A new study supports the theory that volcanoes — not asteroids — trigger the most extreme mass extinction events.
, aka the Great Dying, was the deadliest mass extinction event in the history of our planet.
Keller and a team of researchers compared the asteroid theory with a similar theory that states that volcanic activity actually produced the cold-inducing covers of atmospheric ash, resulting in the five extinction events. Ultimately, their comparison found that four of the five events corresponded with enormous volcanic explosions that flooded large swaths of the planet in lava in only a million years’ time or less.
After identifying these enormous eruptions, the team then used supercomputers to analyze their timing with that of past extinctions, including the five mass extinction events. To verify that any correspondence between the timing of the two represented causal connections rather than coincidences, the computers then tested whether the volcanic activities would coordinate with 100 million randomly generated patterns at a similar level.
In addition to this overlap in time, the researchers also found that the periods with the worst rates of eruption also corresponded to the periods with the worst rates of extinction. This suggests that the worse the explosion, the worse the extinction.
South Africa Latest News, South Africa Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Pakistan Floods Made Worse By Climate Crisis and Inequality: Study\u0022As climate-related losses rapidly mount, global demands for climate justice will only grow,\u0022 one expert said.
Read more »
Fintech company Ocrolus co-authors study on how automation can reduce bias in lendingDavid Snitkof of document handling company Ocrolus says the fintech's machine learning technology can reduce bias in lending, as shown in a recent NYU study.
Read more »
Study: This Is The Best Way to Soothe a Crying BabyLearn more about a simple 15-minute method researchers say to be the most effective at soothing baby to sleep.
Read more »
Latino viewers heavily influence the popularity of streaming shows, a study findsA new study from Nielsen finds that Latino viewers not only love to watch shows on streaming platforms, but they also influence which are the most popular.
Read more »
Climate Change Worsened Historic Pakistan Floods, Study FindsA new study says human-caused climate change juiced the rainfall that triggered Pakistan’s floods by up to 50%.
Read more »