This is a list of extinction events, both mass and minor:[1]
Period or supereon | Extinction | Date | Probable causes[2] |
---|---|---|---|
Quaternary | Holocene extinction | c. 10,000 BC – Ongoing | Humans[3] |
Quaternary extinction event | 640,000, 74,000, and 13,000 years ago |
Unknown; may include climate changes, massive volcanic eruptions and Humans (largely by human overhunting)[4][5][6] | |
Neogene | Pliocene–Pleistocene boundary extinction | 2 Ma | Possible causes include a supernova[7][8] or the Eltanin impact[9][10] |
Middle Miocene disruption | 14.5 Ma | Climate change due to change of ocean circulation patterns. Milankovitch cycles may have also contributed[11] | |
Paleogene | Eocene–Oligocene extinction event | 33.9 Ma | Multiple causes including global cooling, polar glaciation, falling sea levels, and the Popigai impactor[12] |
Cretaceous | Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event | 66 Ma | |
Cenomanian-Turonian boundary event | 94 Ma | Most likely underwater volcanism associated with the Caribbean large igneous province, which would have caused global warming and acidic oceans[13] | |
Aptian extinction | 117 Ma | Unknown, but may be due to volcanism of the Rajmahal Traps[14] | |
Jurassic | End-Jurassic (Tithonian) | 145 Ma | No longer regarded as a major extinction but rather a series of lesser events due to bolide impacts, eruptions of flood basalts, climate change and disruptions to oceanic systems[15] |
Pliensbachian-Toarcian extinction (Toarcian turnover) | 186-178 Ma | Formation of the Karoo-Ferrar Igneous Provinces[16] | |
Triassic | Triassic–Jurassic extinction event | 201 Ma | Possible causes include gradual climate changes, volcanism from the Central Atlantic magmatic province[17] or an impactor[18] |
Olenekian-Anisian boundary event | 247 Ma | Ocean acidification[19] | |
Smithian-Spathian boundary event | 249 Ma | Late eruptions of the Siberian Traps | |
Griesbachian-Dienerian boundary-event | 252 | Late eruptions of the Siberian Traps[20] | |
Permian | Permian–Triassic extinction event | 252 Ma | Large igneous province (LIP) eruptions [21] from the Siberian Traps,[22] an impact event (the Wilkes Land Crater),[23] an Anoxic event,[24] an Ice age,[25] or other possible causes |
End-Capitanian extinction event | 260 Ma | Volcanism from the Emeishan Traps,[26] resulting in global cooling and other effects | |
Olson's Extinction | 270 Ma | Unknown. Possibly a change in climate. | |
Carboniferous | Carboniferous rainforest collapse | 305 Ma | Possiblities include a series of rapid changes in climate, or volcanism of the Skagerrak-Centered Large Igneous Province[27] |
Serpukhovian extinction | ~ 325 Ma | Onset of the Late Paleozoic icehouse | |
Devonian | Hangenberg event | 359 Ma | Anoxia, possibly related to the Famennian glaciation or volcanic activity, Supernova[28] |
Late Devonian extinction (Kellwasser event) | 372 Ma | Viluy Traps;[29] Woodleigh Impactor?[2] | |
Taghanic Event | ~384 Ma | Anoxia | |
Kačák Event | ~388 Ma | Anoxia | |
Silurian | Lau event | 420 Ma | Changes in sea level and chemistry?[30] |
Mulde event | 424 Ma | Global drop in sea level?[31] | |
Ireviken event | 428 Ma | Deep-ocean anoxia;[32] Milankovitch cycles?[33] | |
Ordovician | Late Ordovician mass extinction | 445-444 Ma | Global cooling and sea level drop, and/or global warming related to volcanism and anoxia[34] |
Cambrian | Cambrian–Ordovician extinction event | 488 Ma | Kalkarindji Large Igneous Province?[35] |
Dresbachian extinction event | 502 Ma | ||
End-Botomian extinction event | 517 Ma | ||
Precambrian | End-Ediacaran extinction | 542 Ma | Anoxic event[36] |
Great Oxygenation Event | 2400 Ma | Rising oxygen levels in the atmosphere due to the development of photosynthesis as well as possible Snowball Earth event. (see: Huronian glaciation.) |
Extinction events |
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Original source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List of extinction events.
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