Massive volcanic eruptions did not cause the extinction of dinosaurs, according to a new study
DINOSAURS survived a spate of violent volcanic eruptions often blamed for their extinction, a study has found.
It adds further weight to the belief that they were killed off by an asteroid smashing into Earth 66million years ago.
The study focused on eruptions on the Indian peninsula 30,000 years before the asteroid hit.
They threw dust and gases into the atmosphere, cooling the planet by 5C.
But its effects, minor compared with the asteroid hit, had worn off within 10,000 years — and had little or no effect on the extinction of the dinosaurs, the researchers say.
The University of Manchester and University of Utrecht team analysed fossil peats to piece together what the climate would have been like.
Dr Rhodri Jerrett said: “We believe it was the asteroid that ultimately delivered the fatal blow.”
Dr Lauren O’Connor, of Utrecht University, says the period of global warming was likely aided by volcanic CO2 emissions.
She said: “These volcanic eruptions and associated CO2 and sulphur release would have had drastic consequences for life on Earth.
“But these events happened millennia before the meteorite impact and probably played only a small part in the extinction of dinosaurs.”