The erupting ancient volcano caused a global extinction disaster

A previously unknown volcanic eruption has led to a global extinction disaster that occurred 260 million years ago. But recently it has been forced by Leeds University scientists to show up.

The eruption in Emeishan province in southwestern China frees a million kilometers of lava, covering an area five times larger than Wales, destroying marine life worldwide.

However, scientists can still show the exact time of the eruption event and link it directly to the mass extinction event in a study published in the journal Science. That's because the eruption event occurs in shallow waters, which means that the lava layer that appears today is a different layer of flint sandwiched between layers of sedimentary rocks containing marine organisms that have been turned away. Jellies can be easily dated. The fossil rock immediately following the eruption proved to be a mass extinction disaster of many different life forms, apparently linking the volcanic eruption to a terrifying environmental disaster.

The global impact of the eruption is caused by the proximity of the volcano to the shallow sea. The approach of the lava flow flowed at great speed and seawater caused a tremendous explosion just as the eruption had just begun , resulting in a huge amount of sulfur dioxide being thrown into the stratosphere. .

Researchers believe they have found evidence of a terrifying volcanic eruption that led to a global extinction disaster that occurred some 260 million years ago.(Photo: iStockphoto / James Steidl)

Professor Paul Wignall, a paleontologist at the University of Leeds and the lead author of the article, said: 'When you flush with a great speed, a low density ghost will encounter a shallow sea like throwing water into a pan. fried potatoes. The intense explosion produced huge vapor clouds'.

Sulfur dioxide is sprayed into the atmosphere, causing large clouds to spread across the globe, cooling the planet and causing intense acid rain. Scientists have obtained information from fossils that this environmental disaster occurred at the beginning of the volcanic eruption.

Professor Wignall added: 'We can observe the sudden extinction of marine life very clearly in fossils. Fossils have linked a powerful volcanic eruption to a global environmental disaster, a link that often causes controversy. '

Previous studies have suggested that increased carbon dioxide caused by volcanic eruptions has caused an extinction disaster. However, due to the long-term warming effect occurring along with increased atmospheric carbon dioxide (as we can see when the current climate changes), the link between global environmental change and volcanic eruptions are difficult to be clearly confirmed.

The study was conducted in collaboration with the China University of Geological Sciences in Wuhan and funded by the Natural Environment Research Council, United Kingdom.

References:
Paul B. Wignall, Yadong Sun, David PG Bond, Gareth Izon, Robert J. Newton, Stéphanie Védrine, Mike Widdowson, Jason R. Ali, Xulong Lai, Haishui Jiang, Helen Cope, and Simon H. Bottrell. Precise coincidence of explosive volcanism, extinction and carbon isotope fluctuations in the Middle Permian of China. Science, 2009; DOI: 10.1126 / science.1171956