Citation
The Chicxulub Asteroid Impact and Mass Extinction at the Cretaceous-Paleogene Boundary
TL;DR
Confirmed asteroid impact as primary cause of K-Pg extinction
International panel of 41 experts reviewing 30 years of evidence concluded definitively that asteroid impact caused the K-Pg extinction, settling the asteroid-versus-volcanism debate in favor of the Alvarez hypothesis. This represents scientific consensus on the most studied mass extinction event.
The paper demonstrates how external catastrophic events can overwhelm even 165 million years of successful adaptation. For organizations, this validates the central thesis of extinction risk: competitive dominance provides no protection against environmental shocks that fundamentally change the rules of survival.
Key Findings from Schulte & al. (2010)
- Confirmed asteroid impact as primary cause of K-Pg extinction
- Ruled out Deccan Traps volcanism as primary cause
- Documented impact mechanisms (global wildfires, impact winter, ecosystem collapse)
- Established scientific consensus among 41 international experts