mass extinctions
Widespread biological collapses
Mass extinctions are events in which a large percentage of Earth's species die out in a geologically brief period.
The fossil record shows five major mass extinctions, including the one that killed the dinosaurs 66 million years ago.
Scientists debate whether human activity is causing a sixth.
The singular mass extinction refers to any one such event: The Permian mass extinction wiped out 90% of marine species.
Late Paleozoic geological period
- TriassicFirst Mesozoic period
- CretaceousFinal Mesozoic period
- PaleozoicEarly complex-life epoch
- MesozoicAge of Reptiles
Cenozoic · Ordovician · Devonian · Cambrian · Jurassic · Carboniferous · Silurian · Pangea
Sun-orbiting rocky mass
- volcanismSubterranean magma expulsion process
- climate changePlanetary atmospheric transformation
- ice ageEra of massive glaciation
- ocean acidificationSeawater pH dropping from CO2
flood basalt · sea level change · habitat destruction · invasive species · overhunting · anthropogenic · pollution · deforestation
Reduction in species variety
- ecosystem collapseTotal breakdown of environmental systems
- species lossDisappearance of organism types
- dead zoneArea lacking signal coverage
Remains documenting prehistoric life
- trilobiteExtinct segmented marine arthropod
- ammoniteExtinct spiral-shelled cephalopod
- dinosaurExtinct Mesozoic reptile
- archaeopteryxEarly feathered dinosaur genus
ichthyosaur · iridium layer · amber · petrified · fossilization · stratigraphy · impact crater · tektite
Permian
Late Paleozoic geological period
- TriassicFirst Mesozoic period
- CretaceousFinal Mesozoic period
- PaleozoicEarly complex-life epoch
Mesozoic · Cenozoic · Ordovician · Devonian · Cambrian · Jurassic · Carboniferous · Silurian · Pangea · Gondwana
asteroid
Sun-orbiting rocky mass
- volcanismSubterranean magma expulsion process
- climate changePlanetary atmospheric transformation
- ice ageEra of massive glaciation
ocean acidification · flood basalt · sea level change · habitat destruction · invasive species · overhunting · anthropogenic · pollution · deforestation · nuclear winter
biodiversity loss
Reduction in species variety
- ecosystem collapseTotal breakdown of environmental systems
- species lossDisappearance of organism types
- dead zoneArea lacking signal coverage
Holocene
Current geological epoch
- depopulationLoss of inhabitants
fossil record
Remains documenting prehistoric life
- trilobiteExtinct segmented marine arthropod
- ammoniteExtinct spiral-shelled cephalopod
- dinosaurExtinct Mesozoic reptile
archaeopteryx · ichthyosaur · iridium layer · amber · petrified · fossilization · stratigraphy · impact crater · tektite · shocked quartz
- geologic historyCambrian, Ordovician, Silurian, Devonian, Carboniferous
- paleontologydinosaurs, fossil, paleontology, fossil record, dinosaur bones
- paleosciencespaleontology, paleobiology, paleobotany, paleoclimatology, paleoecology
- cosmic historybig bang, inflation, dark ages, star formation, recombination
- microfossilsdiatoms, dinoflagellate, Emiliania huxleyi
- geologybedrock, fault lines, faults, rock, basalt
mass extinctionsspecies preservation
mass, massive, extinct, masses, extinguish, extinction, extinguished, extinguisher, extinguishing