A mass extinction event that brought about the rise of the dinosaurs more than 200 million years ago was believed to be caused by the planet’s warming. Now, scientists at Columbia University say sudden freezing temperatures may be to blame.
The causes of the End Triassic Extinction, which wiped out three-quarters of all living species, have long been debated. The extinction has been tied to massive volcanic eruptions that split up Pangaea, the supercontinent made up of all of Earth’s continents. Those eruptions sent ash and volcanic debris into the air and across the landscape, with millions of miles of lava erupting over what was believed to be more than 600,000 years.
