Question

Mass extinction at the end of the Mesozoic era was probably caused by
a) Continental drift
b) Massive glaciation
c)Collision of the earth with large meteorites
d)Change in earth’s orbit

Answer 1

Hint: During the Mesozoic era or the middle life era it was a time period when giant reptiles and dinosaurs roam around the earth. It was the time period when reptiles were present in many different forms. It was the age of reptiles.

Complete answer: Mesozoic era was a time period when Earth was dominated by the presence of the large reptiles including dinosaurs. This period is known as the age of reptiles or the age of dinosaurs. This era occurred in geological time of about 252 to 66 million years ago. During this era gymnosperms were dominant. The Ginkgo plant was considered to have evolved during this time. The extinction of animals present in the previous era leads to ecological niches to be left empty. So, this led to the establishment of the larger reptiles including dinosaurs, pterosaurs, and aquatic reptiles. The mesozoic era had started with the largest ever extinction witnessed by the earth and ended with the disappearance of all the dinosaurs present in that era. Scientists believe that the extinction of dinosaurs was caused due to the meteorite hitting the earth. But some of the scientists argued that the mass extinction of dinosaurs occurred due to excessive volcanic activities in the area. It is mostly believed that a large asteroid hit the earth killing all the dinosaurs present in that era.

So, the answer is ‘collision of earth with large meteorites.

Note: The Mesozoic era can be divided into the Triassic period, Jurassic period, and Cretaceous period. Dinosaurs were found in the Jurassic and Triassic period after that they went extinct. The mesozoic era was a time period when the geological and biological transition occurred.