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An asteroid impact on the earth could have been particularly harmful to large mammals, like the mammoth.
© Charles Knight, AMNH |
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This colossal impact would have sent a huge shock wave around the globe causing tidal waves and earthquakes. Immense heat and winds would have ignited widespread fires, and a cloud of vaporized water and rock would have been blasted up into the atmosphere causing months—or even years—of darkness and acid rain. These effects would have been particularly devastating for larger organisms and plant-eaters. However, several other major asteroid impacts are believed to have occurred without causing any extinctions, so the link is far from proven.
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