What does it take for a volcanic eruption to really shake the world did volcanic eruptions extinguish the dinosaurs or help humans to evolve only to decimate their populations with a super eruption 73 000 years ago did they contribute to the ebb and flow of ancient empires the french revolution and the rise of fascism in europe in the 19th century these are some of the claims made for volcanic cataclysm volcanologist clive oppenheimer explores rich geological historical archaeological