. geol. Soc. Am. 88, 383–389 (1977).
Smit, J. in Cretaceous–Tertiary Boundary Events Vol. 2 (eds Birkelund, T. et al.) 156–163 (University of Copenhagen, 1979).
Alvarez, W. et al. in Cretaceous–Tertiary Boundary Events Vol. 2 (eds Birkelund, T. et al.) 69 (University of Copenhagen, 1979).
Kent, D. V. Geology 5, 769–771 (1977).
Alvarez, W. & Vann, D. W. Geology 7, 66–67 (1979).
Lindsay, E. H. et al. Geology 6, 425–429 (1978).
Worsley, T. in Studies in Paleo-Oceanography (ed. Hay, W. W.) Vol. 20, 94–125 (SEPM Spec. Publ., 1974).
Newell, N. D. J. Paleont. 36, 592–610 (1962).
Russell, D. A. Am. Rev. Earth planet. Sci. 7, 163–182 (1979).
Tschudy, R. H. Geol. Soc. Am. Spec. Pap. 127, 65–111 (1971).
Kaufman, E. G. in Cretaceous–Tertiary Boundary Events Vol. 2 (eds Birkelund, T. et al.) 29–37 (University of Copenhagen, 1979).
Tappan, H. & Loeblich, A. R. Geol. Soc. Am. Spec. Pap. 127, 247–340 (1971).
Thierstein, H. R. & Okada, H. Init. Rep. DSDP eg 43, 601–616 (1979).
Supko, P. R. & Perch-Nielsen, K. Init. Rep. DSDP eg 39, 1099–1132 (1977).
Bromley, R. G. in Cretaceous–Tertiary Boundary Events Vol. 1 (eds Birkelund, T. et al.) 16–32 (University of Copenhagen, 1979).
Jerzen, D. M. Syllogeus 12, 39–50 (1977).
McLean, D. M. Science 201, 410–416 (1978).
Saito, T. & Van Donk, J. Micropaleontology 20, 152–177 (1974).
Boersma, A., Shackleton, N., Hall, M. & Given, Q. Init. Rep. DSDP eg 43, 695–718 (1979).
Thierstein, H. R. & Berger, W. H. Nature 276, 461–466 (1978).
Buchardt, B. & Jørgensen, N. O. in Cretaceous–Tertiary Boundary Events Vol. 2 (eds Birkelund, T. et al.) 54–61 (University of Copenhagen, 1979).
Boersma, A. & Shackleton, N. in Cretaceous–Tertiary Boundary Events Vol. 2 (eds Birkelund, T. et al.) 50–53 (University of Copenhagen, 1979).
Brennecke, J. C. & Anderson, T. F. Am. Geophys. Un Trans. 58, 415 (1977).
Weatherill, G. W. Scient. Am. 240, 54–65 (1979).
Hughes, D. W. Nature 281, 11 (1979).
Vortman, L. J. in Impact and Explosion Cratering (eds Roddy, D. J. et al.) 1215–1230 (Pergamon, New York, 1977).
Robertson, P. B. in Impact and Explosion Cratering (eds Roddy, D. J. et al.) 247–276 (Pergamon, New York, 1977).
Gault, D. C. et al. J. geophys. Res. 80, 2444–2460 (1975).
Hughes, D. W. Nature 268, 512–514 (1977).
Prandtl, L., Oswatitsch, K. & Wieghardt, K. Führer durch Strömungslehre (Vieweg, Braunschweig, 1969).
Hughes, D. W. Nature 270, 558–560 (1977).
Whipple, F. L. Astrophys. J. 111, 375 (1950).
Whipple, F. L. Nature 263, 15–19 (1976).
Ulich, B. L. & Conklin, E. K. Nature 248, 121–122 (1974).
Huebner, W. F., Snyder, L. E. & Buhl, B. Icarus 23, 580–582 (1974).
Broecker, W. S. Chemical Oceanography (Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, New York, 1974).
Takahashi, T. in Encyclopedia of Oceanography (ed. Fairbridge, R.) 170–175 (Dowden, Hutchinson & Ross, Stroudsburg, 1966).
Hirner, A. Schweiz. Petrol. Geol. 45, 47–56 (1979).
DeBrune, A. Biochemical Toxicology of Environmental Agents (Elsevier, Amsterdam, 1976).
Gaarder, K. R. in North Atlantic Deep Sea Expedition 1910 Vol. 2 (ed Sars, M.) 4 (Grieg, Bergan, 1954).
Kennett, J. P., Burckle, L. H., Keigwin, L. D. & Woodruff, F. Geol. Soc. Am. Abstr. 11, 456 (1979).
Andrews, R. J. in Impact and Explosion Cratering (eds Roddy, D. J. et al.) 1089–1100 (Pergamon, New York, 1977).
Wisotski, J. in Impact and Explosion Cratering (eds Roddy, D. J. et al.) 1101–1122 (Pergamon, New York, 1977).
Fisher, R. V. Bull. geol. Soc. Am. 88, 1287–1297 (1977).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Hsü, K. Terrestrial catastrophe caused by cometary impact at the end of Cretaceous. Nature 285, 201–203 (1980). https://doi.org/10.1038/285201a0
Received:
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/285201a0
This article is cited by
-
KTB iron mineralogy at iridium deficient layers revealed by Mössbauer spectroscopy
Hyperfine Interactions (2006)
-
Multiple factors in the origin of the Cretaceous/Tertiary boundary: the role of environmental stress and Deccan Trap volcanism
Geologische Rundschau (1996)
-
A critical review of the case for, and against, extraterrestrial impact at the K/T boundary
Surveys in Geophysics (1990)
Comments
By submitting a comment you agree to abide by our Terms and Community Guidelines. If you find something abusive or that does not comply with our terms or guidelines please flag it as inappropriate.