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Did volcanoes cause massive extinctions?
© Monserrat Observatory |
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#4 – Volcanoes
Some scientists argue instead that huge volcanic eruptions were responsible for mass extinctions, particularly in the Cretaceous and possibly at the end of the Permian. There’s plenty of evidence that the end of the Cretaceous period saw tremendous volcanic activity, and the resulting clouds of gas and debris would certainly have devastated plant and animal life. Volcanic activity could also explain the presence of iridium (it’s common in the material from the Earth's mantle, which spews out during eruptions) and of the quartz crystals (the fractures could have been caused by the pressure of volcanic explosions).
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