Dinosaurs became extinct not only due to the fall of a giant asteroid 65 million years ago. Some of the giant lizards that once dominated our planet were destroyed by a layer of atmospheric soot, formed as a result of the grandiose eruption of the Mexican volcano Chicxulub. The results of the corresponding study were published by Japanese scientists from Tohoku University.
The eruption of Chicxulub volcano primarily affected the flying dinosaurs, which fell prey to the colossal volumes of smoke erupted by the volcano. The layer of soot formed in the Earth's atmosphere because of this was so dense that in some areas of the planet it almost completely absorbed the sun's rays, preventing them from reaching the surface.
The theory that the eruption of the Chicxulub volcano was one of the main reasons for the extinction of the dinosaurs is supported by the fact that their contemporaries, crocodiles, still live on Earth. Crocodiles, as scientists note, were able to bypass soot poisoning by hiding under water.
At the same time, the theory of the volcano that killed the dinosaurs is not generally accepted and is disputed by many experts who believe that the dinosaurs were destroyed by an asteroid.
Kolesnikov Andrey