Dinosaurs died out about 66 million years ago during a mass extinction event known as the Cretaceous–Paleogene (K–Pg) extinction. The main cause is widely accepted to be a catastrophic asteroid impact. This asteroid, estimated to be 10 to 15 kilometers wide, struck the Earth near what is now the Yucatán Peninsula in Mexico, creating the Chicxulub crater, which is about 150 kilometers in diameter
. The impact caused immediate devastation, including massive fires, tsunamis, and the ejection of huge amounts of debris into the atmosphere. This debris blocked sunlight, leading to a dramatic and rapid drop in temperatures and a collapse of photosynthesis in plants and plankton. This disruption in the food chain led to the extinction of about 75% of Earth's species, including all non-avian dinosaurs
. In addition to the asteroid impact, extensive volcanic activity, particularly the eruptions of the Deccan Traps in India, likely contributed to the extinction by releasing vast amounts of volcanic gases such as carbon dioxide and sulfur aerosols. These emissions caused long-term climate changes, including global warming, acid rain, and further environmental stress on ecosystems
. Some scientists propose that the combination of these events-asteroid impact, volcanism, and gradual climate change-worked together to cause the sudden and widespread extinction of the dinosaurs and many other species
. In summary, dinosaurs died primarily due to the environmental catastrophe triggered by a massive asteroid impact, compounded by volcanic activity and climate changes that made survival impossible for most species at the time
