Their modelling of that scenario shows it would have created an abrupt change in the climate, cooling the globe and decreasing the amount of rain. The asteroid that killed the dinosaurs might have done so by setting giant reserves of crude oil alight, shooting soot around the globe and turning vast regions of the Earth into deserts, according to a new analysis. The asteroid also caused a heat pulse that would have fried the land immediately, volcanic eruptions, earthquakes and tidal waves. The leading theory for what caused the extinction of the dinosaurs was a huge asteroid that hit the Earth in present-day Mexico 66m years ago. Further from the equator, extreme cooling and drying would have caused the extinction of both dinosaurs and crocodilians.

Source: The Guardian July 14, 2016 12:56 UTC