Controversies in Science/What killed the dinosaurs/A Critique Of Eruptions, Climate Change and Mass Extinction

(Review Paper) Cited in

The Cause of Dinosaur Extinction
Although there may have been a meteorite that started the extinction of dinosaurs, a meteorite was not solely the cause of dinosaur extinction. Climate change is the largest factor of killing off the dinosaurs. This was caused by volcanic eruption releasing sulfur dioxide into the atmosphere that changed the composition of the gases. Greenhouse gases control the weather on Earth and if there were no gases the Earth would be too cold to sustain life. Therefore; when the volcanoes erupted, the climate changed significantly. This was the cause of dinosaur extinction.

Methods
By examining the chemical composition of rocks in sedimentary layers, scientists can discern that these discrepencies contribute to the theory that the extinction of the dinosaurs can be linked to a major climate change.

Results
Through dating mechanisms scientists can tell that a new volcano could have formed during that era (volcanic provinces: The Himalayas). This can give scientists clues that suggests these volcanoes were a benefiting factor to the extinction of the dinosaurs.