Scientists have reconstructed the climate during this period by analyzing fossil molecules in ancient peat bogs in the United States. They found that the volcanic eruption about 30,000 years before the asteroid impact caused a cooling of 5°C. But about 20,000 years before the asteroid impact, temperatures stabilized. “Volcanic CO₂” probably contributed to this.
The study concludes that the mass extinction was caused by an asteroid impact. Unlike volcanic activity, the asteroid caused wildfires, earthquakes, tsunamis, and an “impact winter” as sunlight was blocked by dust rising into the atmosphere and ecosystems were destroyed.
Researchers compiled a detailed temperature scale using bacterial molecules preserved in ancient sediments. Lauren O’Connor from Utrecht University explains that “volcanic” events occurred too early to be the main cause of the extinction.
Source: Ferra
I am a professional journalist and content creator with extensive experience writing for news websites. I currently work as an author at Gadget Onus, where I specialize in covering hot news topics. My written pieces have been published on some of the biggest media outlets around the world, including The Guardian and BBC News.
