Question

Which statement describes best the relationships among repeated asteroid impacts and periodic pulses of extinction (pulses meaning a marked short-term elevation of extinction rate)?

A) There is no consistent relationship among all asteroid impacts and pulses of extinction
B) There have been asteroid impacts without co-occurring pulses of extinctions but every pulse of extinction is associated with an asteroid impact
C) There have been pulses of extinction without asteroid impacts but every asteroid impact is associated with a pulse of extinction
D) Asteroid impacts and pulses of extinctions are almost perfectly associated, indicating that asteroid impacts are a likely trigger of nearly all pulses of extinction

Answer 1

The best-described relationship is that every asteroid impact is associated with a pulse of extinction, but not all pulses of extinction are due to asteroid impacts. Other causes have also played significant roles in mass extinctions throughout Earth's history.

Step-by-step explanation:

The correct answer to the question 'Which statement describes best the relationships among repeated asteroid impacts and periodic pulses of extinction?' would be: There have been pulses of extinction without asteroid impacts but every asteroid impact is associated with a pulse of extinction. While asteroid impacts can induce global catastrophes and significantly affect life on Earth, not all pulses of extinction have been linked to such impacts. For example, the most recent mass extinction 65 million years ago, which led to the disappearance of the dinosaurs, is widely believed to have been caused by an asteroid impact. However, other mass extinctions have been attributed to various causes, including volcanic activity, changes in climate, and geological processes. Mass extinctions can occur for a variety of reasons, and not all are connected to asteroid impacts.