As the New Guinea virus ravages the world, the rising number of confirmed cases and deaths every day brings to mind the words “Doomsday scenarios”. However, in people’s mind, that is only a fictional scenario in science fiction.
But according to a paper published in the latest issue of Historical Biology, U.S. scientists have concluded through statistical analysis that an asteroid or comet impact on Earth 66 million years ago led to the extinction of the dinosaurs, but 30 million years later the Earth suffered a “global catastrophic event”. Scientists believe that meteorite impacts or volcanic eruptions follow a cycle of about 27 million years.
So scientists at New York University have concluded, through a new statistical analysis, that “Doomsday scenarios” are not science fiction, but science fact. They calculate that a global catastrophic event will occur approximately once every 27 million years.
Catastrophic events such as meteorite impacts and volcanic eruptions follow a certain cycle, and extinction comet showers occur every 26 to 30 million years.
According to the author of the paper, Professor Michael Rampino of the Department of Biology at New York University, catastrophic events such as meteorite impacts and volcanic eruptions follow a certain cycle, with extinct comet showers occurring every 26 to 30 million years.
If they hit the Earth, the cataclysmic effects could cause widespread darkness and cold, wildfires, acid rain and ozone depletion. These would likely lead to the death of terrestrial and marine life.
Professor Lampino said that the cycle of impacts of large celestial bodies and the Earth’s internal activity appear to coincide, with impacts leading to flood-basalt volcanism, possibly at the same “drumbeat” as the 27 million years of biological extinction, perhaps determined by the Earth’s orbit in the galaxy.
Three of the mass extinction events of terrestrial and marine species are known to have occurred at the same time as the three largest impacts in the past 250 million years.
It is reported that scientists have found that all eight simultaneous mass extinctions on land and in the oceans coincided with the timing of flood-basalt eruptions. Basaltic eruptions cause massive lava flows to the Earth’s surface, which causes a deadly greenhouse effect and a decrease in oxygen in the oceans.
Professor Lampino said that three mass extinction events of terrestrial and marine species are known to have occurred at the same time as the three largest impacts in the past 250 million years, each capable of causing global catastrophes and leading to mass extinctions.
“Global mass extinctions are clearly caused by the largest cataclysmic impacts and massive volcanic activity, and perhaps the two are sometimes working in concert,” he said.
Recent Comments