Something more terrible than the giant space rock Chicxulub may have existed on Earth, becoming a death sentence for dinosaurs before the disaster from space.
Theo Science Alert, A new analysis from an international team of scientists has added evidence that the world before the Chicxulub collision was already a “hell”, with the amount of sulfur in the atmosphere reaching critical levels.
Together with other studies of mercury levels, this study provides evidence of volcanic activity strong enough to cause significant climate change on Earth 66 million years ago.
“Our data show that this could cause a short-term decrease in global temperature,” said geologist Sara Callegaro from the University of Oslo (Norway), lead author of the study. know.
This statement refers to the so-called “volcanic winter”, as a reaction of the earth after a period of being transformed into a “hell” by mass volcanic eruptions, a sky choked with sulfur and Ash and dust block light from reaching the ground, combining with other climate-cooling molecules, thereby strongly affecting living organisms.
Previously, the “volcanic winter” hypothesis had been supported, but a giant meteorite – asteroid Chicxulub – was believed to be the cause of the eruption sequence.
Examining ancient rocks from the Deccan Traps volcanic region in western India, scientists have measured sulfur concentrations over time, showing that the region’s emissions alone are enough to change the climate. globally, releasing 1 million cubic kilometers of lava.
The formation of concentrated sulfur-containing lava here is also consistent with the cool climate of the Cretaceous period. As the lava hardens post-eruption, climate-cooling molecules are released into the air.
The series of disasters caused global temperatures to plummet 10 degrees Celsius within 100,000 years before Chicxulub delivered the final blow.
Thus, the Earth itself is the main cause of the end of the “age of monsters”. Asteroid Chicxulub only acted as a collaborator, or even without it, climate change would have been enough to destroy the dinosaurs.