Asteroid Strike May Have Baked Most Dinosaurs Within Hours

A recent study, released on July 28 in the Journal of Geophysical Research: Biogeosciences, suggests that the Chicxulub asteroid impact, which occurred 66 million years ago, produced a thermal pulse that incinerated most life forms within hours rather than over years. Simulations indicate that the impact vaporized more than 240 cubic miles of rock, creating spherules that fell back to Earth as mini-meteorites, generating intense heat that sparked worldwide wildfires. The resulting dust cloud trapped heat, causing the Earth's surface to bake for approximately 30 minutes. According to co-author Alexandria Johnson from Purdue University, many animals lacking shelter were killed instantly. While the study supports the post-impact winter theory, it emphasizes the immediate lethality of the initial heat. Paleontologist Alfio Alessandro Chiarenza from University College London notes the absence of geological evidence for global wildfires.