Which of the following is surprisingly abundant along the KT boundary? Group of answer choicesForaminferaOxygen gasPlutonium 244Iridium
Question
Which of the following is surprisingly abundant along the KT boundary? Group of answer choicesForaminferaOxygen gasPlutonium 244Iridium
Solution
The answer is Iridium. The K-T boundary (Cretaceous-Tertiary boundary) is marked by a thin layer of sediment which is unusually rich in the rare metal iridium. This was surprising to scientists because iridium is rare in the Earth's crust but abundant in asteroids and in molten rock from the Earth's mantle. This led to the theory that the extinction of the dinosaurs was caused by a large asteroid impact, which spread a layer of iridium around the world.
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