Volcanic activity may have contributed to Cretaceous extinction

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2015-10/aaft-vam092815.php

Public Release: 1-Oct-2015
Volcanic activity may have contributed to Cretaceous extinction
American Association for the Advancement of Science

While there is general consensus that a massive asteroid colliding with Earth 66 million years ago contributed to the ensuing mass extinction, including that of dinosaurs, new evidence suggests that this impact triggered more intense volcanic activity, further compounding the extermination. The new measurements of volcanic activity, which may be the most precise to date, indicate a dramatic increase in the rate of eruption of the Deccan volcanos within 50,000 years of the impact.

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Following the collision, the team notes that the mean eruption frequency of a particular subsection decreased dramatically, but the lava volume (per single eruptive event) increased, causing the mean magma eruption rate to roughly double. The transition from high-frequency, low-volume eruptions to low-frequency, high-volume eruptions suggests a fundamental change in the magma plumbing system, the authors say. This large volume of magma continued for approximately 500,000 years after the mass extinction, which is similar to the timescale between extinction and the initial recovery of marine ecosystems. Therefore the authors suggest that the Cretaceous extinction may have resulted from the combined effects of both the asteroid collision and increased volcanic activity.

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2015-10/uoc--aiv092315.php

Public Release: 1-Oct-2015
Asteroid impact, volcanism were one-two punch for dinosaurs
New dates for Deccan Traps eruptions puts them within 50,000 years of impact
University of California - Berkeley

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Both the impact and the volcanism would have blanketed the planet with dust and noxious fumes, drastically changing the climate and sending many species to an early grave.

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