extinction events
Species-ending global catastrophes
Extinction events are episodes in Earth's history when large numbers of species die out in a geologically short time.
The most famous is the asteroid impact that killed the dinosaurs 66 million years ago.
Scientists have identified five major mass extinctions in the fossil record, each reshaping life on Earth.
Some argue we're currently in a sixth, driven by human activity: Climate change may trigger another extinction event.
Ancient glacial geological period
- megafaunaSpecies over 44 kilograms
- dinosaursExtinct prehistoric reptiles
- trilobitesExtinct marine arthropods
- ammonitesExtinct coiled-shell cephalopods
mammoths · Big Five · mass mortality · fossil record · iridium layer · recovery period
Sun-orbiting rocky mass
- cometIcy orbiting body
- bolideDetonating meteor, very bright
- craterImpact or volcanic basin
- firestormSelf-perpetuating intense blaze
shockwave · ejecta · nuclear winter · tsunamis · wildfires · meteorite · kinetic energy
Rising planetary temperatures
- ocean acidificationSeawater pH dropping from CO2
- sea level changeOceanic height variation
- anoxiaAbsence of oxygen supply
- greenhouse effectAtmospheric heat retention mechanism
ice age · glaciation · temperature extremes · coral bleaching · habitat loss · hypoxia · thermal stress · cooling
Reduction in species variety
- ecosystem collapseTotal breakdown of environmental systems
- population crashSudden drop in numbers
- recolonizationOccupying territory again
- rewildingRestoring natural ecosystems
Indian flood basalt province
- eruptionViolent sudden release
- pyroclastic flowsVolcanic gas-debris surge
- sulfur dioxideSO₂ gas compound
- volcanic winterClimate cooling from eruption debris
ashfall · acid rain · magma · caldera · supervolcano · lava · mercury poisoning · thermal stress
Pleistocene
Ancient glacial geological period
- megafaunaSpecies over 44 kilograms
- dinosaursExtinct prehistoric reptiles
- trilobitesExtinct marine arthropods
ammonites · mammoths · Big Five · mass mortality · fossil record · iridium layer · recovery period
asteroid
Sun-orbiting rocky mass
firestorm · shockwave · ejecta · nuclear winter · tsunamis · wildfires · meteorite · kinetic energy
global warming
Rising planetary temperatures
- ocean acidificationSeawater pH dropping from CO2
- sea level changeOceanic height variation
- anoxiaAbsence of oxygen supply
greenhouse effect · ice age · glaciation · temperature extremes · coral bleaching · habitat loss · hypoxia · thermal stress · cooling · desertification
biodiversity loss
Reduction in species variety
- ecosystem collapseTotal breakdown of environmental systems
- population crashSudden drop in numbers
- recolonizationOccupying territory again
Deccan Traps
Indian flood basalt province
- eruptionViolent sudden release
- pyroclastic flowsVolcanic gas-debris surge
- sulfur dioxideSO₂ gas compound
volcanic winter · ashfall · acid rain · magma · caldera · supervolcano · lava · mercury poisoning · thermal stress · Yellowstone
- Mesozoicdinosaurs, Velociraptor, Brachiosaurus, Spinosaurus, pterosaurs
- Disaster Films2012, Armageddon, Deep Impact, The Day After Tomorrow, The Towering Inferno
- science newspopular science, black holes, discovery, dinosaurs, research
- geologic historyCambrian, Ordovician, Silurian, Devonian, Carboniferous
- paleontologydinosaurs, fossil, paleontology, fossil record, dinosaur bones
- macroevolutionmacroevolution, speciation, fossil record, common descent, phylogeny
extinction eventsrewilding
Restoring natural ecosystems
ecological recovery · ecosystem restoration · recolonization
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