Permian-Triassic Extinction

The Permian extinction, also known as the Great Dying, is an event which occurred somewhere around 250 million years ago. Geologists and environmental scientists call the Permian Triassic, the mother of all extinction events took place on earth. This natural disaster caused the extinction of 96% marine species and up to 70% of terrestrial vertebrate species. According to detailed field research, it is the only known extinction event in which various species of insects were wiped out. The date is still not confirmed as to when the Permian Triassic extinction occurred. Some scientists debate that it occurred around 500 million years ago, while some think that it happened 250 million years ago.

The Permian extinction was a sudden event and its effect lasted up to 70,000 years. Life after the Permian Triassic tragedy was hard to live. The event was like a natural atom bomb which had exploded and made many living species disappear. The recovery took more than 10 million years and the species that survived this tragedy are the species which still remain on the face of this earth. Plant life was affected the worst. In many areas, species were eliminated and water life also changed its course. Rivers changed their direction and fungus was dominating the planet due to the large number of extinct animals and plants. Fossil records have proved that the extinction event time-line was very brief and not gradual, which happens over a period of time.

What Caused the Permian Extinction

Although there's a still a lot of debate on what must have caused the Extinction. Scientists have come up with a lot of theories right from alien invasion to a meteorite crashing on the earth's surface. I have listed out some of the potential causes, and one of them might be a potential Permian extinction cause.

Gondwana or Glaciation
Some geologists believe that glaciation might have caused this drastic event. This environmental condition is also seen responsible for the Ordovician and Devonian crisis. Scientists believe the glaciation effect with global warming is posing a threat to all living species living on this planet today.

Pangea Formation
Another theory which suits the cause of Permian extinction is the Pangea formation. Its said that when Pangea was being formed, there was a huge reduction in the shallow continental shelves. Such a drastic change in oceanic continental shelves would gradually turn up into an ecological competition for space and perhaps would have led to their extinction.

Rapid Climatic Changes
Meteorologists who have researched on the Permian -Triassic extinction event claim that frequent climatic changes can be the cause of the Great Dying. Researchers have found evidence of significant cooling and drying in various sediments which have been found out.

Volcanic Eruptions
The last potential cause seems to be the basaltic volcanic eruptions in Siberia. These volcanic eruptions expelled large amounts of sulfates into the atmosphere. The evidence found in China states that these volcanic eruptions might have been explosive and have produced tons of ash clouds in the atmosphere. These ash clouds might have affected the atmosphere drastically, and may have triggered the Permian extinction.

Other than lava erupting volcanoes, people have also debated on anoxia (lack of oxygen in water) being the prime cause of Permian extinction. There's still a lot of discussion happening on what caused anoxia back then, but these oxygen lacking waters might have caused toxicity to marine species, which ultimately led them to their end. Hope this article on what was the Permian extinction was resourceful. Scientists haven't still figured what was the exact cause of such a catastrophic event but daily new possibilities are being added which further complicates the picture. I guess we never will find out what caused the Permian tragedy.