 The end of the Cretaceous period, one of the most often discussed periods of Earth's history, saw the mass extinction of some three-quarters of Earth's plants and animal species. Scientists continued to debate the role of the Chiksella meteorite impact in driving this event, including any influence it may have had on ongoing eruptions at the Deccan Traps, far away in India. Now, new research published in the journal Science Advances uncovers another possible environmental stressor during this period. Using gravity to study changes in ancient crusts on the seafloor, scientists inferred that the large seismic waves triggered by the Chiksella meteorite traveled to mid-ocean ridges, where the tectonic plates separate in the oceans. There, they say, the waves triggered the release of magma stored below, generating larger-than-average submarine volcanic eruptions and intrusions. Similar accelerated magma outflow happened along the tens of thousands of kilometers of volcanic ridges that span the world's ocean basins. It's clear, say, the scientists that this magma outflow should be considered alongside the Chiksella impact and the Deccan Traps as a contributor to major environmental change during the Cretaceous extinction.