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Late Cretaceous and paroxysmal Cretaceous/Tertiary extinctions

Nature volume 326, pages 143–149 (1987)Cite this article

Abstract

The various geological signatures at Cretaceous/ Tertiary time including iridium and other associated elements, microspherules, and shock deformation features are compatible with the suggestion that the transition is marked by a period of intense volcanism. The volatile emissions from this volcanism would lead to acid rain, reduction in the alkalinity and pH of the surface ocean, global atmospheric temperature changes, and ozone layer depletion. These environmental effects coupled with those related to the major sea level regression of the late Cretaceous provide the framework for an explanation of the selective nature of the observed extinction record.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Earth Sciences Department, Dartmouth College, Hanover, New Hampshire, 03755, USA

    Charles B. Officer & Charles L. Drake

  2. Department of Geological Sciences, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, B15 2TT, UK

    Anthony Hallam

  3. Department of Geological Sciences, Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island, 02912, USA

    Joseph D. Devine

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Officer, C., Hallam, A., Drake, C. et al. Late Cretaceous and paroxysmal Cretaceous/Tertiary extinctions. Nature 326, 143–149 (1987). https://doi.org/10.1038/326143a0

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