Vindication

Ok, at least evidence for vindication. When I read of the controversy over whether a meteorite strike or volcanic massive volcanic activity caused the extinction of the dinosaurs, I wondered whether a meteorite strike was the trigger of the volcanic activity. I never saw a theory as to why there would be that massive volcanic activity in the first place. I wrote several letters, and never got a reply. I raised the question on this blog on 5/31/2006 http://patriciashannon.blogspot.com/2006/05/dinosaur-die-off-chicken-or-egg.html and 10/25/2007 http://patriciashannon.blogspot.com/2007/10/cause-of-great-dying-250-million-years.html.

In fact, it was my frustration at seeing articles such as the previous ones, that ignored what seem to me obvious possible alternative causes of scientific events, that motivated me to start this blog in the first place.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/01/090107085320.htm

Catastrophic Coincidence: Second Ever Example Of Contemporaneous Meteorite Impact And Flood Volcanism Discovered
ScienceDaily (Jan. 7, 2009) — Scientists have discovered only the second example of a meteorite impact that occurred at the same time as massive volcanic activity, in research published in the Journal of the Geological Society the week of Jan 12. The first time such a coincidence was observed, at the Cretaceous-Tertiary boundary, was the catastrophic event thought to be responsible for the extinction of the dinosaurs, 65 million years ago.
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The relationships between meteorite impact craters, volcanism and changes in climate is a subject of much debate among scientists. Prior to the study, only one example of an impact coinciding with volcanism had been found: the Chicxulub and Boltysh impacts and the Deccan Traps flood volcanism, all of which occurred at the Cretaceous-Tertiary boundary. In 2002, the discovery of their coincidence with a global mass extinction led to debate over the causative links between meteorite impacts, volcanism and mass extinction events, and fuelled the search for more impacts at stratigraphic boundaries.
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Meteorite impact craters are extremely difficult to date, but an understanding of their age and frequency is crucial to attempts to control the number of future impacts, as well as understanding the links between impacts and other catastrophic events such as large volcanic eruptions and mass extinctions. Around 90% of the Earth’s record of meteorite impacts is lost, and the researchers argue that coincidences between impacts and flood volcanism are far from rare. They suggest that, for every incidence of flood volcanism, at least one crater the size of Logoisk is likely to form, although few such coincidences are likely to be on a scale grand enough to bring about an extinction event comparable with that which destroyed the dinosaurs.