K/Pg extinction (was RE: Source of KT asteroid pdf)

["Thomas R. Holtz, Jr." <tholtz@umd.edu>]

> From: owner-DINOSAUR@usc.edu [mailto:owner-DINOSAUR@usc.edu] 
> On Behalf Of Adam
>
> 
> What about all you Dino Doctors? Who believes the K/T 
> extinction was due to an impact (or two)? Who believes it was 
> volcanism? Something else?
> 

IMPO, Deccan Traps & the Maastrichtian Regression may have caused
environmental disruption, and could possibly have led to faunal changes
comparable to the J/K boundary or the Late Devonian extinctions, but
Chicxulub is the Main Event.

For some good recent references, see:
Cretaceous/Paleogene Extinction and Recovery:

    * Beerling, D.J., B.H. Lomax, D.L. Royer, G.R. Upchurch, & L.R. Kump.
2002. An atmospheric pCO2 reconstruction across the Cretaceous-Tertiary
boundary from leaf megafossils. Proceedings of the National Academy of
Sciences 99: 7836-7840.
    * Buffetaut, E. 2004. Polar dinosaurs and the question of dinosaur
extinctions: a brief review. Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology,
Palaeoecology 214: 225-231.
    * D'Hondt, S. 2005. Consequences of the Cretaceous/Paleogene mass
extinction for marine ecosystems. Annual Review of Ecology, Evolution, and
Systematics 36: 295-317.
    * Kring, D.A. 2007. The Chicxulub impact event and its environmental
consequences at the Cretaceous-Tertiary boundary. Palaeogeography,
Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology 255: 4-21.
    * Kriwet, J., & M.J. Benton. 2004. Neoselachian (Chondrichthyes,
Elasmobranchii) diversity across the Cretaceous-Tertiary boundary.
Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology 214: 181-194.
    * Molina, E., L. Alegret, I. Arenillas & J.A. Arz. 2005. The
Cretaceous/Paleogene boundary at the Agost section revisited:
paleoenvironmental reconstruction and mass extinction pattern. Journal of
Iberian Geology 31: 135-148.
    * Nicols, D.J. 2007. Selected plant microfossil records of the terminal
Cretaceous event in terrestrial rocks, western North America.
Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology 255: 22-34.
    * Robertson, D.S., M.C. McKenna, O.B. Toon, S. Hope & J.A. Lillegraven.
2004. Survival in the first hours of the Cenozoic. Geological Society of
America Bulletin 116: 760-768.
    * Vajda, V., & S. McLoughlin. 2004. Fungal proliferation at the
Cretaceous-Tertiary boundary. Science 303: 1489.
    * Wilf, P., K.R. Johnson & B.T. Huber. 2003. Correlated terrestrial and
marine evidence for global climate changes before mass extinction at the
Cretaceous-Paleogene boundary. Proceedings of the National Academy of
Sciences 100:599-604. 

Cretaceous/Paleogene Recovery:

    * Bown, P. 2005. Selective calcareous nannoplankton survivorship at the
Cretaceous-Tertiary boundary. Geology 33: 653-656.
    * Coxall, H.K., S. D'Hondt & J.C. Zachos. 2006. Pelagic evolution and
environmental recovery after the Cretaceous-Paleogene mass extinction.
Geology 34: 297-300.
    * Fuqua, L.M., T.J. Bralower, M.A. Arthur & M.E. Patzkowsky. 2008.
Evolution of calcareous nannoplankton and the recovery of marine food webs
after the Cretaceous-Paleocene mass extinction. Palaios 23: 185-194.
    * Galeotti, S., H. Brinkhuis, & M. Huber. 2004. Records of
post-Cretaceous-Tertiary boundary millennial-scale cooling from the western
Tethys: A smoking gun for the impact-winter hypothesis? Geology 32: 529-532.
    * Kiessling, W., & R.C. Baron-Szabo. 2004. Extinction and recovery
patterns of scleractinian corals at the Cretaceous-Tertiary boundary.
Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology 214: 195-223. [One of a
number of papers in:
            Kiessling, W., &. D. Lazarus (eds.) 2004. Mesozoic-Cenozoic
Bioevents. Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology 214: 179-294.] 
    * Wilf, P., C. Labandeira, K.R. Johnson & B. Ellis. 2006. Decoupled
plant and insect diversity after the end Cretaceous extinction. Science 313:
1112-1115. 

(The Robertson et al. 2004 paper is particularly interesting, and definitely
worth a careful read by interested parties).

Thomas R. Holtz, Jr.
Email: tholtz@umd.edu   Phone: 301-405-4084
Office: Centreville 1216                        
Senior Lecturer, Vertebrate Paleontology
Dept. of Geology, University of Maryland
http://www.geol.umd.edu/~tholtz/
Fax: 301-314-9661               

Faculty Director, Earth, Life & Time Program, College Park Scholars
http://www.geol.umd.edu/~jmerck/eltsite/
Fax: 301-405-0796

Mailing Address:        Thomas R. Holtz, Jr.
                        Department of Geology
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                        University of Maryland
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