One of India's ancient geological features might have helped kill off the dinosaurs millions of years ago!

Ancient volcanic activity in the Deccan Traps of West-Central India is thought to have played a crucial role in the extinction of dinosaurs, according to recent research. The expansive plateau, formed by molten lava, contributed to global climate cooling around 65 million years ago. These volcanic eruptions released toxic gases into the atmosphere, causing a phenomenon known as volcanic winter, which plunged the Earth into darkness and cold.

The Deccan Traps are a series of lava flows that occurred at the end of the Cretaceous period, spanning 145 million to 66 million years ago. Covering an area of about 1.5 million square kilometres near India's Western Ghats, roughly half the size of modern India, these volcanic eruptions released large amounts of sulphur and fluorine into the atmosphere, further cooling the Earth's climate and blocking out sunlight. This hindered plant growth, leading to starvation among many animals.

This study challenges the commonly held belief that the Chicxulub asteroid impact was the primary cause of dinosaur extinction, suggesting that Deccan volcanism might have exacerbated the die-offs. The research, indicating the impact of ancient climate change on the transition from the Cretaceous to the Paleogene period, emphasizes the profound consequences of even minor shifts in global temperatures.

“Our research demonstrates that climatic conditions were almost certainly unstable, with repeated volcanic winters that could have lasted decades, prior to the extinction of the dinosaurs,” explains Don Baker, co-author of the study. “This instability would have made life difficult for all plants and animals and set the stage for the dinosaur extinction event.”

The research findings have been published in Scientific Advances and can be accessed here.