Extinction

1996. Acrylic on canvas panel. 18"x24".

Publication History

Essay

A hundred and fifty million years of dinosaur evolution produced some of the most wonderful and terrifying beasts that ever lived. Tyrannosaurus rex was a seven-ton carnivore that grew to a length of over forty feet. Yet for all its size and ferocity, Tyrannosaurus rex suddenly vanished with the rest of the dinosaurs in a geologic instant. Evidence in the fossil record hints that our planet was struck by a small asteroid or a deadly hail of comets at the end of the Cretaceous period, causing the mass extinction of earth's most famous creatures.

For many years it was believed all of the dinosaurs perished at the end of the Cretaceous period 65 million years ago. However, recent discoveries indicate that a few dinosaurs may have survived for another million years beyond the end of the Cretaceous. That would make them the first known Cenozoic era dinosaurs.

Extinction of the Dinosaurs

Time of Event: End of Cretaceous period (65 million years ago)

Major Asteroid Impact Sites that are 65 Million Years Old: