Volcanoes Helped Doom Dinos

Research shows extinction resulted from not only an asteroid but volcanoes too
By Ryan Riley,  Newser User
Posted Nov 13, 2007 2:42 PM CST
Volcanoes Helped Doom Dinos
A growing body of evidence suggests that in addition to a meteoric collision, massive volcanic eruptions may have helped do the dinosaurs in.    (Shutterstock.com)

Not one but two catastrophic events may have spelled destruction for the Age of Dinosaurs, previously thought to have ended when an asteroid or comet struck the earth. New research suggests the prehistoric giants died off in “an unfortunate coincidence of a one-two punch—of Deccan volcanism and then a hit from space," said a Princeton paleontologist.

The research shows that the height of massive volcanic eruptions in India occurred at or just prior to the mass extinction 65 million years ago. Earlier research had indicated the eruptions were within 300,000 to 500,000 years of the extinction. Another paleontologist offered caution: “A great deal of evidence connected a single massive impact with the K-T extinction event.” (More dinosaurs stories.)

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