Did a supervolcano cause the dinosaurs' demise? – Science Weekly podcast

Some scientists are beginning to question whether it really was an asteroid impact that led to the dinosaurs' extinction - instead, they think it may have been a supervolcano in India. Graihagh Jackson investigates

When we were children, many of us learned about dinosaurs and their demise. A massive asteroid, larger than Mount Everest is tall, smashed into the Earth, causing chaos in the form of tsunamis, wildfires and earthquakes. Plumes of debris created a darkness so stifling that it caused up to 75% of all animals to become extinct.

However, a small group of scientists is questioning this hypothesis and putting forward another theory: volcanism. The Deccan traps in India are home to some of the biggest volcanic features in the world and there is evidence to suggest there was a lot of activity about 66m years ago - the same time the dinosaurs were wiped out.