# There Go The Dinosaurs

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-go-the-dinosaurs/268672>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [October 11, 2004, 5:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-go-the-dinosaurs/268672 "2004-10-11T17:27:48Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Ronald\_C.Semone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/cc9497/32.png) [@Ronald\_C.Semone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ronald_C.Semone)\
**Post date:** [October 11, 2004, 5:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-go-the-dinosaurs/268672/1 "2004-10-11T17:27:48Z")

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The following is a statement I have clipped from an internet site on dinosaurs: "But then suddenly they all mysteriously disappeared at the end of the Cretaceous Period about 65 million years ago. " It is typical of statements you will find in any discussion of the disappearance of the dinosaurs. My question: In geological terms, what does “suddenly” mean? Does it mean they died out over a long weekend? Over a couple of centuries? Or does it mean they died out over a period of, say, one million years?

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**Author:** ![Dunderman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ecb155/32.png) [@Dunderman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dunderman)\
**Post date:** [October 11, 2004, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-go-the-dinosaurs/268672/2 "2004-10-11T17:30:54Z")

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Closest to the latter, but this should really be in General Questions.

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**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\
**Post date:** [October 11, 2004, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-go-the-dinosaurs/268672/3 "2004-10-11T17:31:54Z")

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If the Meteorite Impact Theory is correct, they died out over, oh 72 hours.

It could happen again tomorrow.  
Sleep tight.

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**Author:** ![C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b2d939/32.png) [@C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/C_K_Dexter_Haven)\
**Post date:** [October 11, 2004, 8:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-go-the-dinosaurs/268672/4 "2004-10-11T20:57:08Z")

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Yeah, I’m gonna move this from the forum “About this Message Board” over to “General Questions.”

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**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\
**Post date:** [October 11, 2004, 9:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-go-the-dinosaurs/268672/5 "2004-10-11T21:16:32Z")

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> [@C K Dexter Haven](#):
>
> Yeah, I’m gonna move this from the forum “About this Message Board” over to “General Questions.”

You might want to lock it, since the question was reposted by the OP in GQ here:

> **[Disappearance of the Dinosaurs](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=280341)**
>
> I’m still trying to get the hang of this. Here is a question I accidently posted to the wrong message board earlier this morning. Please excuse my clumsiness. The following is a statement I have clipped from an internet site on dinosaurs: "But...