Sixty-six million years ago, a large asteroid hit Earth. This caused a massive explosion and a huge crater. Scientists have long wondered how this event killed the dinosaurs. A new study suggests it happened very quickly, in just a few hours.
When the asteroid hit, it turned rock into hot gas that went into the atmosphere. As this gas cooled, it formed tiny glass-like balls called spherules. These spherules fell back to Earth, heating the air through friction. However, the study says this wasn't the main cause of death. A thick layer of fine dust also stayed in the atmosphere.
This dust acted like a blanket, trapping heat from the falling spherules. This made the surface temperature much hotter, like a giant oven. The heat was so intense that it started huge wildfires. Even dinosaurs with thick skin could not survive. Researchers believe most land animals died within the first few hours.
Planetary scientist Brandon Johnson, who led the study, explained that the heat from the spherules was reflected back to Earth by the dust. This made the surface incredibly hot. He said that the land "is turned into history's largest barbecue" for about 30 minutes. The same dust that trapped heat also blocked sunlight later, causing a long period of cold. This research suggests the asteroid's immediate heat effects were the main reason for the dinosaurs' extinction.