Dinosaur renaissance
New extinction theories. The assumption that dinosaurs became extinct because they were inferior in competition with mammals is wrong. Iridium, a metal found mainly in meteorites, was found in the Cretaceous-Tertiary boundary layer. Also the Chicxulub crater was found. This suggested the extinction had been caused by a meteor impact. Later, the existence of the Deccan Traps at the same time showed that enormous flood volcanism was also at work.