[ad_1]
Representative Image
(Supriyanto/Xinhua/IANS)
Who doesn’t love dinosaurs! Partly because they aren’t around, trampling us, now and, more importantly, because they are among the most distinct parts of the Earth’s long and diverse geological history. Scientific studies and explorations have revealed how these massive giants flourished across the globe and eventually got wiped out due to a combination of factors like climate change, volcanoes and an asteroid impact millions of years ago.
Despite more than century-long scrutiny, parts of how dinosaurs flourished and fell remains a mystery, leaving scientists scratching their heads. And now, there is some twist to their origin story! As per a new study, volcanic eruptions actually helped dinosaurs to take over the planet.
A team of scientists from the University of Birmingham have gathered compelling evidence to prove that the rise of dinosaurs and other peculiar animals over 230 million years ago is linked to volcanic activities.
Carnian Pluvial Episode
Throwback—this was the time of the Triassic period, where the planet witnessed significant changes due to myriad factors. It began roughly 250 million years ago when the world had just seen a devastating mass extinction episode (Permian–Triassic extinction event).
One popular event of this period is the Late Triassic Carnian Pluvial Episode (CPE), where the globe witnessed a sudden spike in temperatures and humidity. This time interval of CPE—from 234 million to 232 million years ago—is also referred to as mega-monsoons, with torrential rains lashing every part of the Earth for a continuous one to two million years.
“Within the space of two million years, the world’s animal and plant life underwent major changes, including selective extinctions in the marine realm and diversification of plant and animal groups on land. These events coincide with a remarkable interval of intense rainfall known as the Carnian Pluvial Episode,” explains Jason Hilton, co-author of this study.
The episode resulted in a shift of climatic patterns and ushered in the evolution of many life forms, including the majestic dinosaurs. Increased emission of carbon dioxide from volcanic eruptions is said to be the primary cause for this episode that coincides with some massive evolutionary shifts in the planet’s history.
The underlying factor: volcanic activity
The clue from the sediment and fossil plant records obtained from a lake in northern China’s Jiyuan Basin matches with four distinct phases of volcanic activity that led to massive environmental changes like CPE. These volcanic activities, including eruptions from the Wrangellia Large Igneous Province in modern-day North America, impacted the carbon cycle and rainfall patterns.
The team suggests that dinosaurs’ population increase coincides with significant environmental changes powered by volcanic eruptions.
Jason Hilton further adds: “Our research shows, in a detailed record from a lake in North China, that this period can actually be resolved into four distinct events, each one driven by discrete pulses of powerful volcanic activity associated with enormous releases of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. These triggered an increase in global temperature and humidity.”
As per the study authors, besides dinosaurs, these environmental changes also led to the rise of modern conifer groups and triggered the evolution of terrestrial ecosystems (animal and plant life) like ferns, crocodiles, turtles, insects and the first mammals.
The results of this study have been published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) this week and can be accessed here.
**
For weather, science, and COVID-19 updates on the go, download The Weather Channel App (on Android and iOS store). It’s free!
[ad_2]
Source link