Re: Crater may reveal how dinosaurs became extinct (John Bois)

[Ronald Orenstein <ornstn@inforamp.net>]

Sender: John Bois <jbois@umd5.umd.edu>
Subject: Re: Crater may reveal how dinosaurs became extinct



On Wed, 21 Aug 1996, Seth Ellestad wrote:

> Perhaps it was not the trigger for the extinction of
> these animals, as many already argue, perhaps if it was, it just chanced to
> hit at a particularly inopportune time when the number and viability of
> species was in a downturn.

In which case the meteor was the proximate not the ultimate cause of 
dinosaur extinction.  This is especially true since dinosaur diversity 
was in more of a long established decline rather than a temporary 
"downturn".