What Causes Extinction?

What Causes Extinction?

Grade 9th Grade · Science · 60 min

What's Included

Learning Objective

I can analyze the causes and consequences of extinction events.

Warm-Up Video

Kurzgesagt – In a Nutshell · 11:40

How The Dinosaurs Actually Died

Guided Notes

3 key concepts

  • 1

    Around 66 million years ago, an Everest-sized asteroid hit Earth, but new evidence suggests that the Deccan Traps may have also contributed to the dinosaurs' extinction.

  • 2

    The Deccan Traps began exhaling about 10 million tonnes of CO₂ and sulfur dioxide each year, leading to a period of heating and then cooling that stressed ecosystems.

  • 3

    About 50,000 years before the asteroid impact, the Deccan Traps spewed out tens of trillions of tons of magma and deadly gasses, potentially creating hypercanes that ripped holes in the ozone layer.

Practice Questions

12 questions · Multiple choice & Short answer

Exit Ticket

Quick comprehension check

Describe two causes of the extinction event that led to the demise of the dinosaurs, according to the video.

Complete Lesson Package

Get all 3 ready-to-use resources:

Teacher Guide
Student Doc
Slides