2006年03月16日
ENS英國，萊斯特報導；謝芳怡編譯；莫聞審校
地球的歷史曾發生過數次生物大滅絕，亦即地球上所有生命形態短時間內迅速被消滅。為了找出導致生物大滅絕的主要原因，英國地質學家向現行理論提出挑戰，他們認為真正造成生物大滅絕的主因，並非隕石衝擊，而是火山活動時所釋放的氣體；亦即，富含硫磺的火山灰遮蔽天空，帶來長時期的「火山冬天」（volcanic winter），因而使得大氣中的二氧化碳增加造成氣候暖化。
Volcanic Gases, Not Meteors, May Have Caused Mass Extinctions
Earth's history has been punctuated by mass extinctions that have rapidly wiped out nearly all life forms on the planet. To determine what caused these events, British geologists are challenging the currently held theory that meteorite impacts are to blame. They believe that gases released by volcanic activity led to a prolonged volcanic winter brought on by sulphur-rich aerosols, followed by a period of warming induced by carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.
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