Using estimates based on existing research, the five researchers calculated that the energy released by the asteroid strike was approximately equivalent to 100 million megatons of TNT. The force of the impact would have thrown debris high into the air, much of it burning up while still in the atmosphere–effectively turning the Earth into a giant broiler oven. Any organisms that were not in the ocean or burrowed underground would have died within minutes to hours. This could explain why some organisms survived the impact while the dinosaurs died out. “The types of organisms that were sheltered are almost an exact match of what we know made it through, like turtles, crocodiles and even birds,” said Robertson.