Final answer:
The primary cause of the dinosaur extinction was a cataclysmic asteroid impact near the Yucatán Peninsula, severely altering the global environment and leading to mass extinctions, including those of the dinosaurs.
Step-by-step explanation:
The cause of dinosaur extinction was either a bolide impact (such as a large meteorite or asteroid) or an ecological collapse, or both. The predominant scientific consensus attributes the mass extinction event at the end of the Cretaceous period, approximately 65 million years ago, primarily to a cataclysmic asteroid impact near the Yucatán Peninsula. This event caused a sharp increase in iridium levels in geological strata and left a large impact crater, leading to a chain of environmental disasters. The aftermath included a global cloud of debris that obscured the sun, causing a decline in photosynthesis, followed by a prolonged drought and disruption of the food chain, which ultimately led to the extinction of the dinosaurs and many other species.
The cause of dinosaur extinction was A. a bolide impact. It is now understood that a cataclysmic impact of a large meteorite or asteroid off the coast of what is now the Yucatán Peninsula resulted in the extinction of dinosaurs, along with many other living things. The hypothesis is supported by geological evidence and the discovery of an appropriately aged and sized impact crater. Recovery times for biodiversity after the end-Cretaceous extinction were shorter than for other mass extinctions.