The sudden disappearance of the ammonites, those magnificent coiled shells that ruled the Mesozoic seas for over 300 million years, has long captivated scientists and enthusiasts alike. The initial blast wave and global wildfires would have been followed by a prolonged period of "impact winter.
How Asteroid Impact Triggered the Sudden Demise of Ammonites
This collapse of the base of the food chain would have devastated marine plankton, the primary food source for many small marine animals, which in turn were prey for larger creatures, including young and small ammonites. This gas would have combined with water vapor to form sulfuric acid, leading to a sharp and sudden drop in ocean pH.
The increased acidity can dissolve carbonate structures and makes it physiologically difficult for calcifying organisms to survive, a stress they likely could not endure on top of the collapsing food webs. The most widely accepted cause is the impact of a massive asteroid or comet, approximately 10 to 15 kilometers in diameter, which struck the Earth near what is now the Yucatán Peninsula in Mexico.
Asteroid Impact Theory: How the Cosmic Strike Wiped Out Ammonites
The Final Chapter: The K-Pg Extinction Event The leading scientific explanation for the ammonites’ demise points to the Cretaceous-Paleogene (K-Pg) extinction event, formerly known as the K-T event. Their reliance on a healthy, sunlit ocean made them a canary in the coal mine, and they perished as the ecosystem they dominated collapsed.
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