FOSSILS ET AL.

Dinosaurs Didn’t Just Disappear; They Took Entire Landscapes With Them

When dinosaurs vanished, forests spread, rivers stabilized, and Earth’s landscapes flipped

Image modified from Julius Csotonyi’s Illustration

Let’s travel back in time.

We’re now at the end of the Cretaceous period, approximately 67 million years ago. There are wide plains crisscrossed by shallow, restless rivers. The channels shift suddenly, spilling water across muddy ground. Between the streams, the land is open, dotted with low plants and scattered trees.

Let’s travel again. This time, to a time closer to the present, 64 million years ago. Now the rivers are broader, looping in graceful bends. The ground between them is dark and rich, packed with the remains of forests that have taken over.

What changed? Not the mountains, not the sea, not even the climate. The difference came from the dinosaurs, or rather, from their absence.

Yes, the extinction of the dinosaurs caused this change in landscapes. But how?

By NASA/JPL-Caltech, modified b — Modified NASA image, with scale and labels to increase clarity by David Fuchs.Original: http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA03379, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=4229567