The mass extinction event 65 million years ago in which the dinosaurs went extinct is believed to have been caused by a large asteroid striking Earth. Evidence in support of this hypothesis includes the discovery of material common to asteroids within a layer of Earth that dates to the time of the extinction. In addition, a large crater was discovered with the expected date and size of such an asteroid impact. The fossil record indicates there were four other mass extinction events. Which of the following experimental results support(s) a hypothesis that all mass extinction events were caused by asteroid strikes?

Question

BlackTom AI · Accepted Answer

First, we restate the scenario: researchers are evaluating evidence that all mass extinction events were caused by asteroid strikes, and we must assess which experimental results would support that claim.
Option A: Craters of various sizes are present throughout the fossil record. While craters indicate impact events, their presence alone across many time periods does not directly tie each mass extinction to asteroid impacts. Some craters may be unrelated in age to specific extinctions, and crater formation can occur without causing a globally catastrophic event. Therefore, this evidence is only indirect and not conclusive in proving that all mass extinctions were caused by asteroid strikes.
Option B: Deposits of volcanic ash correlate with other indicators of major climate shifts. Volcanic ash layers suggest volcanic activity as a driver of climate change, which is an alternative mechanism for extinctions. This type of evidence does not support asteroid causation; in fact, it can directly contradict it by pointing to volcanism as the culprit. Thus, this result actually challenges the asteroid-hypothesis rather than supporting it.
Option C: Layers of Earth that date to the time of each mass extinction event contain the material common to asteroids. Finding asteroid-related material (such as iridium or other comet/asteroid signatures) in each relevant extinction layer directly supports the idea that asteroid impacts occurred at those times. This is the strongest form of evidence among the options for linking all mass extinctions to asteroid events.
Option D: All of these are correct. Since Option B is not supportive of asteroid causation, this statement cannot be true. The inclusion of volcanic-ash evidence does not align with asteroid-driven extinctions, so not all listed results support the hypothesis.
In sum, only the asteroid-material in extinction-time layers provides direct supportive evidence for asteroid-caused extinctions across all events, while craters are suggestive but not universally confirmatory, and volcanic ash deposits point to alternative explanations. Therefore, Option C is the one that aligns with the stated hypothesis across all extinctions, whereas Options A, B, and D fail to do so for the reasons described.

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