Newly Identified Mass Extinction Event Gave Rise To Dinosaurs, Say ScientistsUniversal/Px
Scientists have identified a new mass extinction event, which gave rise to dinosaurs dominating the Earth for more than 200 million years.
There is thought to have been five mass extinctions events in our planet’s history, known as the Big Five. One of these events saw an asteroid hit the Earth 66 million years ago, wiping out more than three quarters of life, including dinosaurs.
Scientists now believe they have identified another mass extinction that occurred 232 million to 234 million years ago, dubbing it the Carnian Pluvial Episode. A ‘mass extinction’ is typically described as as the disappearance of at least 50% of all species over a short time frame.
AsteroidPixabay
It’s thought the Carnian Pluvial Episode was caused by massive volcanic eruptions in what is now western Canada.
In a news statement, study co-author Jacopo Dal Corso, a geologist at China University of Geosciences at Wuhan, said:
So far, palaeontologists had identified five ‘big’ mass extinctions in the past 500 million years of the history of life. Each of these had a profound effect on the evolution of the Earth and of life.
We have identified another great extinction event, and it evidently had a major role in helping to reset life on land and in the oceans, marking the origins of modern ecosystems.
In regards to the volcanic eruptions that are likely to have caused this particular extinction, Dal Corso added: ‘The eruptions were so huge, they pumped vast amounts of greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide, and there were spikes of global warming.’
dinosaurPixabay
But how do dinosaurs come into the mix? It’s suggested the Carnian Pluvial Episode caused a major loss of biodiversity on land and in the oceans. This prompted new groups of more modern ecosystems to begin, which encouraged much more plant life to grow.
The new plant life, aided by a warmer climate and increased rainfall, subsequently allowed the dinosaurs to thrive. Other animals including some of the first turtles, crocodiles, lizards and the first mammals appeared at the time as well.
Study co-author Mike Benton, professor of vertebrate palaeontology at the University of Bristol, described dinosaurs as ‘quite rare and unimportant’ prior to when this episode hit.
Saltwater CrocodilePexels
According to the study, the biodiversity loss also affected the oceans, and saw 33% of marine life disappear. Following this, modern-day coral reefs and plankton began to develop, suggesting the Carnian Pluvial Episode also had a major impact in the makeup of our oceans, CNN reports.
The most recent mass extinction event occurred around 250 million years ago. Some researchers have suggested we’re currently undergoing another mass extinction event, though one that can be blamed on humans, rather than an asteroid, for example.
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