End-Permian Mass extinction Archives - Astrobiology

The Permian is a geologic period and system which extends from 298.9 ± 0.2 to 252.2 ± 0.5 (Million years ago). The Permian–Triassic (P–Tr or P–T) extinction event formed the boundary between the Paleozoic and Mesozoic eras. It is the Earth’s most severe known extinction event, with up to 96% of all marine species and 70% of terrestrial vertebrate species becoming extinct. -- NOAA

Astrogeology, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Extinction events, Fossils & Paleontology, Gaia - Planetary Perspectives, Press Release

How Survivors Spanned The Globe After Earth’s Biggest Mass Extinction

by Keith CowingApril 4, 2025April 4, 2025

Scientists don’t call it the “Great Dying” for nothing. About 252 million years ago, upward of 80% of all marine species vanished during the end-Permian mass extinction – the most […]

Artistic reconstruction of the terrestrial ecological landscape before the end Permian mass extinction based on fossil palynomorphs, plants , and tetrapods recovered, as well as sedimentological data from the South Taodonggou Section Credit Image by YANG Dinghua

Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Extinction events, Fossils & Paleontology, Origin & Evolution of Life, Press Release

A Terrestrial “Life Oasis” From The End-Permian Mass Extinction Period

by Keith CowingMarch 13, 2025March 13, 2025

A new study reveals that a region in China’s Turpan-Hami Basin served as a refugium, or “Life oasis” for terrestrial plants during the end-Permian mass extinction, the most severe biological […]

A paleo-art reconstruction of a scene from the late Early Triassic, showing a coastal mudplain to alluvial ecosystem in the Heshanggou Formation, North China Credit Mr J Sun (CC BY 4.0)

Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Extinction events, Fossils & Paleontology, Gaia - Planetary Perspectives, Press Release

Fossils Reveal Rapid Land Recovery After End-Permian Extinction

by Keith CowingFebruary 24, 2025February 24, 2025

Tropical riparian ecosystems – those found along rivers and wetlands – recovered much faster than expected following the end-Permian mass extinction around 252 million years ago, according to new research.

a, Mantle melting is predicted to last 5 Myr or more. b, A rheological transition in the crust on timescales of ~105 years throttles ascent of magmas from deeper storage regions. c, SCION sensitivity tests for the end-Permian with median Siberian Traps co-eruptive outgassing and cryptic degassing ranging from 1013 to 3 × 1013 mol CO2 yr−1 for 2, 4, 6 or 8 Myr, showing that maintaining a given level of warming requires a minimum CO2 flux; if cryptic degassing satisfies this flux, the duration of warming depends on the duration of cryptic degassing and cumulative emissions. d, The combined influence of prolonged mantle melting and declining surface volcanism decouples CO2 flux from volcanic output, with high cryptic CO2 fluxes during early and waning phases of LIP emplacement. During early emplacement, magmas solidify in the cold lithosphere, exsolving gas. During late emplacement, the rheologic shift shown in b inhibits eruptions, but cryptic degassing continues from magmas solidifying in the lower crust and mantle lithosphere.

Astrogeology, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Extinction events, Lava / magma ocean / Volcanic Worlds, Press Release, Terraforming & Geoengineering

Carbon Dioxide Release From Magma Deep Beneath Ancient Volcanoes Was A Hidden Driver Of Earth’s Past Climate

by Keith CowingOctober 31, 2024October 31, 2024

An international team of geoscientists led by a volcanologist at Rutgers University-New Brunswick has discovered that, contrary to present scientific understanding, ancient volcanoes continued to spew carbon dioxide into the […]

The Pacific Ocean As Seen From Space -- NASA

Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Extinction events, Status Report, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography

Ocean Anoxia during a Biocrisis on the Ancient Earth

by Keith CowingDecember 27, 2019April 12, 2024

A recent study provides new constraints on the timing of ocean anoxia during the Smithian-Spathian boundary (SSB), which represents a period of ‘biocrisis’ for Earth’s marine ecosystems as they recovered […]