Yes, really.

I agree that world-wide and long lasting disruptions to the climate (runaway
volcanism, volcanic winters, etc) whether caused by an asteroid impact or
terrestrial events can significantly interfere with the food chain and bring
on a mass extinction. But I was just saying that I don't think a set of
tsunami, in and of themselves, could account for the extinction. The
possible extinction of one or two species with a geographically restricted
distribution, perhaps, but not of all the dinosaurs, marine reptiles and the
pterosaurs.



"don findlay" wrote in message
ups.com...

EarlCox wrote:
Exactly. While the elapsed KT transition period was a blink of
geological
time, it may have lasted several decades or several centuries.
Dinosaur
populations were scattered all over the world and, as recent evidence
suggests, they were very robust and diverse. It is extraordinarily
difficult
to image a scenario where a series of tsunami, even huge tsunami,
could
obliterate all these populations.

Really? I find it quite easy. It's a question of food. Earthquakes,
Runaway volcanism ('LIPS'), Volcanic 'winters' lasting (on and off) for
a million or two years. Or thousands if you like.. But it has all
the ingredients of catastrophe and fast burial. I would have thought
it provides the most plausible explanation by a long way.



And a tsunami event would not explain why
late Mesozoic sea reptiles as well as pterosaurs would also be wiped
out.

Food again. All this volcanism didn't just happen on the one day.

Unless of course you believe that a few of the sea beasties are still
hiding
out in a long thin but very deep lake in Scotland! grin