The Great Dying - the Permian extinction event

[Cypress]

Siberian Traps likely culprit for end-Permian extinction

Around 252 million years ago, life on Earth collapsed in spectacular and unprecedented fashion, as more than 96 percent of marine species and 70 percent of land species disappeared in a geological instant. The so-called end-Permian mass extinction *— or more commonly, the “Great Dying” — remains the most severe extinction event in Earth’s history.

Scientists suspect that massive volcanic activity, in a large igneous province called the Siberian Traps, may have had a role in the global die-off, raising air and sea temperatures and releasing toxic amounts of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere over a very short period of time. However, it’s unclear whether magmatism was the main culprit, or simply an accessory to the mass extinction.

http://news.mit.edu/2015/siberian-traps-end-permian-extinction-0916

Nice work, Ken.
If I could do grad school over again, I would totally specialize in vulcanism. Simply because I think volcanoes are bad ass!

 

[signalmankenneth]

ANCIENT EARTH: PERMIAN (FINAL)

Some of the most wondrous creatures in the history of our planet roamed on land and thrived at sea during the Permian period. Among them were the first saber-toothed carnivore and a 40-foot shark with a circular saw for a mouth. But something terrible happened 252 million years ago, when our world suffered the worst of five major mass extinctions. Just recently, scientists think they have finally identified the smoking gun that nearly wiped out all life on Earth.

https://vimeopro.com/pixelduststudios/ancient-earth/video/205397455

 

[Cypress]

Some of the most wondrous creatures in the history of our planet roamed on land and thrived at sea during the Permian period. Among them were the first saber-toothed carnivore and a 40-foot shark with a circular saw for a mouth. But something terrible happened 252 million years ago, when our world suffered the worst of five major mass extinctions. Just recently, scientists think they have finally identified the smoking gun that nearly wiped out all life on Earth.

https://vimeopro.com/pixelduststudios/ancient-earth/video/205397455

Thanks Ken. Man, I am a geek for this kind of stuff.

One thing I like about the Permian era - ginormous bugs!

Reign of the Giant Insects - Permian Period

Giant insects ruled the prehistoric skies during periods when Earth's atmosphere was rich in oxygen.
Insects reached their biggest sizes about 300 million years ago during the late Carboniferous and early Permian periods. This was the reign of the predatory griffinflies, giant dragonfly-like insects with wingspans of up to 28 inches (70 centimeters). The leading theory attributes their large size to high oxygen concentrations in the atmosphere (over 30 percent, compared to 21 percent today), which allowed giant insects to get enough oxygen through the tiny breathing tubes that insects use instead of lungs.

https://news.ucsc.edu/2012/06/giant-insects.html

 

[domer76]

Some of the most wondrous creatures in the history of our planet roamed on land and thrived at sea during the Permian period. Among them were the first saber-toothed carnivore and a 40-foot shark with a circular saw for a mouth. But something terrible happened 252 million years ago, when our world suffered the worst of five major mass extinctions. Just recently, scientists think they have finally identified the smoking gun that nearly wiped out all life on Earth.

https://vimeopro.com/pixelduststudios/ancient-earth/video/205397455

Very cool. Thanks.

 

[Cypress]

It might be UV radiation that drove the catastrophic extinction event, because the volcanic gasses from the Siberian traps eruption destroyed the atmospheric ozone layer.

https://www.popsci.com/environment/mass-extinction-uv-radiation/?amp