The end-Cretaceous mass extinction event--Recovery and evolution of life

Schaefer, Bettina

Schaefer B 2021.pdf (7.152Mb)

Access Status

Open access

Authors

Schaefer, Bettina

Date

2021

Supervisor

Kliti Grice

Marco Coolen

Type

Thesis

Award

PhD

Metadata

Show full item record

Faculty

Science and Engineering

School

School of Earth and Planetary Sciences

URI

http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/84789

Collection

Curtin Theses

Abstract

The end-Cretaceous mass extinction is linked to an asteroid impact 66 Ma ago. Biomarker and stable isotopes are used to summarise the extinction event and the recovery of microbial life in the Chicxulub impact crater. First evidence of photosynthesis is observed 30,000 years after the impact. Additional, environmental 16S rRNA gene profiling revealed that the impact induced changes in the lithology 66 Ma ago are still shaping the microbial community in the deep subsurface today.