The results of this study was surprising because for scientists believe that dinosaurs became extinct between 65.5 to 66 million years ago. If this finding is true, it proved that the Hadrosaur actually still survive up to about 700,000 years after the mass extinction.
Larry Heaman of the Department of Atmospheric Sciences and Earth estimates that the dinosaur age with U-Pb methods (uranium-lead). The method was not only able to estimate the age of dinosaurs, but also the food. This method has advantages over methods currently in use relative chronology. Last method is to estimate the age based on the sediment layer where the fossil was found.
With a relative chronology, estimation results may be inaccurate. Geological and environmental processes that occur over millions of years can lead to erosion, causing sediment fossil migrate from one layer to another.
During this time, it is believed that the extinction of dinosaurs occurred due to obstruction of sunlight by dust debris hit the asteroid. As a result, extreme climate change and extinction of vegetation, clean sweep of all populations.
With this Hadrosaur fossil findings, Heaman believes climate change is not swept clean of all vegetation. Still there is vegetation that survive to enable Hadrosaur to live.
Heaman also said that the need to explore the eggs that survive in these extreme environments. He reveals, if the results of this study is true, then theories about dinosaur extinction time needs to be revised. The results of this latest publication in the journal Geology, published on 26 January 2011.
