Scientists have debunked a key hypothesis regarding the extinction of dinosaurs.

The primary theory regarding the causes of dinosaur extinction suggests that these creatures were wiped out by the impact of the Chicxulub asteroid; however, not everyone agrees with this. For instance, some scientists believed that active volcanism in India led to the mass extinction.

Nevertheless, new research dismisses this hypothesis, making the asteroid once again the most likely explanation. The study was published in the journal ScienceAdvances.

It is important to note that both theories share a common feature—they propose that the extinction resulted from significant climate change. In the case of the asteroid, it implies a rapid large-scale dust release due to the impact, while the volcanic activity suggests a slower process.

Researchers conducted excavations in North Dakota and Colorado (U.S. states), where lignite deposits are found. This fossilized peat has repeatedly aided scientists in determining the climate of the distant past, as its unique formation properties prevent the rapid degradation of organic material, thus preserving evidence of climate changes.

During their study, scientists established that approximately 100,000 years before the extinction, there was a long-term warming trend that raised temperatures by about 3 degrees. However, 30,000 years prior to the extinction, there was a sharp temperature drop of approximately 5 degrees.

The warming is believed to be linked to abundant carbon dioxide emissions during eruptions, while the cooling is associated with aerosol sulfur emissions. This is tied to volcanic activity in the Indian Deccan region.

Scientists note that although the temperature fluctuations were relatively sharp, they were clearly insufficient to annihilate the dinosaurs. Thus, the team concludes that while the volcanoes contributed to additional stress, they were not the ultimate cause of the reign's end for the "terrible lizards."

The theory involving the Deccan Traps is largely "inspired" by the primary cause of the infamous Permian-Triassic extinction (the Great Dying)—significant volcanic activity in Siberia. However, in that case, the process occurred over a much larger area (7 million square kilometers compared to 1.5 million), lasted approximately twice as long (1 million years versus 500,000), and importantly, was continuous rather than episodic.

As reported earlier, in recent years, Earth's climate has been breaking heat records, and scientists are still not entirely sure why this is happening or how to stop it.