It wasn't just the meteor! Scientists point to another cause for the extinction of dinosaurs

A study conducted by Professor Don Baker's team, from McGill University, in Canada, investigated and discovered other possible causes for the seemingly inevitable extinction of the dinosaurs.

The scientific sampling, released by the journal Science Advances, suggested that giant lizards could have become extinct even if no meteor had fallen to Earth.

It is worth remembering that the impact of a gigantic meteor in the region now known as the Yucatán Peninsula, in Mexico, is considered responsible for making the world uninhabitable for dinos.

According to the Canadian study, volcanic eruptions with a global impact would have caused an effect similar to that caused by the meteor impact, leading to the extinction of the dinosaurs in the same way.

Depending on its scale, a volcanic eruption can, in fact, generate significant climate change in a region. But many large eruptions all happening at the same time would be enough to transform the world, according to scientists.

(Image: disclosure)

How was the study carried out?

To reach the current conclusions, the team led by Don Baker, which had members from all over the world, studied materials from volcanic eruptions that occurred in India, in the region of the rocky basin known as the “Deccan Traps”.

In the analysis, scientists discovered that eruptions that occurred during the time of the dinosaurs injected toxic gases into the Earth's atmosphere, which has already affected a large number of reptiles. Geoscientist Sara Callegaro, who was part of the study, explained this effect.

“Deccan Traps volcanism set the stage for a global biotic crisis by repeatedly deteriorating environmental conditions,” she said. “Our data suggests that volcanic sulfur degassing could have caused repeated, short-lived global drops in temperatures,” she said.

According to scientists, the eruptions would not be punctual, but rather recurring. This would have affected the climate and basic factors for the survival of dinosaurs, such as reproduction and food supply. In other words, extinction was indeed an imminent event.

Graduated in History and Human Resources Technology. Passionate about writing, today he lives the dream of working professionally as a Web Content Writer, writing articles in several different niches and formats.