Final answer:
The dinosaur extinction was caused by a massive asteroid that created the 200 km wide Chicxulub crater. The collision released vast amounts of dust that blocked sunlight, leading to a chain reaction of ecological disasters, culminating in their extinction.
Step-by-step explanation:
The asteroid that contributed significantly to the extinction of the dinosaurs struck the Earth with an immensely powerful impact. It released energy equivalent to 5 billion Hiroshima-size nuclear bombs, forming the Chicxulub crater that is 200 kilometers across. The explosion lifted about 100 trillion tons of dust into the atmosphere, which led to catastrophic environmental changes.
Following the impact, the debris in the atmosphere formed a thick cloud, blocking the sun, which disrupted photosynthesis and led to a drastic drop in temperatures. This caused the death of plants, followed by herbivores and then the carnivores that depended on them. This cosmic collision near the Yucatán Peninsula ultimately marked the end of the dinosaur era and the Cretaceous Period.