Free Republic
Browse · Search
General/Chat
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

It Took Earth Ten Million Years to Recover from Greatest Mass Extinction
ScienceDaily ^ | May 27, 2012 | University of Bristol

Posted on 05/28/2012 7:25:47 PM PDT by SunkenCiv

It took some 10 million years for Earth to recover from the greatest mass extinction of all time, latest research has revealed.

Life was nearly wiped out 250 million years ago, with only 10 per cent of plants and animals surviving. It is currently much debated how life recovered from this cataclysm, whether quickly or slowly.

Recent evidence for a rapid bounce-back is evaluated in a new review article by Dr Zhong-Qiang Chen, from the China University of Geosciences in Wuhan, and Professor Michael Benton from the University of Bristol. They find that recovery from the crisis lasted some 10 million years, as explained May 27 in Nature Geoscience.

There were apparently two reasons for the delay, the sheer intensity of the crisis, and continuing grim conditions on Earth after the first wave of extinction.

The end-Permian crisis, by far the most dramatic biological crisis to affect life on Earth, was triggered by a number of physical environmental shocks -- global warming, acid rain, ocean acidification and ocean anoxia. These were enough to kill off 90 per cent of living things on land and in the sea.

Dr Chen said: "It is hard to imagine how so much of life could have been killed, but there is no doubt from some of the fantastic rock sections in China and elsewhere round the world that this was the biggest crisis ever faced by life."

Current research shows that the grim conditions continued in bursts for some five to six million years after the initial crisis, with repeated carbon and oxygen crises, warming and other ill effects.

(Excerpt) Read more at sciencedaily.com ...


TOPICS: Astronomy; Science
KEYWORDS: acidrain; astronomy; catastrophism; climatechange; globalwarming; globalwarminghoax; godsgravesglyphs; meteors; paleontology; pcbs; permian; science; triassic
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-2021-4041-43 last
To: Condor51

Thanks ever so much. Off to have a nervous breakdown. La la la la la can’t here you.


41 posted on 05/29/2012 7:15:27 PM PDT by albionin (A gawn fit's eye gettin.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 36 | View Replies]

To: SunkenCiv

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=izQB2-Kmiic&feature=player_detailpage

...if man is still alive...


42 posted on 05/30/2012 4:22:52 AM PDT by wolfcreek (A closed eye mentality is the reason for our current reality)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: albionin
*** Thanks ever so much. Off to have a nervous breakdown. La la la la la can’t here you. ***

LOL. The last sentence is prolly the best action for us to take.

But one thing is kinda ironic. Last night 'The Universe' series was on the H2 Channel and an Astrophysicist (a Black gent, really cool guy who explains Physics in plain English) was on a segment talking about our Brightest neighbor, the star Betelgeuse.

And... well... the news wasn't exactly good but not 100% bad -- kinda a coin flip. But either way, I wouldn't click the linked article before bedtime :-)

43 posted on 05/30/2012 6:09:20 AM PDT by Condor51 (Yo Hoffa, so you want to 'take out conservatives'. Well okay Jr - I'm your Huckleberry)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 41 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-2021-4041-43 last

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
General/Chat
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson