Over the span of geological history, there have been five major losses of life, known as mass extinctions, which are almost universally agreed upon by scientists. The five mass extinction events were the Late Ordovician, Late Devonian, Late Permian (the worst mass extinction event in earth’s history), Late Triassic, and the Late Cretaceous extinctions. While most scientists agree on the events, most do not agree on their causes. As Becky and Lydia hinted in their discussions, rapid climate change is arguably one of the most prominent causes of mass extinction in one way or another.
Rapid climate change can be defined as a change in the average current or prevailing set of environmental conditions that occurs so quickly that organisms have very little time to adapt to the new set of environmental conditions. (Derived from Merriam Webster Dictionary) Rapid climate change doesn’t just happen on a whim, but usually as a result of another event. Some events that can cause rapid climate change are sea level alterations, bolide impacts, and global temperature changes, all of which can be triggered by volcanism, plate tectonics, land formation, and glaciation.
Summary of each mass extinction, the rapid climate changes associated with it, evidence, and effects |
