[meteorite-list] Giant Dinosaurs Arrived With A Bang

From: Edward Hodges <holyfireballs_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Thu Apr 22 10:04:49 2004
Message-ID: <F181DrhVRAGMd4uzHNj0001cfbf_at_hotmail.com>

Well Gordon, let's not make the mistake of calling reptiles; dinosuars. They
really aren't the same thing, not really even related. When the
classification system is modified they will be shown to have more in common
with the cow, (reptiles that is). The smaller dinosaurs obviously evolved
into birds, as Archaeopteryx lithographica is a clear example of. Life
always finds a way. Life on Earth was changed by cataclysmic events more
than a few times. It's too bad that really old theories about the evolution
of life are still taught to kids in school. I suggest to anyone interested
to read about these newer more sensical theories at
http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/diapsids/avians.html, or read " Dinosaurs under
the Big Sky", and "Digging Dinosaurs" by Jack Horner. This guy was the model
for Dr. Alan Grant in the Jurassic Park movies as well as the technical
director. His theories about T-rex, being a total scavenger and not a
predator at all are controversial in themselves. All I'm saying is stay away
from the school text books and try reading something that scares you with
all it's new fangled idears Could you name a few of the "reptiles" that were
large and survived? I can't think of one. Even we evolved from a small
shrew like creature that probably ate rotten who knows what to survive.Even
the Bible gives us a story of Noah's Ark, and how life was utterly swept
from the face of the Earth, but yet life found a way. Well anyway, who's got
something to say about meteorites?- Edward R. Hodges


"The reasonable man adapts himself to the conditions that surround him...
The unreasonable man adapts surrounding conditions to himself... All
progress depends on the unreasonable man."- George Bernard Shaw


>From: "Gordon Trone" <1340659_at_attbi.com>
>To: "Edward Hodges" <holyfireballs_at_hotmail.com>
>Subject: Re: [meteorite-list] Giant Dinosaurs Arrived With A Bang
>Date: Thu, 16 May 2002 20:25:46 -0500
>
>There were and are several larger reptiles that obviously survived quite
>nicely. And they didn't evolve into anything different... so what really
>happened to the small dinosaurs???
>Gordon Trone
>----- Original Message -----
>From: "Edward Hodges" <holyfireballs_at_hotmail.com>
>To: <meteorites_at_stonejungle.com>
>Cc: <meteorite-list_at_meteoritecentral.com>
>Sent: Thursday, May 16, 2002 4:42 PM
>Subject: Re: [meteorite-list] Giant Dinosaurs Arrived With A Bang
>
>
> >
> > The theory is that after the impact there was a nuclear winter that
>blocked
> > out the sun long enough to kill off the food sources that would sustain
> > large animals. Since large animal require large quanities of food, it
>would
> > make sense that they would die out pretty fast. So all that's left are
>small
> > reptiles, amphibians, small dinosaurs that eventually evolved into
>birds,
> > and small endothermic mammals. They might have survived on rotting
>organic
> > matter, molds, fungus, lichen and each other. When the skies cleared,
>all
> > that were left are the little creatures, and they were the new rulers of
>the
> > Earth. That's my take on it anyway. - Edward R. Hodges
> >
> >
> > >From: George Winters <meteorites_at_stonejungle.com>
> > >To: meteorite-list_at_meteoritecentral.com
> > >Subject: Re: [meteorite-list] Giant Dinosaurs Arrived With A Bang
> > >Date: Thu, 16 May 2002 15:03:58 -0600
> > >
> > >I always love to debate this issue of impact caused extinction. There
>is
> > >no doubt that an asteroid or some large body struck the earth about 65
> > >million years ago (and many times prior to that event). But the fact
>that
> > >the event happened, does not prove that it was the sole cause for the
>mass
> > >extinction.
> > >
> > >There are to many holes in the theory. My favorite example, is that
>the
> > >creatures that should have been severely affected such as birds, frogs,
> > >turtles and many forms of microscopic life, in fact survived the
> > >event. These animals and plants are very sensitive to their
> > >environment. Today we are loosing many species because of much less
>severe
> > >changes to habitats Then a large impact would cause. I feel that it is
> > >more likely that the impact contributed to the extinction of already
> > >weakened groups such as the dinosaurs and other marine and flying
>reptiles.
> > >
> > >At 12:56 PM 5/16/2002 -0700, you wrote:
> > >
> > >
> > >>http://www.newscientist.com/news/news.jsp?id=ns99992290
> > >>
> > >>Giant dinosaurs arrived with a bang
> > >>New Scientist
> > >>May 16, 2002
> > >>
> > >>Dinosaurs may have arrived with a bang, as well as gone out with one.
> > >>Scientists have found the hallmarks of a meteorite impact and mass
> > >>extinction in rocks just below strata containing the earliest
>footprints
> > >>of
> > >>large meat-eating dinosaurs.
> > >>
> > >>The finding of high levels of iridium metal and fossilised fern spores
> > >>suggests that a sudden extinction cleared the ecological stage,
>leaving
> > >>room
> > >>for meat-eating dinosaurs to grow suddenly larger. A subsequent,
>massive
> > >>meteorite impact about 65 million years ago resulted in the extinction
>of
> > >>the creatures.
> > >>
> > >>Dinosaurs evolved about 230 million years ago and competed with many
>other
> > >>reptiles until the Triassic period ended about 202 million years ago.
>Then
> > >>most of the competitors vanished and dinosaurs grew to their
> > >>characteristically monstrous proportions in the Jurassic period that
> > >>followed.
> > >>
> > >>The key to how the dinosaurs came to dominate the land in this way may
>now
> > >>have been discovered in the sedimentary rocks laid down over the
> > >>Triassic-Jurassic boundary in what is now northeastern North America.
> > >>
> > >>Devastated landscape
> > >>
> > >>The rocks contain few fossil bones, but they preserve both fossil
>pollen
> > >>and
> > >>the footprints of animals that walked beside ancient lakes. Lake
>levels
> > >>rose
> > >>and fell with periodic climate cycles, so the rocks can be finely
>dated,
> > >>says Paul Olsen of the Lamont Doherty Earth Observatory of Columbia
> > >>University.
> > >>
> > >>Surveying 80 sites, Olsen's group found that fossil footprints changed
> > >>from
> > >>typical Triassic to typical Jurassic groupings in a period of just
>50,000
> > >>years. In between lay the boundary between the periods, defined by a
> > >>change
> > >>in pollen type, and including the layer rich in iridium and fern
>spores.
> > >>
> > >>The fern spores are indicative because ferns spread rapidly over
> > >>devastated
> > >>landscapes - sharp peaks of spores also occurred just after the final,
> > >>cataclysmic impact 65 million years ago.
> > >>
> > >>Eat anything
> > >>
> > >>The faunal change was also sharp. "In the late Triassic, there were
>lots
> > >>of
> > >>different footprints representing many different reptile groups,"
>Olsen
> > >>told
> > >>New Scientist. Yet at the start of the Jurassic "all you see are
> > >>dinosaurs,
> > >>lizards and very small, fully terrestrial crocodiles".
> > >>
> > >>And the size of the dinosaurs jumps sharply. Just 50,000 years after
>the
> > >>start of the Jurassic, there are tracks of Eubrontes giganteus, a
> > >>six-metre
> > >>long predator that Olsen says was nearly twice as massive as the
>biggest
> > >>Triassic dinosaur.
> > >>
> > >>The meat eaters survived the disaster probably because of their
>adaptable
> > >>diets, says Olsen. It is typical for a "decimated ecosystem" to become
> > >>dominated by animals that can survive on whatever they can find, he
>says.
> > >>
> > >>Instead of hunting plant-eaters, "they're primarily hunting other
> > >>carnivores
> > >>and things in the water," such as fish. Not until about 100,000 years
> > >>after
> > >>the extinction did a few small plant-eaters start leaving their
>footprints
> > >>by the lakes.
> > >>
> > >>Michael Benton of the University of Bristol aggress that the rapid
>change
> > >>in
> > >>seen in the dinosaurs suggests "it was more of a catastrophic event
>than
> > >>people had thought". However, he warns that Olsen's group has studied
>only
> > >>one area, while iridium-rich deposits from the impact 65 million years
>ago
> > >>have been found at 200 different sites.
> > >>
> > >>Journal reference: Science (vol 296, p 1305)
> > >>
> > >>______________________________________________
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> > >
> > >
> > >
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Received on Fri 17 May 2002 02:43:15 AM PDT