This gas would have combined with water vapor to form sulfuric acid, leading to a sharp and sudden drop in ocean pH. These marine mollusks, distant relatives of today’s nautilus and octopus, were not just passive inhabitants of ancient oceans but were, in fact, apex predators and incredibly successful survivors.
Understanding the Ammonites Extinction Event
Environmental Consequences of the Impact The environmental aftermath was what truly sealed the ammonites' fate. 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.
This strategy, while successful for dispersal, made them completely dependent on the health of the planktonic ecosystem, which was the first to collapse during the impact winter. " Dust and soot ejected high into the atmosphere would have blocked sunlight for months, if not years, bringing photosynthesis to a grinding halt.
Understanding the Ammonites Extinction Event
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.
More About Why did ammonites go extinct
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