Berkeley, California— There have been a series of research work on the evolution and extinction of dinosaurs. Though, there have been debates on the topic, yet a recent study carried out by researchers at UC Berkeley proposes that 66 million years back, asteroids had struck the surface of the earth.
It had impacted in turning a plethora of volcanoes active on another side of the earth. Both the factors might have played crucial roles in ending lives of dinosaurs, leading to their extinctions.
Debates may get the spark
As stated, there have always been debates pertaining to the extinction of dinosaurs across the world. This new-found research shall make way to another series of debates. Mark Richards, the lead researcher working at UC Berkeley as a geologist stated outright that massive asteroids struck the surface of the earth.
It triggered waves of volcanic eruptions across the world. It should have taken the lives of dinosaurs.
Deccan traps and flooding lava took lives
Geologists estimate that instances of Deccan Traps might have played key roles in the mass extinction of dinosaurs 66 million years, in the days of the yore. Richards affirmed this mishap and added that voluminous eruptions of active volcanoes led to flood basalts—the largest, perhaps, during the period, in the history of the blue planet. Such were the extent of lava flowing out that huge land masses, of proportions like
California, can full well get buried
The impact of asteroids led to the formation of gigantic craters, one being in the ocean flood present in Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula. It might have led to the end of the era of dinosaurs and extinction of 75% of all the forms of life on earth.
Report published
The researchers convey that the events might have led to the emission of toxic gases that darkened Mother Earth, lowering temperatures globally, making life difficult on earth. The detailed research report has been published by the Geological Society of America in its bulletin released on Friday.
