L6.8 Mass Extinction and Its Aftermath

What event 66 million years ago triggered a mass extinction?

• Volcanic eruption

• Massive earthquake

• Asteroid impact

• Global flood

What were the immediate environmental consequences of the asteroid impact?

• Increased sunlight and warmth

• Widespread volcanic activity

• Global wildfires and a prolonged blackout

• Rapid growth of new plant species

Which types of animals were most likely to survive the mass extinction event?

• Large predatory dinosaurs

• Animals living in open grasslands

• Small animals living in water or underground

• Large herbivorous mammals

What type of fossil evidence found at Corral Bluffs helps scientists reconstruct the plant community immediately after the mass extinction?

• Large fossilized tree trunks

• Fossilized dinosaur bones

• Fossilized spores and pollen

• Fossilized fish scales

What characteristic allowed ferns to quickly colonize landscapes after the mass extinction?

• Their large, complex root systems

• Their ability to germinate in denuded landscapes

• Their symbiotic relationship with fungi

• Their resistance to extreme temperatures

Approximately how long after the mass extinction did a forest canopy return, dominated by plants like palms?

• A few thousand years

• 100,000 years

• 300,000 years

• 700,000 years

What geological formation was crucial in protecting the rare mammal fossils discovered by the paleontological team?

• Volcanic ash deposits

• Hardened clay beds

• Concretions

• Sedimentary rock layers