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    Evidence For Volcanic-Eruptions Theory

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    Rhaine Esteban
    Volcanic activity was common 65-70 million years ago, as evidenced by massive lava beds around the world from this period. According to the volcanic eruption theory, this global volcanic activity released large amounts of gases and particles into the atmosphere, blocking sunlight and causing temperatures and plant growth to plummet. As a result, dinosaurs and many other organisms poorly adapted to these harsh conditions went extinct. Evidence for this theory includes immense lava flows in India spanning 500,000 years before the extinction, high concentrations of iridium which could have come from volcanic eruptions, and fractured crystals that can form from volcanic explosions. The fossil record is debated but could show a gradual decline in dinosaurs matching the gradual effects of climate change from

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    Evidence For Volcanic-Eruptions Theory

    Uploaded by

    Rhaine Esteban
    33 views2 pages
    Volcanic activity was common 65-70 million years ago, as evidenced by massive lava beds around the world from this period. According to the volcanic eruption theory, this global volcanic activity released large amounts of gases and particles into the atmosphere, blocking sunlight and causing temperatures and plant growth to plummet. As a result, dinosaurs and many other organisms poorly adapted to these harsh conditions went extinct. Evidence for this theory includes immense lava flows in India spanning 500,000 years before the extinction, high concentrations of iridium which could have come from volcanic eruptions, and fractured crystals that can form from volcanic explosions. The fossil record is debated but could show a gradual decline in dinosaurs matching the gradual effects of climate change from

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    Eras of Earth

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    Volcanic activity was common 65-70 million years ago, as evidenced by massive lava beds around the world from this period. According to the volcanic eruption theory, this global volcanic activity released large amounts of gases and particles into the atmosphere, blocking sunlight and causing temperatures and plant growth to plummet. As a result, dinosaurs and many other organisms poorly adapted to these harsh conditions went extinct. Evidence for this theory includes immense lava flows in India spanning 500,000 years before the extinction, high concentrations of iridium which could have come from volcanic eruptions, and fractured crystals that can form from volcanic explosions. The fossil record is debated but could show a gradual decline in dinosaurs matching the gradual effects of climate change from

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as docx, pdf, or txt
    33 views2 pages

    Evidence For Volcanic-Eruptions Theory

    Uploaded by

    Rhaine Esteban
    Volcanic activity was common 65-70 million years ago, as evidenced by massive lava beds around the world from this period. According to the volcanic eruption theory, this global volcanic activity released large amounts of gases and particles into the atmosphere, blocking sunlight and causing temperatures and plant growth to plummet. As a result, dinosaurs and many other organisms poorly adapted to these harsh conditions went extinct. Evidence for this theory includes immense lava flows in India spanning 500,000 years before the extinction, high concentrations of iridium which could have come from volcanic eruptions, and fractured crystals that can form from volcanic explosions. The fossil record is debated but could show a gradual decline in dinosaurs matching the gradual effects of climate change from

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    Evidence for volcanic-eruptions theory

    Massive beds of ancient lava found around the world represent an Earth where volcanic
    eruptions were commonplace 65 to 70 million years ago.

    According to the volcanism hypothesis, this global-scale volcanic activity spewed so much gas,
    ash, and dust into the atmosphere that it kept sunlight from reaching Earth's surface.
    Temperature and plant production plummeted, and dinosaurs and many other organisms that
    were poorly adapted to the harsh conditions perished.

    Evidence for the Volcanism Hypothesis

    1) Lava Flows

    Immense lava flows cover nearly 200,000 square miles of the Deccan region of India, reaching
    depths of more than 6,500 feet in places.

    Lava flows like these provide evidence of a rash of volcanic activity for at least 500,000 years
    leading up to the extinction of the dinosaurs.

    2) Rare Metal

    The metal iridium, which is similar to platinum, is very rare on Earth's surface but is more
    common in asteroids and in molten rock deep within the planet.

    Some scientists think the presence of high concentrations of iridium at the geological layer
    associated with the dinosaur extinction could be the result of extremely large-scale volcanic
    activity.

    3) Fractured Crystals

    These crystals, often called "shocked quartz," show a distinctive pattern of fracturing caused by
    high-energy impacts or explosions.

    Although geologists generally acknowledge that a comet or asteroid impact would cause these
    fractures, some scientists conclude that they could also be the result of volcanic eruptions.

    4) Fossil Record
    A gradual decline in the number of dinosaur species would likely mirror an equally gradual
    cause of their ultimate extinction. Conversely, a sudden "now you see them, now you don't"
    end to the dinosaurs implies a catastrophic cause. Depending on location and interpretation,
    the fossil record seems to say different things.

    A gradual decline in the number of dinosaur species would likely mirror an equally gradual
    process like climate change caused by global volcanism.

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