The Extinction of Dinosaurs Due to Two Simultaneous Disasters

New research indicates that alongside the impact of a massive asteroid, widespread volcanic activity also played a role in the extinction of dinosaurs. 66 million years ago, due to natural disasters, the dinosaur generation along with 75% of animals on Earth went extinct. Various theories have been proposed regarding this event, including the impact of a giant asteroid in Mexico that created the Chicxulub crater with a diameter of 180 kilometers. The scientific journal 'Science' reports that simultaneous to this event, massive volcanic eruptions occurred in India, rendering half of the Earth practically uninhabitable. Reuters, citing these studies, states that the two natural disasters enveloped the world in a haze of dust and ash; these events released toxic gases such as carbon dioxide and sulfur dioxide into the atmosphere, leading to the death of 75% of all living beings on Earth. The Indian volcanoes continued to erupt for up to 420,000 years after the asteroid impact in Mexico; the volume of volcanic material was sufficient to cover the area of the United States to a height of 180 meters. The large asteroid impact occurred 66 million and 40 thousand years ago (with a possible margin of error of about 30,000 years). Scientists believe that volcanic activity in the Deccan Traps region of India was also ongoing at a lower intensity before this, but the asteroid impact intensified the massive volcanic eruptions. Mr. Louis VanderLeewicksen, a volcanologist from Drexel University in Philadelphia, believes that with slight calculation discrepancies, both of these natural events occurred simultaneously. Paul Rene, director of the Berkeley Earth Archaeology Center, also believes that both natural events together caused the widespread extinction of animals. The debate over whether the celestial asteroid or the Indian volcanoes caused the mass extinction has been ongoing among scientists for 35 years. However, Mr. Paul Rene believes that both events happened almost at the same time and both played a role in this disaster. With the extinction of dinosaurs, mammals came to dominate the Earth, ultimately leading to the emergence of humans.