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The case for extraterrestrial causes of extinction.
Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci. 1989; 325:421-31; discussion 431-5.PT

Abstract

The dramatic increase in our knowledge of large-body impacts that have occurred in Earth's history has led to strong arguments for the plausibility of meteorite impact as a cause of extinction. Proof of causation is often hampered, however, by our inability to demonstrate the synchronism of specific impacts and extinctions. A central problem is range truncation: the last reported occurrences of fossil taxa generally underestimate the true times of extinction. Range truncation, because of gaps in sedimentation, lack of preservation, or lack of discovery, can make sudden extinctions appear gradual and gradual extinctions appear sudden. Also, stepwise extinction may appear as an artefact of range truncation. These effects are demonstrated by experiments performed on data from field collections of Cretaceous ammonities from Zumaya (Spain). The challenge for future research is to develop a new calculus for treating biostratigraphic data so that fossils can provide more accurate assessments of the timing of extinctions.

Authors+Show Affiliations

Raup DM
Department of Geophysical Sciences, University of Chicago, Illinois 60637, USA.

MeSH

AnimalsBiological EvolutionFossilsIridiumMeteoroidsModels, TheoreticalPaleontologySpain

Pub Type(s)

Journal Article
Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.

Language

eng

PubMed ID

11538672

Citation

Raup, D M.. "The Case for Extraterrestrial Causes of Extinction." Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological Sciences, vol. 325, 1989, pp. 421-31; discussion 431-5.
Raup DM. The case for extraterrestrial causes of extinction. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci. 1989;325:421-31; discussion 431-5.
Raup, D. M. (1989). The case for extraterrestrial causes of extinction. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological Sciences, 325, 421-31; discussion 431-5.
Raup DM. The Case for Extraterrestrial Causes of Extinction. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci. 1989;325:421-31; discussion 431-5. PubMed PMID: 11538672.
* Article titles in AMA citation format should be in sentence-case
TY - JOUR T1 - The case for extraterrestrial causes of extinction. A1 - Raup,D M, PY - 1989/1/1/pubmed PY - 2001/9/11/medline PY - 1989/1/1/entrez KW - NASA Discipline Exobiology KW - Non-NASA Center SP - 421-31; discussion 431-5 JF - Philosophical transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological sciences JO - Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci VL - 325 N2 - The dramatic increase in our knowledge of large-body impacts that have occurred in Earth's history has led to strong arguments for the plausibility of meteorite impact as a cause of extinction. Proof of causation is often hampered, however, by our inability to demonstrate the synchronism of specific impacts and extinctions. A central problem is range truncation: the last reported occurrences of fossil taxa generally underestimate the true times of extinction. Range truncation, because of gaps in sedimentation, lack of preservation, or lack of discovery, can make sudden extinctions appear gradual and gradual extinctions appear sudden. Also, stepwise extinction may appear as an artefact of range truncation. These effects are demonstrated by experiments performed on data from field collections of Cretaceous ammonities from Zumaya (Spain). The challenge for future research is to develop a new calculus for treating biostratigraphic data so that fossils can provide more accurate assessments of the timing of extinctions. SN - 0962-8436 UR - https://www.unboundmedicine.com/medline/citation/11538672/The_case_for_extraterrestrial_causes_of_extinction_ DB - PRIME DP - Unbound Medicine ER -