High-precision timeline for Earth’s most severe extinction
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Significance Mass extinctions are major drivers of macroevolutionary change and mark fundamental transitions in the history of life, yet the feedbacks between environmental perturbation and biological response, which occur on submillennial timescales, are poorly understood. We present a high-precision age model for the end-Permian mass extinction, which was the most severe loss of marine and terrestrial biota in the last 542 My, that allows exploration of the sequence of events at millennial to decamillenial timescales 252 Mya. This record is critical for a better understanding of the punctuated nature and duration of the extinction, the reorganization of the carbon cycle, and a refined evaluation of potential trigger and kill mechanisms.Keywords:
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Permian–Triassic extinction event
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Abstract The biggest known mass extinction in the history of animal life occurred at the Permian–Triassic boundary and has often been linked to global warming. Previous studies have suggested that a geologically rapid (<40 kyr) temperature increase of more than 10°C occurred simultaneously with the main extinction pulse. This hypothesis is challenged by geochemical and palaeontological data indicating profound environmental perturbations and a temperature rise prior to the main extinction. Using secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS), we measured oxygen isotope ratios from Changhsingian (late Permian) ostracods of north‐western Iran. Our data show that ambient seawater temperature began to rise at least 300 kyr prior to the main extinction event. Gradual warming by approximately 12°C was probably responsible for initial environmental degradation that eventually culminated in the global end‐Permian mass extinction.
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Abstract The end‐Permian mass extinction was the most pervasive biotic crisis in the history of life. About 80% of marine species and some 70% of land species became extinct, probably in two pulses separated by about 10 million years.
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Permian–Triassic extinction event
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The Permian/Triassic mass extinction plays a great role in the evolutionary history of the Earth.After that,the revolution of species was accelerated greatly.The paper summarizes simply the research results of geochemists,geologists and paleontologists in recent years,including dating of the event and several hypotheses.Especially,we described in detail the exterrestrial impact(asteroid or comet),volcanic eruption,anoxia and marine acidification,and then made a simple analysis and discussion in the significance of mass extinction.
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Early Triassic
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The mass extinction that occurred at the end of the Permian period, 250 million years ago, was the most devastating loss of life that Earth has ever experienced. It is estimated that ca. 96% of marine species were wiped out and land plants, reptiles, amphibians and insects also suffered. The causes of this catastrophic event are currently a topic of intense debate. The geological record points to significant environmental disturbances, for example, global warming and stagnation of ocean water. A key issue is whether the Earth's feedback mechanisms can become unstable on their own, or whether some forcing is required to precipitate a catastrophe of this magnitude. A prime suspect for pushing Earth's systems into a critical condition is massive end-Permian Siberian volcanism, which would have pumped large quantities of carbon dioxide and toxic gases into the atmosphere. Recently, it has been postulated that Earth was also the victim of a bolide impact at this time. If further research substantiates this claim, it raises some intriguing questions. The Cretaceous-Tertiary mass extinction, 65 million years ago, was contemporaneous with both an impact and massive volcanism. Are both types of calamity necessary to drive Earth to the brink of faunal cataclysm? We do not presently have enough pieces of the jigsaw to solve the mystery of the end-Permian extinction, but the forensic work continues.
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High-precision geochronologic dating constrains probable causes of Earth's largest mass extinction.
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About the book: This volume contains the proceedings of the fourth of an informal series of meetings on mass extinctions, global catastrophes, and the geological and biological consequences of large-scale impact events. Previous meetings were held in 1981 and 1988 at Snowbird, Utah, and in 1994 Houston, Texas. The present meeting, held in 2000 in Vienna, Austria, concentrated on if (and how) short-term, high-energy events influence the biological evolution on Earth. Recently, a lot of attention has been focused on the Permian-Triassic extinction, at which about 80% of all species became extinct. The cause for this global catastrophe is currently unknown. Other short-term events (e.g., late Devonian, Triassic-Jurassic, late Eocene) in the stratigraphic record of Earth are now receiving unprecedented attention. The more than 50 papers in the volume discuss the character and causes of mass extinctions and catastrophic events in the history of our planet.
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Permian–Triassic extinction event
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