Microscopic stratigraphic analysis of ammonite shells at Denmark’s Stevns Klint suggests some spiral cephalopods appear in sediments dated to the earliest Paleogene, implying they may have survived the asteroid that killed most dinosaurs. The claim is contested (reworking vs in‑situ survival) but, if validated, would complicate simple mass‑extinction models and force reexamination of post‑event recovery dynamics.
— A verified survival of ammonites past the K–Pg boundary changes a headline science story about the end‑Cretaceous event and has downstream implications for public narratives about extinction risk, recovery, and how paleontologists interpret mixed or reworked fossil assemblages.
Molly Glick
2026.01.08
100% relevant
Stevns Klint ammonite specimens examined by microscopy and associated mud/ microfossil matrices (Machalski et al., Scientific Reports 2025) that the authors argue belong to the lowermost Paleogene strata.
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